＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・佐々木宏・東京五輪演出統括役の辞任は演出家同士の権力争いが原因か？
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been plagued by a series of troubles and friction, including: “a conflict between Governor Koike and Organizing Committee Chairman Mori over cost sharing and venue issues,” “a bribery scandal involving former JOC Chairman Takeda,” “the resignation of Olympic Minister Yoshitaka Sakurada due to a gaffe,” “a redesign of the new National Stadium,” “a re-selection of the Games’ emblem,” “the decision to postpone the Games by one year,” “the resignation of Organizing Committee Chairman Mori due to misogynistic remarks,” “the past sexual harassment issues of new Chairman Hashimoto,” “the withdrawal of Games volunteers,” “the withdrawal of torch relay runners,” “the Shimane Prefecture Governor’s statement about canceling the torch relay,” and “JOC Chairman Yamashita’s apology regarding a power harassment issue involving an executive of the All Japan Judo Federation.”
And now, with just over four months until the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, another problem has arisen: “the resignation of Hiroshi Sasaki, who was in charge of planning and directing the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aso aptly called the Olympics “cursed,” a statement that sparked controversy, and the current situation makes such a statement understandable.
1. This is the fourth resignation of the person in charge of planning and directing the opening and closing ceremonies.
This is not the first time that Hiroshi Sasaki has resigned as the person in charge of planning and directing the opening and closing ceremonies. The organizing committee announced the eight members of the planning and directing team in December 2017. Initially, film director Takashi Yamazaki was expected to play a central role, but a lack of cohesion led to a change in July 2018, with Kyogen performer Mansai Nomura appointed as overall coordinator, Yamazaki in charge of the Olympics, and creative director Sasaki in charge of the Paralympics. However, even with this change, “friction” seems to have persisted.
Although not publicly announced until now, in 2019, the de facto person in charge of the Olympics was again changed to choreographer MIKIKO, who took on the role of “executive director.”
In January 2020, Kaoru Sugano, the creative director of the production team, resigned after receiving disciplinary action for power harassment within Dentsu, the advertising agency where he worked.
In March 2020, when the Games were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hiroshi Sasaki, who was highly trusted by Ms. Mori, took on the role of overseeing both the Olympics and Paralympics. Ms. MIKIKO then informed the organizing committee of her intention to resign, and the team was finally disbanded in December of last year. Ultimately, decision-making was consolidated under Mr. Sasaki, but a “spur-of-the-moment suggestion” he made in March of last year via LINE within the production group was reported by “Bunshun Online” to have contained “messages insulting the appearance, including the physique, of talent Naomi Watanabe,” forcing him to resign.
Moreover, this suggestion of his had been rejected and withdrawn within the group.
2. What is the truth behind Mr. Sasaki’s resignation?
The fact that the matter of “internal opinion exchange within the production group” from over a year ago has surfaced now can only be explained by someone within the production group who harbored resentment towards Mr. Sasaki leaking it to Bunshun (revealing a secret).
This is like a “power struggle among the directors.” The truth is likely that “Bunshun, wanting a scoop, jumped on board.”
I believe Mr. Hiroshi Sasaki is an excellent director. On July 23, 2020, one year before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, the organizing committee held a ceremony at the National Stadium, the opening ceremony venue, from 8 PM, titled “One Year to Go. Taking a Step Forward. ~+1 Message~ TOKYO2020.” Swimmer Rikako Ikee, aiming for a comeback from leukemia, delivered a message to the world, and this ceremony was also directed by Mr. Sasaki.
And the media lauded the following comment by Naomi Watanabe.
As someone who appears in public, I am aware that I am often told I am large, and I fully understand that my appearance may be ridiculed. In fact, I am happy with my body type. So, I intend to continue expressing myself as “Naomi Watanabe,” without focusing solely on being overweight. However, as a person, I sincerely hope that we can create a fun and fulfilling world where we respect and accept each other’s individuality and way of thinking.
Isn’t this a case of “forces opposed to the Tokyo Olympics and wishing to prevent its implementation,” “human rights activists,” and “women’s rights activists” “shifting the issue to suit their own agenda”?
3. Current Japanese society is being swayed by the media and has fallen into an “intolerant society.”
If discussions within groups where ideas are freely exchanged become subject to criticism rather than being off the record, it becomes a stifling environment where free speech is stifled, resulting in only bland, uninteresting, and unremarkable proposals.
Furthermore, while the “power of the pen (or perhaps the violence of the pen?)” used by “Bunshun Online” and “Bunshun Ho” to bring down those in power and top figures may seem satisfying to the general public, it is questionable whether this is truly in the best interest of the nation from a broader perspective.
We, the citizens, need to carefully discern the “essence of things” and should not be unnecessarily swayed by the media.