Atomic Bomb

On July, Defense Minister, Kyuma was forced to resign for a slip; he said in an address at a university, “I now have come to accept in my mind that in order to end the war, it could not be helped that an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and that countless numbers of people suffered great tragedy."　His resignation finally resulted in a big reason of general resignation of the Abe cabinet in September.

This was an interested incident which represented a few particular aspects of Japan. On the other hand, I wonder if the foreign press exactly understood how significant this was. In my view, most Japanese citizen privately agrees with Kyuma and feels the atomic bombing partly is inevitable as he said (except for people actually influenced by atomic bombing). Also, we feel others think in the same way, so we share a kind of consensus. However, he confused that “private consensus” with the “public consensus.” The atomic bomb is never accepted publicly even if most we accept it by each privately. Therefore, it could be a misunderstanding, in spite of his resignation, that Japanese never accept the atomic bombing.

It is a particular tendency of Japanese culture to separate private consensus and public consensus, but that isn’t the main topics now (You can see a more explanation in “The Anatomy of Self” written by Takeo Doi).

Anyway, most Japanese actually understand what Kyuma said; if the war had been more protracted, Japan might have been divided by Soviet Union as well as Berlin. Moreover, this probably is the biggest reason; we suppose if Japan had been in the US’s situation, we still must have decided to use the atomic bomb. On the other hand, when Korea and China forcefully demand an apology for the damage during the war, Japan always is embarrassed. The reason is just that those invasions are “inevitable” in order to protect its interest from the influences of European imperialism at that time. Japan expects them to behave in the same way as that we behave toward the US. As long as you don’t understand this particular tendency of Japanese, you can’t exactly understand several conflicts concerned with Japan.

It isn’t clearly distinguished between my own stance and other’s stances under this tendency. While one sympathizes with other’s stance, the other is expected to understand one’s stance in order to share each other’s stance. In such the relationships, the idea of “responsibility” is no longer necessary. I think this is a great Buddhist thought, which can be developed in an Island country with relatively peaceful long history.

Iran and Japan

In southern area of Iran, a Japanese college student was abducted by a drug-smuggling group. This group, which is never related to Iranian government, has already escaped over the boarder to Pakistan, so it’s almost impossible for Iranian police to involve this case. Now, a lot of armed group make up a complicated mosaic in the continent, so it came to difficult that two governments solve such the problem just by negotiating each other. Japan governments finally declared Iran to be a dangerous country to visit as well as Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 1970, while the relationship between the US and Iran was getting worse, Japan retained to have dealings with Iran. When the US and the EU countries boycott Iranian oil, Japan never stopped sending oil tankers to Iran. Also, Iran had been exposed threaten of Russia for a long time as well as Turkey. Both countries must be surprised when Japan fought against and overcame Russia in 19C. In fact, some large streets both in Teheran and Ankara have been capped names of Japanese generals at that time. Iran is honorable country with respectable culture and tradition as old Persia.

I long for political movements focusing more on Iran or Turkey which even seem not to be concerned immediately with us. Those respectable relationships must give us correct nationalism as confidence. Now, Japan is at the mercy of the economic and military competition between the US and China. In addition, Japan isn’t only exposed by threaten of nuclear weapon North Korea is developing but holds some small frictions with South Korea. However, if I consider about Japan in the long term, neutrality that isn’t easy to recover again is the most important. I believe that Japan is one of some countries which could play the role of mental leader in the future world.

Sake

Sometimes I’m invited, but I actually don’t like party in a dormitory: That’s completely for young kids. I prefer enjoying drink alcohols with, just one guy is best, in quiet places. Korean or Taiwan guys are good partners here. They have similar customs.
I prefer an old style sake-bar; inside of which there is a bar only for several customers. After my job finished about 9 PM, I go generally alone or often call a friend to meet there. I talk to the bar’s owner in the counter a little or other customers we have met sometimes. We can order a few kinds of local sake or shochu (distilled spirits made from wheat or sweet potato), which generally depend on favor of bar’s owner himself, sliced raw fish in each season and boiled vegetables on a small bowl. It all must have absolutely different feelings from western style bar, but so it is impossible to describe those differences by English.
I have heard that some international students were seriously worried difficulties how they could make American friends. I noticed that “friend” might not be so important concept in Japan, perhaps, also in other Asian countries. Friends of us can be replaced in another relationship, like junior, senior, colleague, ex-classmate, friend’s girlfriend or some else. Also, we unconsciously tend to keep following those formats of relationship on every friend. However, in US, friendship is definitely a relationship between a couple individuals. The concept, “Friend,” might come from outside just modern era; though I’m not sure because I’m not a linguist.
Anyway, it’s about midnight when I leave the sake-bar. Then, I call a close friend to have fun again in his room until the morning.

Zen

In Myanmar, Buddhist monks are killed by official troops. It must cause considerable impact in these days when serious conflicts between Christianity culture and Islamic culture come to obvious. They are regarded as only a symbol of peace in the world. While Myanmar’s policy, off course, can’t be allowed, I feel not anger but only sad by sympathizing with the martyrs.
I am a Zen Buddhist. We don’t have any communities or rules. Also, we don’t have to declare to be. Just meditating. That’s all. But, attitudes to everyday’s life are formed naturally thorough meditation. When I was engage in Kempo (almost same as Karate), I met the idea of Zen which strongly influenced in the origin of most martial arts. In my thoughts, we are quite similar to Quakers.
To living in a different culture, we need to hold our identities more tightly. As a result, I became more conscious of the fact I’m a Zen Buddhist.
“Little Buddha,” Bernardo Bertolucci filmed in 1993, which is not so famous movie among his works, but I like this one rather than Academy awarded “The Last Emperor.” This might help to understand the monks killed in Myanmar.