"We must not think that Japan is the only country with good qualities or believe that our 'unique culture' is better than others (...) There is no reason we should feel superior to others".This is such an evident truth that I'm amazed it is still necessary to publish something so basic in a big newspaper. But then, after all, maybe the writer is right to recall this evidence. He writes a little bit further:
"Some people are calling for the revival of so-called Japanese virtues. There are moves under way to introduce this idea in schools, and the Diet recently debated a revision to the Fundamental Law of Education. Such moves are aimed at strengthening moral education and promoting patriotism (...)
In my opinion the moves only encourage the view that Japan is somehow special. If the argument for patriotism is abused, it could lead the public toward the same nationalism we had in the prewar years."
Point of view: Japan is good enough to be an ordinary nation (Asahi - 2006/6/26)
13 comments:
私はVincentさんが驚かれたこと自体に驚いています。
筆者の言わんとすることは、すなわち「独善の危険姓」だといえますが、日本には日本特有の独善性の「表現の仕方」があるというだけで、これは古今東西・人類普遍の永遠の課題です。
ネオナチやスキンヘッドなど欧州では暴力的な人種差別が大きな問題となっています。欧州サッカーリーグではアフリカ系人選手に対する人種差別的ヤジが珍しくありません。このような問題が生まれる「土壌」として、欧州の白人社会全体に已然として沈殿している「白人優越思想」あるいは「西洋文明優越思想」という「独善性」があるという見方は見当はずれでしょうか？
捕鯨問題にしても、反捕鯨派は「鯨は侵すべからざる神聖な生き物」という独善的な教義を信じて疑わず、なかには暴力的な手法を用いてまで、それを他者に押しつけようとする団体もあります。
右翼・保守派政治家に「独善性の発露」ととられるような言動が見られるのは万国共通です。
イラク戦争においては、双方共に「正義」という名の「独善」を掲げて戦っています。
このコラムは、国際化が進み、異なる文化・文明間の接触が飛躍的に増した現在において、全人類が肝に銘ずべきメッセージです。
完全に解決されることはおそらくはないでしょうし、その意味では繰り返し唱えられなければならない永遠のテーマです。
もし、Vincentさんが、「この問題は日本に特有の問題である」とお考えであるとすれば、それはまさに、あなた自身に克服されるべき「独善性」が内包されているということになるのではないでしょうか？
欧州ではこのような趣旨のコラムが新聞に掲載されることがないのだとすれば、私にはそのことの方が問題であるように思われます。
Thanks for your thoughts, Mikechan. I'm not sure my level of Japanese if high enough to understand all the nuances of your beautiful and intellectual Japanese. Forgive me if I misunderstood some points.
Indeed we have skinheads, neo-nazi's and quite a some of Westerners who still believe in 'White Supremacy' in Europe. I'm certainly not ignoring this. In fact, I come form a region (Flanders) where about 25% of the people for 'Het Vlaams Belang', a racist party (even if they affirm they are not racist). I have always opposed extreme right when I lived in Belgium.
But now I live in Japan, I read the news, I follow the political situation in this country. I care about the future of Japan, I care about the Japanese people and I care about my position as a foreigner with permanent residency here. So, why do you always have to remember me that Europe has also its flaws? I now very well Europe is not perfect. I do not represent Europe. I'm an individual with rather 'left-liberal' opinions who represent only himself and nothing than himself. Do I have to keep my mouth shut simple because I originate from a continent that has done also many things wrong? I don’t think so.
「This is such an evident truth that I'm amazed it is still necessary to publish something so basic in a big newspaper.」という驚きの裏に、「ベルギー（欧州）では、このようなコラムが新聞に掲載されるなんて考えられない（問題は解決されており、もう必要ない）。日本は遅れている。」という意味を読みとるのは不自然ではないと思うのですが・・・。
深読みのし過ぎでしたら申し訳ありませんでした。
ただ、そうならばなおさらのこと、なぜこのコラムが掲載されることに驚かれたのでしょうか？
盲信的な独善性の克服は人類普遍の永遠の課題であって、この問題について警告し続けることは、社会の公器たるマスメディアの当然の責務であると思います。もちろん日本もその例外ではありません。
"I care about the future of Japan,"
大きなお世話
Please care about the future of Congo which people were massacred by your grandpa.
Yokohaman: Ah, here is the old discussion again. I have to shut up about Japanese colonization because Belgium colonized Congo quite brutally. It's a too stupid assertion the respond to this. The time frame was not the same, the situation was not the same. I will not justify the colonization of Congo, but to try to link this question to what Japan did at the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century in Asia is ridiculous.
コンゴ問題に対して語ることは義務ではありませんが、しかし、禁じられているわけでもありません。
Vincentさんがこの問題を必要なまでに避ける理由が私には分かりません。日本と共有する問題も多いでしょうし、そういう意味では大変意義があることだと思うのですが。
Mikechan, there are different reasons why I do notwant to talk about Congo:
1. My obsession is Japan. My time is limited. Even the history of Africa is very interesting, I have to make choices. I have been twice to Rwanda and would like to talk about this country and my experiences there, but there are time restraints. If we start to talk about the African continent and colonization, we touch a very big and endless subject. In this blog, I would like to focus on Japan. I don’t want to start a discussion about a totally different subject.
2. In my view, you cannot compare colonization of Africa and colonization by the Japanese. It is completely different. I took place during another times, in a different context. It is not comparable and a discussion on this basis can lead to nowhere (hhis does not mean that I justify colonization by Western powers).
3. I do not represent Belgium. I'm an individual who represent only himself. I do not consider myself as belonging to a 'people, a nation'. Maybe for a lot of Japanese it is essential to be rooted in a group, but not for me. I do not feel 'Belgian'. I happen to have a Belgian passport, nothing more. I find it rather strange that some argue that I have to shut up about Japanese colonization because the colonization of Congo by the Belgians was also not very clean. When I make critical remarks about Japan’s past, I do not make these remarks based on my Belgian background. No, these remarks are based on my personal critical thinking rooted in values I consider as universal. I think I have the right to make negative remarks about Japan’s past without having to justify what the Belgians did in Congo.
日本の植民地政策について、全体的にはどのような評価をされているのでしょうか？
また、「靖国史観」についてのお立場は分かりますが、その対極にある、いわゆる「東京裁判史観」についてはどのような評価をされていますか？
ちなみに、西洋諸国と日本の植民地支配の比較については、Vincentさんとは全く逆の評価をする識者も国内外に少なくありません。
また、植民地支配を「継続犯」と捉えるならば、西洋諸国による「犯罪」の終了は、敗戦により全てを失った日本よりも後の事です。東京裁判の最中にも、フランスやオランダなどは再び植民地化すべくアジアへの侵略戦争を続行中でした。
Mike-chan, you ask my opinion on two extremely difficult questions. You ask the right questions, but I cannot give an equilibrated response in a few lines.
Concerning the colonial policy of Japan. I can understand why Japan wanted colonies. The ‘whites’ had colonies, so why not Japan also? Furthermore, Japan needed resources. It’s a fact that the West could not accept that Japan became as strong as the Western powers. It is clear that before WOII, the West was biased and thought the ‘yellow people’ where inferior. Moreover, it is certainly true that Japan wanted to liberate the other Asian people form unjustified Western domination. A very good book about all those complicated racial questions: “Race War. White Supremacy and the Japanese Attack on the British Empire” by Gerald HORNE. It is an extremely interesting book that explains very well that the West could not accept the Japanese on equal footing. However, the book explains also very well that Japan misused completely it colonial power: brutal oppression, denial of individual rights, oppressive regime. At the beginning Japan was acclaimed as a liberator, but Japan lost every credibility as liberators by brutality and unjustified oppression. When I see that the museum of Yasukuni Shrine tries to convince us that the ‘Great Asian War’ was a ‘war of liberation’. I can only be very sad. This is pure and awful propaganda.
Concerning the Tokyo Tribunal. It is a fact that it was a ‘justice of victors’. The Indian Judge provided dissenting opinions and I think he was right. It is clear that the accused didn’t get a full fear lawsuit. However, I think it is awful bad that some politicians (Abe.. ) try to negate the outcome of the Tokyo Tribunal.
If Japan wants to rest the past and look to the future (as PM Koizumi says so often) , there is only one solution I think: Japan has to face the past as the Germans have done! Do you think that Nazi’s were judged fairy? It was also a 'justice of victors'. But contrary to Japan, Germany faced its past and showed remorse and still continues to show remorse. Germany was able to put the past behind. In Europe we have seen by thousand of acts the remorse of the Germans. That is why in Western Europe those who were oppressed by the nazis, do not hate the Germans anymore. That is why in Western Europe there are no problems with the terrible past anymore. Japan, on the contrary, has showed little true remorse. Japan tries to forget the past, some deny even the past. As long as Japan does not face the past, the tensions with neighboring Asian counties cannot find a solution. That is my opinion.
東京裁判史観や、日本の「失敗」要因については、私もVincentさんとほぼ同意見です。
ただ、安倍氏も含め東京裁判自体を無効とするような具体的動きは政府内にはありませんし、その意図も見られません。
また、各種世論調査を見ても、アジアの近隣諸国のうち、日本と歴史問題を抱えている国は中国・韓国・北朝鮮に限られます。他の国々は、戦後半世紀以上に渡る平和国家としての歩みを評価しています。BBCの調査でも、フィリピンやインドネシアなど近隣諸国においての評価が極めて高い点を特別に指摘しています。
http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbcpoll06-3.html
ドイツと西欧諸国との和解には確かに学ぶべき点があります。
ただ一方で、西欧と北東アジア三カ国の「政治事情」を考慮する必要もあります。民主主義国である韓国でさえ、まだ政治・社会的に成熟した国とはいえません。Vincentさんが紹介された「韓国の中学生の絵画」や、これを生む背景にある社会的・教育的環境を考えても明かです。韓国のある外交官の言葉を借りれば「謝罪を受け入れるだけの自信がない」という段階にあります。実際、これらの国にとって、歴史問題は日本に対するほとんど唯一の外交カードです。
ところで、ある国が「植民地支配について反省しているか否か」について、Vincentさんの判断基準と、その基準を満たしている国（あるいは、日本がモデルとすべき国）をあげていただけないでしょうか？
Mikechan. Thanks for this very interesting to the BBC poll. It’s interesting to note that in Western Europe only France seems to have a quite negative image about Japan. As I’m through my background culturally quite close to the French environment, maybe I exaggerate too much the negative image of Japan. A pity that in the poll The Netherlands and Belgium are not included. I would be interesting to know how positive/negative the image of Japan is in these countries. I suspect that in The Netherlands the opinion about Japan is closer to France than Spain.
オランダについては太平洋戦争と関係して、年配者を中心に「複雑」な感情が残っているでしょうね。
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4794208456/250-7334922-3081834
ベルギーにおける最近のある世論調査では、「日本に対する印象」として「残酷」をあげる人が最も多かったそうです。なんでも当地で大人気の漫画の影響とか・・・。
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