By Mark Lavers
Early in my teaching career in Japan, I remember a student prefacing a statement with “we Japanese think”. I was shocked that someone would have the audacity to say that they spoke for all Japanese, without someone else suggesting that they should speak for themselves. I think things are changing. For me, there are at least three areas that demonstrate a multi-faceted Japan, where nobody speaks for everyone, although in some rare instances, some people can truly unite the country. These interesting, inspirational and educational aspects in 2012 were Japanese politics, the Olympics and the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
Japanese politics certainly became more interesting this year, both domestically and internationally, thanks to the actions of 3 individuals: Shintaro Ishihara, Shinzo Abe and Toru Hashimoto.
The Senkaku Islands row between Japan, China (Diaoyu) and Taiwan (Tiaoyutai) was precipitated by Shintaro Ishihara during a speech in Washington, DC in April. The subsequent fallout eventually led to the National government “nationalizing” the islands, which resulted in angry demonstrations in China, negatively affecting Japanese owned businesses located there. Ishihara’s blend of xenophobic bigotry and nationalistic fervor is apparently based on a belief that surrendering to end WW11, and having an American constitution imposed on Japan, effectively neutered the country. His revisionist perspective denies the Nanking massacre and the use of “comfort women”. In October, he launched his own political party, with only him as a member. To me, Ishihara seems a have that dangerous combination of hubris and ignorance, enough to frighten most rational observers.
“The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. “ – Sun Zi (Sun Tsu)
“When history is erased, people’s moral values are also erased.” – Ma Jian
Shinzo Abe was re-elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. He, like Ishihara, is a noted revisionist. On comfort women: “The fact is, there is no evidence to prove there was coercion”.
“Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. But make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice.” Akio Morita
“You know, there’s an old saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…I’m LDP!”
“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” Peter Drucker
Toru Hashimoto has risen quickly through the ranks and this year launched his own political party, Japan Restoration Party. He is from Kansai, which makes him an outsider. His “yakuza” and “ burakumin” backgrounds have been used to slander and discredit him, as have some of his more infamous quotes.
“What’s needed in the politics of today’s Japan is a dictator — power to the extent you’ll be called a dictator”
On “comfort women”: “Japan maintains that there is no evidence to show that the Imperial Japanese military seized the women by force. If Koreans see it as a problem, show us the evidence.”
The arrival of two “new” political parties, and the resurrection of a hardline former Prime-Minister, indicate clearly that the opposition parties in Japan are moving to the right. Nationalistic rhetoric and a desire to “break the system” have been around for a while, but nothing substantial has been accomplished by any of Japan’s puppet PM’s. For Ishihara and Hashimoto, the move from regional czar to national politics will certainly be interesting, and perhaps difficult, as Abe’s brief tenure as PM amply demonstrated.
Unlike Japanese politics, the Olympics provided plenty of positive energy for Japan. From the moving presentation to all the athletes of “medals”, hand crafted by the children of Tohoku from the driftwood left by the 3/11 tsunami, to the record number of medals the athletes garnered, the London Olympics were very uplifting and inspiring.
Kohei Uchimura has been called the greatest male gymnast of this generation, and perhaps the greatest male gymnast ever, following 3 consecutive world championships topped off with the Olympic all-round gold medal. Additionally, he led Japan to a team silver medal.
“I’ve realized the extraordinary power of sports to heal, unite and inspire. I believe the Olympics will serve as the ultimate platform to provide positive changes and I hope to inspire all of Japan through my strong showing there.”
Kaori Icho is a 7 time world champion and the first woman to win 3 consecutive wrestling gold medals. Icho stayed remarkably composed despite becoming one of Japan’s greatest Olympians. Asked repeatedly how it felt to win the hat-trick, she calmly replied: “I am very happy.”
Saori Yoshida, a 12 time world champion, became the second Japanese woman to win 3 consecutive gold medals when she won the 55 kg division in London. She joins Russia’s legendary Aleksandr Karelin as the only wrestlers to win 12 consecutive world titles.
“I was so stressed, more than at the other two (Olympics). I really wanted to fulfill my promise.”
Ryota Murata, winner of the middle-weight boxing gold medal, achieved quite an accomplishment. Murata’s is the hundredth gold medalist for Japan in their Olympic history and also his gold is the first-ever boxing medal in a weight class other than bantamweight or flyweight.
These Olympians have demonstrated that the Japanese are able to reach the apex in their chosen sport, and remain there, exemplifying the qualities of dedication, hard work and determination, the Japanese “fighting spirit”.
The 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine was jointly awarded to Britain’s John Gurdon and Japan’s Shinya Yamanaka for their stem-cell research, particularly the development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
“My goal all my life is to bring this stem cell technology to the bedside, to patients.”
“When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters. I thought, we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way. “
“I grew so depressed from the lack of support that I considered quitting. No one understood me.”
“We still have a lot of work to do on our research, so I was really surprised. I have two feelings, gratitude and also responsibility. Even though we have received this prize, we have not really accomplished what we need to. I feel a deep sense of duty and responsibility.”
Once very interesting discussion topic that has surfaced following Yamanaka’s sudden rise to fame is the view that he represents a very good role model for young Japanese men. Rather than appearing or acting androgynously, like SMAP’s Takuya Kimura, he comes across as a balanced man. He is aggressive and a leader, a tireless worker and visionary, even a marathoner, all while supporting his wife in parenting their two daughters.
While some Japanese national (and local) politicians may be haunted and hobbled by Japan’s past and seek to rewrite history, other Japanese leaders in fields like sports and science look forward, and speak very clearly with their actions, to an inspired and exciting future full of challenges and achievements.
