My opinion of this week(485):
gometown decision
In the night of August 2, I was staying at my mountain lodge with several
people who participated in Summer camp of our PC club. One of a participants
said he would like to watch TV program of WBA light flyweight world
championship game between Koki Kouki Kameda and Venezuelan Juan Landaeta
to be held in that night. Other agreed and we started watching TBS channel
just after the dinner.
I knew about the game but had almost have no interest in it. I would not
watch TV even if I had been in my home at that moment because I didn't have
any interest and had a kind of bad impression about behaviors and arrogant
actions of Kouki Kameda as a sport man. I had some doubt about excessive
fanfare prepared by the sponsor of the game that is TBS TV broadcasting
corporation.
But when we started watching TV, I frankly wished that Kameda could have
won the championship as a Japanese together with other TV watchers there.
Kameda suffered a first knockdown in his career with right hook from
Landaeta in the dying seconds of the first round. He obviously was in a
bad shape from that first round till end. Everybody who were watching
the fight believed the loss of Kameda when the gong was heard at the last
moment. People stood up and ready to leave to sleep. I left there and
went to my bed room.
Then I heard one of men who continued to stay in front of TV after that
moment shouting that Kameda got champion belt by close judgment by
2-1. All people were quite surprised to the result and agreed with
the point that the judgment would cause a lot of controversy after
tomorrow. All went to bed and that topic was not talked at all during next
day until I came back to my home on Friday night.
After settled at my home, I opened the news paper of August 3, and 4 and
confirmed that our first thought on that game was quite right. The paper
reported that a lot of criticism and doubt about the unfair judgment
about the game.
About 2000 e-mails were sent to homepage of Venezuelan Embassy from
Japanese saying Juan Landaeta is a real champion and not Kameda. Almost
50,000 telephone calls and mails were sent to TBS, the sponsor of the
game protesting such unfair judgment made by three judges.
I fully agreed with such movement and felt relieved in a way. That's the
way it is.
2006/8/5
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(486):
Threat warning level and patience level
"U.S. raises threat level in response to British terror plot -- The U.S.
government raised its threat warning to the highest level for commercial
flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday in response to a
reported terror plot in London and also stepped up the general level for
all flights within the U.S. or entering the country." Mainichi Daily
News August 10th.
Observing this attacks by terrorists and recent war started by Israel
at Lebanon and many other happenings are all typical examples of chain of
retaliation. There are a long history about it. But terrorist attacks and
counter attacks and retaliation each other by both side have been escalated
since the happenings of 9/11 in 2001.
One side launched attacks and the other made counter attacks against
them. Both side always have some reasons to do them. What's clear right now
is that there is no brake any more for the chain of retaliation.
The US and British government raised threat warning to the level 5, the
highest level preparing for possible attacks. They may avoid the danger
in the short run. But is the raise of warning level the real solution in
the long run? Never. The terrorist will make another attacks in any other
places at any other times. It is almost impossible to protect terror-attacks
in any ways.
Needless to say, such terror-type attacks are never justified for any
reasons. But are all sort of retaliatory steps taken so far by US and
Britain and their allied countries in the world justified as they insisted?
I personally have some big questions on it and I believe many other
people must have the same feeling about it.
There are several terrorist groups in Arab world. Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah
are examples. The air line attack at this time is planned by Al-Qaeda
group. But one obvious motive for the attack at this time is the war started
by Israel to exterminate Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel invaded Lebanon
to save an Israeli soldier abducted by Hezbollah. Israel has such
reason for invasion but Israel has killed so many general citizens so
far by their air raid. Is this a reasonable retaliation against any of
unreasonable terror-attacks? May be or may be not. I do not personally
judge on it now.
But it is very obvious that the chain of retaliation as we have seen so
far will never stop as far as such situation continues. Rather than
lifting threat warning level, lifting patience level on both side will
be the only way to decrease terror-attacks and wars in the world.
I know a famous teaching of Christ. The teaching says:"If your right cheek
is slapped by others, hold left cheek for slapping ,too." The teaching
instructs that this is the only solution to improve conflicts between
human relationship to keep peace with neighbors. And I just wonder why are
there no world leaders mention about this teachings to attain basic
solution of the chaos today.
Such level of patience have never shown by Bush and Blair and any other
existing leaders in the world today. I know I am talking about a kind of
dream. But I believe this is an only ideal and basic solution to solve
the chain of retaliation which is going on the world today.
2006/8/12
Tadashi HAYASE
My@opinion of this week(487):
History of the war and territorial issue
A sudden tragedy happened at Northern ocean territories on August 16th.
Three Japanese fishermen were arrested by Russian authority and one of
men was gundown to death by patrol boat in warning shot.
Japanese Government and Foreign Minister Aso showed very strong reaction
on the accident against Russian Government at the beginning but that have
been toned down to great extent after facts about the accident had
been disclosed. Skipper Noboru Sakashita and two other crew members of
Japanese crab boat Kisshin Maru No. 31 confessed during questioning
that they had intruded into Russian territorial waters for purposes of
poaching.
Russian authority said those fishermen did not obey to stop running away
regardless their warning. Then they continued warning shoot which
resulted to hit the man to die by accident.
Such word was not acceptable for Japanese emotionally. But this kind
of accidents have happened so often in the past in this territory
just as any international territorial disputes. Maintaining territories
and border lines is so important for any countries. There may be no
problem for what Russian coastal boat had done against Japanese
fishermen as far as international law is concerned.
Regardless the rather strong reaction by Japanese media on this accident
at first stage, their interests have decreased very quickly by the
end of the week. However, I would like to suggest to people and mass
media have more interest on this issue.
One of the key issue here is the fact that Japanese generally has only
little interest on territorial issue. I was surprised to know the result
of public opinion research made in Korea and Japan when the Takeshima
Island dispute came up. While all age groups of Korean people showed a
great interest and concern on Takeshima, interest and concern of Japanese
people especially of young people was very low in general. Many young
people do not even know the existence of such dispute between Japan and
Korea.
This may be true with Northern territorial issue between Japan and
Russia. Not many people show any interest in them while it has been
a long and basic diplomatic issue between Japan and Russia. The
territorial issue is all background for what happened on Wednesday.
It is 100% territorial issue.
The accident happened on August 16th, a day after the anniversary of
the end of the war. How many Japanese today do think about the meaning
of the day , August 15th? Honestly speaking, I personally think only
a little about it every year.
The greatest topic about the anniversary day in this year was Prime
Minister Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine. The fact continued to
be a big diplomatic issues between China and Korea. But we had almost
forgot another big diplomatic issues, Northern territory issues with
Russia. That may be much bigger diplomatic issue for Japan in the past
and in the long run rather than Yasukuni Shrine.
If the war did not end on August 15, 1945 and lasted another one month
or even one week, Hokkaido would have become a Russian territory. Japan
would have been split into two countries like East and West Germany and
North and South Korea. Japan might have been very lucky accidentally.
What I would like to say here is that we Japanese should learn more
about the history concerning the war and should have much firmer stance
on any of those diplomatic issues between those neighbor countries.
2006/8/19
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(488):
Radio gymnastics
I started participating radio gymnastics held at community park nearby my
house since last summer. At 6:20 am every morning, residents who wanted to
make physical exercise get together at community park and practice
gymnastics broadcasted by NHK. This thirty minutes practice has provided a
very good result to improve my health in every respects to stretch every
parts of my body and to strengthen muscle to protect various physical
damages by possible accidents.
During summer vacations for elementary schools, some number of children
who live in our community join to participate in this radio gymnastics.
There are many more children in this community, but only some limited
number of children participate in this practice for it is not an event
prepared by a school but by a community children association which one
of a working group of the community association. Every children in the
community can decide freely whether or not they participate in this event.
Community Association started this events every summer since it is a
good opportunity for those aged group people to meet small children in
the community. So all regular participants are very cooperative to let
children practice excursive in polite and orderly manner. I personally
usually pay attention in it so that the whole program are being done
in a good manner.
But I am sorry to say that many adult participants are disappointed to
see misconducts of some children. Most of children act almost normally
during the physical exercise. But some do not follow any general rule
during the exercise. Some come late to the park after the exercise
starts. Some do not follow to ordinal step of gymnastics while a
volunteer leader is showing model practice at every stage. One or two
children go up to a stone creature at the center of park and/or keep
chatting with other friends without following instruction to be practiced.
I can't stand to overlook such acts by children and address some gestures
to such children to stop misconducts without using any voice for
radio broadcasting is going on. Sometimes children understand my gestures
and stop their actions. But they mostly neglect such warning or do not
understand what my gestures means. In many occasions such children come
to the park with their mothers or fathers. I am quite surprised to see
those parents do not try to stop such irregular actions of their children
at all. I just can't understand it. Why not?
It is fine for them to come to participate in such event together with
their children. But why don't they teach to their children the general
rule in a group activity? Why don't they stop their miss conducts?
At the same time, I just wonder how those children are being taught about
general and basic rules of group activities at schools where they attend
everyday.
Am I exaggerating too much about this ?
2006/8/26
Tadashi HAYASE
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