Sunday, November 06, 2005
An artricle of Foreign Affairs about Japan's nationalism
This spring, I read an article of Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec2003 about Japan’s emerging nationalism, titled “Japan’s New Nationalism.”
Frankly speaking, it sucks.
I could not believe that I run into such a low-level article in one of themost authoritative American magazines in the field of internationalaffairs.
The author’s recognition of today’s Japan is right. Indeed, Japanese society is drifting to the right. Also, his analysis of this shift isbasically plausible though average Japanese university students could writethe same-level or better explanation than he did.
The problem is he writes some factual errors.
1. Kazuya Fukuda (福田和也) is not a Kyoto University professor. He is a Keio University professor.
The author writes: Meanwhile, two University of Kyoto professors, TerumasaNakanishi and Kazuya Fukuda, recently wrote that "the best way for Japan toavoid being the target of North Korean nuclear missiles is for the primeminister to declare without delay that Japan will arm itself with nuclearweapons."
2. Related to the passage above, the formal nomenclature of 京都大学 inEnglish is Kyoto University, not the University of Kyoto.
3. Shinichi Kitaoka is not a law professor though he is in the faculty of Law in the University of Tokyo. Professor of Political Science is more accurate for his title.
4. His Rome-ji is also strange. Shoku should be corrected as shokku in thepassage below:
One way that the United States can help ward off extremism in Japan is byhelping it avoid any further shoku (shocks), such as a major economiccrisis or the collapse of Japan's social safety net.
5. Akita Governor Sukeshiro Terata, and Tochigi Governor Aldo Fukuda... Whoare they? I think no one has such a strange name, Aldo, in Japan. Whatkanji do you use? And, I did not know their names. I sincerely recommend that the Bush administration should not speak with them. It will be waste of time. There are some more famous reform-oriented governors in Japan, such as Asano in Miyagi, Katayama in Tottori, Tanaka in Nagano (I don’t likehim, though), Kitagawa in Mie (former governor of Mie), etc..
The author writes: In this vein, the Bush administration also should begin speaking at high levels with independent leaders such as Ishihara, Akita Governor Sukeshiro Terata, and Tochigi Governor Aldo Fukuda.
6. The organization which sunk a North Korean spy ship in December, 2001 was not Japan’s navy, but Japan Coast Guard.
The author writes: But the significance of Japan's uncharacteristicallyassertive response--a marked contrast to past incursions, and the firsttime Japan's navy had sunk a foreign vessel since the end of World War II.
I don’t think that’s all. But I’m tired, so I’ll stop here.The author is Eugene A. Matthews, and his title is President of Nintai…I’m very curious what Nintai is.
Frankly speaking, it sucks.
I could not believe that I run into such a low-level article in one of themost authoritative American magazines in the field of internationalaffairs.
The author’s recognition of today’s Japan is right. Indeed, Japanese society is drifting to the right. Also, his analysis of this shift isbasically plausible though average Japanese university students could writethe same-level or better explanation than he did.
The problem is he writes some factual errors.
1. Kazuya Fukuda (福田和也) is not a Kyoto University professor. He is a Keio University professor.
The author writes: Meanwhile, two University of Kyoto professors, TerumasaNakanishi and Kazuya Fukuda, recently wrote that "the best way for Japan toavoid being the target of North Korean nuclear missiles is for the primeminister to declare without delay that Japan will arm itself with nuclearweapons."
2. Related to the passage above, the formal nomenclature of 京都大学 inEnglish is Kyoto University, not the University of Kyoto.
3. Shinichi Kitaoka is not a law professor though he is in the faculty of Law in the University of Tokyo. Professor of Political Science is more accurate for his title.
4. His Rome-ji is also strange. Shoku should be corrected as shokku in thepassage below:
One way that the United States can help ward off extremism in Japan is byhelping it avoid any further shoku (shocks), such as a major economiccrisis or the collapse of Japan's social safety net.
5. Akita Governor Sukeshiro Terata, and Tochigi Governor Aldo Fukuda... Whoare they? I think no one has such a strange name, Aldo, in Japan. Whatkanji do you use? And, I did not know their names. I sincerely recommend that the Bush administration should not speak with them. It will be waste of time. There are some more famous reform-oriented governors in Japan, such as Asano in Miyagi, Katayama in Tottori, Tanaka in Nagano (I don’t likehim, though), Kitagawa in Mie (former governor of Mie), etc..
The author writes: In this vein, the Bush administration also should begin speaking at high levels with independent leaders such as Ishihara, Akita Governor Sukeshiro Terata, and Tochigi Governor Aldo Fukuda.
6. The organization which sunk a North Korean spy ship in December, 2001 was not Japan’s navy, but Japan Coast Guard.
The author writes: But the significance of Japan's uncharacteristicallyassertive response--a marked contrast to past incursions, and the firsttime Japan's navy had sunk a foreign vessel since the end of World War II.
I don’t think that’s all. But I’m tired, so I’ll stop here.The author is Eugene A. Matthews, and his title is President of Nintai…I’m very curious what Nintai is.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Finally,
I've escaped from hectic days.
I hope peaceful days will last at least until the end of next week..
Just for my reminder #2
Think Again: Nuclear Proliferation
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3304
His World is Flat
http://www.policyreview.org/aug05/hazony.html
The Ethical Economist
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20051101fareviewessay84612/joseph-e-stiglitz/the-ethical-economist.html
Who’s Behind That Curtain? Unveiling Potential Leverage over Pyongyang
http://twq.com/05winter/docs/05winter_horowitz.pdf
I hope peaceful days will last at least until the end of next week..
Just for my reminder #2
Think Again: Nuclear Proliferation
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3304
His World is Flat
http://www.policyreview.org/aug05/hazony.html
The Ethical Economist
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20051101fareviewessay84612/joseph-e-stiglitz/the-ethical-economist.html
Who’s Behind That Curtain? Unveiling Potential Leverage over Pyongyang
http://twq.com/05winter/docs/05winter_horowitz.pdf
