2014年1月31日 星期五

Richie談 ”物之哀”態度/ W. H. Auden 1971.2.2發表在紐約時報的詩歌: Forgotten Laughter, Forgotten Prayer

作者Richie 的文化洞識力: (《小津安二郎的電影美學》6-7)
傳統生活的所謂物之哀態度,Richie W. H. Auden 1971.2.2發表在紐約時報的詩歌: Forgotten Laughter, Forgotten Prayer 來說明之:

我們的命運都是相同的,
沒有任何例外。
這個事實令我們感到高興。
另一方面,我們不由自主希望我們的生活沒有任何問題。
譬如說,我們要嗎是像動物一樣,
什麼也不想,
要嗎是靈肉分離的天使。
但這是不可能的。
因此我們覺得可笑,
因為我們一邊抗議,
一邊接受。


或許,日本人在接受身為一個人的矛盾時,是嘆息,而不僅是嘲笑,是歌詠這個無常而不如人意的世界,而不僅僅領略出它的荒誕。……..


  • Ozu: His Life and Films (paperback). University of California Press. 1977. ISBN 978-0520032774.
  • 《小津安二郎的電影美學》,李春發譯, 台北:電影圖書館出版部,1983

Donald Richie 1924-2013 / 《小津安二郎的電影美學》/The Japan Journals: 1947-2004 《日本日記》Donald Richie 1924-2013 / 《小津安二郎的電影美學》/The Japan J...

Japan Official Under Fire for Saying Public Broadcaster Won’t Criticize Government


TOKYO — The head of Japan’s influential public broadcaster drew sharp criticism on Sunday for saying that the broadcaster would refrain from criticizing the right-leaning government on such delicate issues as visits to a controversial shrine honoring war dead. He also said his nation should not be singled out for forcing women into sexual servitude during World War II.
The newly appointed chairman of the public broadcaster, NHK, Katsuto Momii, made the comments during his inaugural news conference on Saturday.
Other members of the news media in Japan quickly complained that NHK, widely seen as the nation’s most influential news broadcaster, appeared to be under political pressure to adhere to the government’s nationalist line on wartime and other issues. Mr. Momii, a former corporate executive, was selected chairman last month by a 12-member board of governors, four of whom were named last year by the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
While the publicly funded NHK is nominally independent from the government, members of its governing board are named by the government and approved by Parliament.
Many liberals fear that Mr. Abe will try to drive Japan to the right as he tried to do during his first term as prime minister. His government has begun to slowly make some moves in that direction, including a proposal that textbooks be rejected if they do not teach patriotism in a way officials deem proper. Mr. Abe also recently visited a Tokyo shrine that pays homage to the country’s war dead, including war criminals — angering the Chinese and South Koreans who say such visits signal a lack of repentance for Japan’s wartime atrocities.
Mr. Momii also drew criticism from the South Korean news media for his comments about the women forced to work in wartime brothels; many of the women were Korean. Many South Koreans say these so-called comfort women should be compensated as victims of imperial Japan’s brutal early 20th-century colonization of the Korean Peninsula.
Some members of the Abe government say that the women were no more than common prostitutes, a view disputed by many historians.
On Saturday, Mr. Momii said that “all nations” ran military brothels during the war, and questioned South Korean demands that Japan compensate surviving comfort women, most of them now in their 80s and 90s.
“It is puzzling for Koreans to say that Japan was the only nation that forcibly took them,” Mr. Momii said. “Give us money, compensate us, they say. But this was all resolved by the Japan-Korea peace treaty. Why are they reviving this issue? Isn’t it strange?”
Mr. Momii was referring to the 1965 treaty that normalized relations between the two nations, when the Japanese government says it resolved all issues of compensation related to the war. Many South Koreans say the comfort women were not covered by the treaty because their existence was not known until more recently.
Mr. Momii also said that it was ”only natural” for NHK to follow the Japanese government position in international broadcasts on issues such as maritime territorial disputes with China over islands in the East China Sea that both countries claim.

2014年1月28日 星期二

全日空 ANA 廣告爭議

 全日空 ANA 廣告爭議2014年01月28日 07:37 AM

全日空廣告惹惱西方網民

字號
背景
評論 

根據全日空(All Nippon Airways)近期一則30秒電視廣告中用於刻畫西方人的誇張手法判斷,你或許會以為這則廣告反映的是十九世紀場景,當時美國海軍準將佩里(Perry)剛剛在江戶灣(Port of Tokyo,現稱東京灣)進入日本民眾的視野,掀開了日本對外開放的序幕。
在這則廣告中,兩位全日空的飛行員正在討論新開設的自羽田(Haneda)機場出發的國際航線。當其中一位飛行員指出,日本民眾應當試著改變自己的海外形象時,他的同事戴上了一頂金色假髮以及一個巨大的橡皮鼻子,這是日本國內在表現西方人時常開的玩笑。
這則廣告本意是面嚮日本觀眾播出的,但在這個網民的憤怒影響巨大的時代,全日空錯誤判斷了這則廣告的潛在影響,廣告像病毒一樣在網絡上廣泛傳播,並被批評為是用刻板方式調侃外國人的種族特徵。
一名憤怒的觀眾將這支廣告上傳到了YouTube,在隨後的三天之內,這條視頻已經收到了超過12萬條評論。
Facebook網站上的一條憤怒評論稱:“很多人或許會覺得這則廣告幽默,但我以及一大群身處日本的外國人不這麽認為。你們所開的這種將外國人一概而論的玩笑已經過時了。”
東芝(Toshiba)去年也以類似方式觸犯了眾怒,在該公司的一則廣告中,一名日本女演員戴上了一個假鼻子和一頂金色假發。
全日空公開作出回應稱,廣告的本意是以一種幽默的方式推介其從羽田機場始發的新增國際航班,並作出了道歉。私下裡,該公司對於觸發眾怒感到非常窘迫,並撤下了廣告。製作這支廣告的電通集團(Dentsu)拒絕發表評論。
但不是每個人都認為外國人有理由感到受了冒犯。在日本文化中,視覺幽默特別能夠激起共鳴,部分原因在於日本有歌舞伎表演的傳統,而這種表演常常運用性別互換以及身份錯誤等戲劇手法。
很多在日本居住的外國人還認為,從刻板印象到種族主義的跳躍並非自動完成的。其他人則指出(包括日本人以及在日本居住的外國人),歐洲人的外形特徵在日本被認為很有吸引力。一名網友寫道:“擁有一個又高又直的鼻子(正如廣告中所刻畫的)事實上是一件引人贊美的事。”
以“根付”(netsuke)為例,這種以木頭或象牙為材質的人形或者動物形態的精緻微雕,在十七世紀變得大受歡迎,並且在如今的日本以及海外收藏界都備受追捧。其中某些最驚人的根付刻畫的是荷蘭商人,也就是在日本鎖國時期(十七世紀至十九世紀日本實行的漫長閉關時期)唯一獲準與日本來往的歐洲人。這些雕刻形象,連同他們的大鼻子、滑稽的笑容以及寬檐帽,正是全日空廣告中出現的有關外國人的粗魯刻板印象的直接歷史根源。由於從當時的標準來看,日本與荷蘭當年的往來相對來說較為和諧,因此現代的觀眾能夠僅僅將這些雕刻作為藝術品來欣賞。
這引發瞭如下問題:在全日空的廣告中,誰真正受到了冒犯?有一種相反意見指出,該廣告並非旨在吸引游客前往日本,而是為了鼓勵本國觀眾出國旅游。
媒體將註意力集中在了廣告的收尾鏡頭,但廣告中飛行員的實際對話根據的是有關日本人的一種負面成見:他們對外國人總是態度冷淡。
“你想要一個擁抱?”第一位飛行員問道,但迎接他的只有冷漠的註視,這促使他反駁稱:“日本人的這種反應……讓我們改變日本人的這種形象。”
現在距離日本人開始大規模出國旅行或定居已經超過了150年。一位民眾日前在網上評論道:“這支廣告讓日本人在全世界的眼裡顯得愚蠢。為什麽不能製作一支精緻優雅的廣告,顯示日本民眾的心態有多麽開放。”
譯者/馬拉

美國駐日大使 Caroline Kennedy 直率風




美國大使肯尼迪直言不諱,日本有點不適應

去年,卡洛琳·肯尼迪在東京乘坐傳統的馬車前去會見明仁天皇。
Issei Kato/Reuters
去年,卡洛琳·肯尼迪在東京乘坐傳統的馬車前去會見明仁天皇。
東京——兩個月前,當卡洛琳·肯尼迪(Caroline Kennedy)以美國大使的身份抵達時,日本舉國一片歡騰。任命這樣一位有着名流光環的人物——她是那個黃金年代的一個活生生的見證,那時的美國尚有着令人寬慰的強大和自信——似乎證明,華盛頓終於給了日本一個盼望已久的擁抱。
當她乘坐馬車前去向明仁天皇(Emperor Akihito)遞交國書時,數千名歡呼雀躍的日本人擠滿了街道,罕見地顯示出了日本民眾對一名外交使節的感情。乘馬車向天皇遞交國書是許多大使履新過程中的一項儀式。
  • 檢視大圖周五,卡洛琳·肯尼迪大使同日本外相岸田文雄一同現身東京。
    Yoshikazu Tsuno/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
    周五,卡洛琳·肯尼迪大使同日本外相岸田文雄一同現身東京。
但很快,肯尼迪就在一些敏感問題上表現出與其外交官身份不符的坦率,讓她的日本東道主大為意外。前不久,她公開對每年一度的海豚捕殺活動表示關切,引發了轟動。捕殺海豚的活動在海外廣受譴責,但許多日本人卻認為它是傳統文化的一部分。
「對海豚捕殺的慘無人道深感憂心,」肯尼迪上周在Twitter上寫道,「美國政府反對以驅趕式獵殺為手段的漁業。」她提到了美國政府對獵殺海豚一事的立場。用這種方式捕殺海豚時,海豚被趕進小海灣里,然後再被砍死。
在發表此番評論前不久,肯尼迪領導的大使館罕見地批評了日本首相參拜一處有爭議的、供奉着戰爭亡靈的神社。這次的評論表明,通常為人矜持的肯尼迪可能比許多人預想的更直言不諱,願意提及日本人更傾向於關起門來討論的一些問題。而且,她在通過社交媒體來做這些事。和日本進行正式外交溝通所必需的那種細膩微妙,在這個平台上蕩然無存。肯尼迪在Twitter上很活躍,用英語和日語發帖,有超過7.5萬名追隨者。
她嚴厲批評海豚捕殺活動之際,正值美國試圖達成一種微妙的平衡——在慢慢說服日本停止在戰爭歷史問題上激怒鄰國的同時,鼓勵日本支持美國增強在該地區的力量,以制衡中國。
日本官員對肯尼迪有關獵殺海豚一事的評論既顯得有些不快,又感到困惑。而美國國務院(State Department)則對相關評論表示支持。
本周進行了海豚捕殺的那個縣的知事仁坂吉伸(Yoshinobu Nisaka)在一次新聞發佈會上說,「我們的生活離不開牛和豬。」
「因此只說捕殺海豚殘忍是不恰當的,」他繼續說。
政府首席發言人菅義偉(Yoshihide Suga)為捕殺活動——就是2009年美國紀錄片《海豚灣》(The Cove)中拍攝的那種捕殺活動——進行了辯護,稱其符合國際法。但他迅速補充說,日本將嘗試「向美國解釋我們的立場」。
美國駐日本大使館將所有置評請求推給了華盛頓。周五,白宮發言人帕特里克·文特雷爾(Patrick Ventrell)表示,「在日本,肯尼迪大使在代表美國方面做得非常出色。」國務院表示,早在去年肯尼迪的任命聽證會之前,她就收到了大量有關日本捕殺海豚的活動的評論,並決定要提出這個問題。一名官員稱,在Twitter上發帖前,肯尼迪曾就政府在此事上的原則諮詢了國務院。
日本的評論人士稱,引起一些騷動是不可避免的,因為奧巴馬政府選擇的肯尼迪是一名公眾人物,有着讓日本民眾傾倒的明星魅力,同時她又不怕暢所欲言。即便部分官員對她的行事方式感到不安,但事實或許會證明,他們很難公開地表達自己的相關感想。
「像她這樣的人,你怎麼控制呢?」在日本做了25年以上電視評論員的美國人戴夫·斯派克特(Dave Spector)說,他一直在密切地關注着肯尼迪大使。「天啊,她父親可是印在50美分硬幣上的。她不是一般人。」
他說,由於她的聲名實在太過顯赫,以至於人們要在她的一舉一動中尋找涵義。她周三和韓國駐日本大使的例行會面在兩國都得到了報道。新聞機構強調,在會議中出現了一個兩國之間的敏感話題。
日本的共同通訊社(Kyodo)在報道標題中引用了韓國的聯合通訊社(Yonhap)的報道,稱兩位大使討論了所謂的慰安婦問題,不過兩篇報道都沒有明確指出,她是否就該問題發表了評論。許多學者說,在戰爭期間有許多女性被強迫在日軍的妓院工作,其中包括數以萬計的韓朝女性,然而許多日本保守派人士說她們本身就是娼妓。
她這種面對棘手問題的意願,可能會讓首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)的政府頗感頭疼。作為一名保守派,安倍曾承諾要和華盛頓保持密切聯繫。在人數不多但言辭激烈的日本民族主義網民社區里,擁有26萬Twitter追隨者的安倍人氣頗高。
至少還有一位知名女性也在獵殺海豚的問題上表明了態度。在大使發出帖子後的第二天,小野洋子(Yoko Ono)發表了一封致漁民的公開信,希望停止在她看來有損日本國際形象的獵殺。(海豚肉只在日本有限幾處地方被奉為瑰寶,但保守派人士對外國人來插手日本事務怒不可遏。)
斯派克特等人說,雖然惹出這麼多是非,肯尼迪在日本依然是很受歡迎的。這在一定程度上是因為她那位至今仍籠罩在光環里的父親約翰·F·肯尼迪(John F. Kennedy),在很多年長的日本人眼裡,他代表着一段令人幾欲落淚的美好往昔。在肯尼迪被任命為大使時,日本的電視台反覆播出她小時候坐在父親膝上的圖像,或者是在父親葬禮上那令人心痛的樣子。
同時,日本人對她的直言不諱也並非完全持負面看法。Twitter上有一些評論表達了對她作為一名女性的欽佩,認為她在日本這個至今仍由男性主宰的國度里敢於說出自己的想法。
但是也有人迅速開始批評她,認為她插手一些跟她、跟任何外國人都無關的事。有人憤怒地提醒她,海軍准將馬修·C·佩里(Matthew C. Perry)在1853年用武力打開日本國門,是為了獲取供美國捕鯨船使用的港口。
「我們可不想被美國人說教,他們當年殺鯨魚就為了取鯨脂,」一名用戶說。還有一個人簡明扼要地說:「蠢女人!回家去!」
很多人說,日美兩國有着穩固的關係,足以確保雙方開誠布公地交換看法,此外,在海豚捕殺問題上持強硬立場的日本人的數量無論怎麼說都很有限。
「一個受到如此廣泛認可的人可以說出其他人難以啟齒的話,坦率地說,我認為這是好事,」加州大學聖迭戈分校(University of California, San Diego)國際關係和太平洋研究學院研究日本政治的教授埃利斯·S·克勞斯(Ellis S. Krauss)說。他認為,雖然這個訊息本可以用更巧妙的、私下裡的方式傳達出來,但「如果不是卡洛琳·肯尼迪來說,就不會受到那麼多的關注。」
東京一家智庫機構的負責人、政治分析人士森田實(Minoru Morita)說,他不認為這次爭議會對她的人氣構成持續性的影響。「我認為沒有多少日本人會樂於看到她這樣來批判日本飲食文化,」他說。「但是大多數日本人對她以及他父親那個時代都是非常喜愛的,這種感情不是說沒就沒的。」
Mark Landler自華盛頓、Rick Gladstone自紐約對本文有報道貢獻。
翻譯:陳亦亭

2014年1月27日 星期一

日反核再啟動高達6成小泉純一郎/細川護熙 公開反核 籲安倍棄核電/細川護熙 可能參選東京都知事





日本共同通信社在25、26兩日在日本全國進行電話民意調查,其結果顯示,對於「安倍經濟」是否使景氣好轉,無實感的竟超過7成。圖片來源:日本共同通信社官方網站。
新頭殼newtalk2014.01.27 鄭凱榕/編譯報導

日本共同通信社在25、26兩日在日本全國進行電話民意調查,其結果顯示,對於「安倍經濟」是否使景氣好轉,無實感的竟超過7成;另外有超過6成民眾反對核電再運轉。

日本共同通信社這次在週末做的民調顯示,反對核電再運轉的民眾高達60.2%,幾乎是贊成者31.6%的兩倍。

對於日本首相安倍晉三主張以日本原子能規範管制委員會確認核電安全性為前提,準備進行再運轉作業,現階段的否定意見是如此鮮明,看來安倍將被迫面臨困難的判斷決定。

安倍政權所提出來的經濟政策─「安倍經濟」(Abenomics)是否讓景氣好轉?覺得有實際感受到的只有佔24.5%,沒有實感的竟高達73.0%。

至於是否修正憲法解釋,承認得以行使集體自衛權?反對者佔53.8%,贊成的超過37.1%。



 前日相細川護熙 可能參選東京都知事

〔駐日特派員張茂森/東京九日報導〕日本一九九○年代「八國聯軍」時代的 首相細川護熙,若獲得前首相小泉純一郎支持,可能重返政壇,投入東京都知事選舉!若真如此,「反核電」將成為這次選舉的最大議題。日本「朝日新聞」九日引 述細川側近人士的談話報導,若細川登記參選,目前以前厚勞大臣舛添要一為強棒的東京都知事選情,將出現重大變化。
現年七十五歲的細川,目前 正和同樣反核電的小泉討論選舉如何互動的細節,數天內將做出決定。細川曾任參議員、熊本縣知事,九二年成立「日本新黨」,九三年結合社會黨、新生黨、新黨 先驅等八個「非自民」政黨,成立所謂「八國聯軍」內閣,並出任首相,打破五五年以來自民黨一黨獨大的「五五體制」局面,也讓自民黨首次淪為在野黨。但細川 約九個月後突然閃電辭職,九八年整合各派勢力成立民主黨後退出政壇,專心從事陶瓷製作活動。
朝日報導指出,細川對自民黨在核電廠再啟動以及核電廠向海外輸出的政策持強烈批判態度,想法與全面主張廢核的小泉一致,是否參選東京都知事將視小泉動向而定。細川方面人士指出,細川有關選舉事務所或資金方面「大致準備妥當」,是否參選「可能性是五五波」。
細 川引退約十五年後重返政壇的關鍵,操於小泉之手,兩人曾在去年底就反核議題舉行會談,並約定在反核議題上合作。據稱細川若決定出馬,將以無黨籍身分登記, 不受任何政黨約束。一旦「細川.小泉」組合成真,原被看好的舛添要一將遭遇空前強敵,並將對自民黨、民主黨等朝野政黨產生重大衝擊。


 ----2013.11.12

小泉公開反核 籲安倍棄核電

日本前首相小泉純一郎十二日罕見召開記者會,公開向首相安倍晉三喊話,要求安倍改變核能方針,宣布廢核。 (法新社)
前後日相「核」戰
〔編譯林翠儀/綜合報導〕日本前首相小泉純一郎十二日在東京召開記者會,首度公開向現任首相安倍晉三喊話,希望安倍改變方針宣布「廢核」。另一位前首相細川護熙也在前一天接受媒體專訪時,批評安倍重啟核電廠的路線為「犯罪行為」,呼籲將「廢核」推廣為全民運動。
小泉、細川、菅直人 3位前日相公開反核
日 本經歷福島核災後,已有小泉、細川及菅直人等三位前首相出面公開反核,其中小泉不但是自民黨大老,也被安倍尊稱為「政治上的師父」,具有相當的份量。小泉 上月初在一場演說中公開反核,引起正反兩面的不同評價;而安倍上月在國會答詢及接受電視專訪時表示,「現階段承諾廢核是不負責任的」,表明自己在能源政策 上與小泉不同的立場。
小泉的廢核主張也在自民黨內引發爭議,社民黨趁機向小泉提議合作,日媒一度傳小泉有意與社民黨等在野另起爐灶。但小泉態度謹慎,重申無意成立以廢核為主張的新政黨。
小泉否認將出走阻新黨
小 泉十二日在東京日本記者俱樂部召開記者會,首度公開向安倍喊話,有別於此前他多次發言都避免提及安倍的名字。小泉表示,日本所有在野黨都贊成廢核,只有自 民黨一黨反對,倘若讓自民黨籍議員說出真心話,他相信應有半數議員也支持廢核。小泉強調,廢核是首相可以決定的事,這涉及判斷力及洞察力問題,希望安倍改 變方針。
前日相細川 批安倍重啟核電廠是「犯罪行為」
而卸 下首相職務成為陶藝家的細川,十一日接受東京新聞專訪時,也提出相同看法。細川表示,在核廢料無處可放的情況下,安倍仍執意重啟核電廠,根本是一種「犯罪 行為」。他還引用幕末時期薩長土肥四藩聯手攘夷的精神,希望將廢核運動全民化。細川證實,一個月前曾和小泉會談,但他也否認將和小泉組黨重出江湖。
小 泉雖在核電問題上對安倍不假辭色,但對安倍在釣魚台問題上的應對卻相當肯定。曾在任內參拜靖國神社引起中國和南韓反彈的小泉表示,在他之後的歷任首相,沒 有人在任內參拜靖國神社,但日中關係並未因此變好。小泉還說,因這類問題而拒絕舉行元首峰會,「總有一天,中國會為其不成熟的應對感到羞愧」。
福島核災善後錢坑 日再舉債3兆日圓
另 據消息人士透露,日本政府準備舉債三兆日圓(約八千九百億台幣),清理福島核電廠周邊與賠償撤離當地的居民。路透報導,此舉代表日本政府坦承清理污染作業 的成本上升,以及達成降低福島核電廠周邊城鎮輻射水準的初步目標遭遇困難。瞭解相關計畫的匿名官員透露,政府新增借款將導致福島電廠相關費用增至八百億美 元以上,還不包括將福島六座核反應爐除役所需的成本。

2014年1月26日 星期日

NHK新會長籾井勝人狂言


New NHK chairman: All warring nations had 'comfort women'
The new chairman of public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) filled his first news conference with one-sided arguments and antagonistic opinions on history, sparking...

NHK新會長 批韓炒作慰安婦問題

稱戰時很多國家有 各界非議
〔編 譯林翠儀/綜合報導〕日本放送協會(NHK)新任會長籾井勝人二十五日才剛上任,就批評南韓拿慰安婦問題炒冷飯!籾井表示,慰安婦問題從現在的道德標準來 看是錯誤的,但當年戰爭地區都曾存在過,無法理解南韓為何重提這個已在日韓(基本)條約中解決的問題。由於籾井的談話表現強烈個人色彩,隨即引發非議。
籾 井現年七十歲,福岡縣人,一九六五年進入三井物產公司,二○○四年升任副社長,○五年跳槽到日本知名資訊技術服務公司「優利」(Unisys)擔任社長。 日本「週刊文春」報導,籾井出線主要與首相安倍晉三的「九州人脈」大力推薦有關,立場和態度也比較相近,部分媒體甚至諷刺NHK將成為「安倍的NHK」。
籾 井一上任就因為批評南韓而可能面臨失言風暴。籾井強調,他並非支持慰安婦,而是這個問題在南韓以外的其他戰爭地區也存在,德國、法國和歐洲國家應該也有, 但南韓講得好像只有日本才強行擄人,還要日本道歉、賠償, 但這些問題都已在日韓條約中解決,不了解南韓為何要舊案重提。
對於籾井的發言,民主黨幹事大畠章宏批評,籾井身為NHK會長,卻未保持中立,將在國會中追究責任。

2014年1月23日 星期四

Abe calls in Davos for military restraint in Asia

Japan PM Abe calls in Davos for military restraint in Asia

The Japanese prime minister has told the World Economic Forum in Davos that Asia needs military restraint to boost economic growth. Abe's keynote speech kicked off the four-day gathering in Switzerland.

Global economic leaders descend on Davos

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday by appealing to the high-profile policy makers and business participants to support military restraint in Asia.
"We must lay down rules that promote actions based on the international law of the sea," Prime Minister Abe said. "Only then, I believe, can we achieve growth and prosperity in Asia, where all of can realize our great potential."
Although Abe did not name China in his appeal, his speech referred apparently to a recent territorial dispute over a chain of islands in the East China Sea, which has caused renewed tensions between the two nations. Japan controls the islands - known in Japanese as Senkaku and as Diaoyu in Chinese - but China has repeatedly attempted to reclaim them.
In recent months, Beijing has required all aircraft in the East China Sea to identify themselves to Chinese authorities, including those flying near the disputed islands.
"The dividend of growth must not be wasted on military expansion," Abe said. "We must use it to invest in innovation and human capital, which will further boost growth in the region."
Abe defends shrine visit
Deep scars remain in China and South Korea from Japan's brutal militarism during WWII, which led to the death of millions of civilians. Abe recently upset China when he visited a high-profile shrine which commemorates the Japan's 2.5 million war dead.
On Wednesday, Abe reiterated that his visit was "something quite natural for a leader of any country in the world" to do, adding that it had not been done to hurt China or South Korea.
"We believe that [South] Korea and China are very important neighbors and [South] Korea shares the same value system and they are a free democratic country," Abe said.
Chinese academic, Wu Xinbo, who reputably has view close to the Chinese leadership, told another Davos panel that the Japanese leader as a "troublemaker."
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzlerand, began on Wednesday and is scheduled to continue until Saturday.
Over 40 heads of state and government were expected to attend the networking conference, including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is to hold a speech on Thursday about his country's nuclear program and investment opportunities for foreign countries.
In an interview on Swiss television on Wednesday, Rouhani said troubled relations between Iran and much of the Western world could be overcome with hard work.
"This effort is necessary to create confidence on both sides. Iran is in fact stretching out its hand in peace and freindship to all countries of the world and wants friendly, good relations with all countries in the world," the president said.
Iran is facing a period of negotiations with the West to conclude a permanent agreement on Tehran's nuclear program, which many Western countries believe is aimed at developing weapons.
kms/ipj (AFP, Reuters)

2014年1月21日 星期二

「包裝」安倍自己

安倍這樣「包裝」自己

2014/01/22
 
「今年是馬年,希望使用與馬有關的説法」,新年伊始,日本首相安倍晉三發出這樣的指示。首相官邸的工作人員絞盡腦汁去思考各種表述。「就像勇敢跨越障礙的駿馬」、「以能看到350度的馬的廣闊視野」。安倍在年初記者發佈會等場合的發言就是這樣誕生的。

 安倍身邊的秘書官今井尚哉等以及記者出身的內閣審議官谷口智彥支撐著安倍向國內外發出怎樣的信息。此外,日本首相官邸的公關方面的工作人員,還包括負責 向海外發佈信息的內閣廣報官長谷川榮一、NTT公關部出身的官房副長官世耕弘成等人。最近,安倍開始越來越多的採用年輕工作人員的方案。去年,在紐約證券 交易所的演講中引發關注的「Buy my Abenomics(請相信我的安倍經濟學)」,據稱就是出自經濟産業省出身的年輕官僚之手。

  在與安倍相距稍遠的地方,則有一位女子混在新聞攝影師中,利用iPad拍攝安倍的一舉一動。她就是首次成為女首相秘書官的山田真貴子。山田負責在Facebook上發佈信息,稱「始終在摸索展現方式」。

  去年底邀請馬來西亞總理納吉夫婦訪問日本之際,以「能突出氣氛」為由,在Facebook發表了在首相官邸內的竹林中拍攝的紀念照,而不是就餐場面。這是 安倍的指示。山田説:「首相也非常關注會被如何看」。日本一位社會言語學者表示,安倍第一次擔任日本首相短命而終,是因為安倍想説什麼就説什麼的「自我中 心型」,而再次當選後,安倍則展現出關注「受眾如何接受」的視點。

  安倍在就任1年裏接受的單獨採訪包括電視節目在內達到約90次。相比記者每天的圍堵採訪,安倍更加重視單獨採訪,這是因為根據第1次擔任日本首相時的經驗,擔心出現記者提問超出預料的風險。

  但自己掌握主導權的信息發佈有時會産生與國民之間的隔閡。去年底,在《特定秘密保護法》獲得通過後,安倍正式作出表態是在3天后。這部法律仍然面臨任意指 定秘密等質疑。「我自己應該進一步作出説明」,安倍也將反省掛在嘴邊。如果除去與外國首腦等舉行的聯合發佈會,安倍就任1年內在日本國內舉行的記者發佈會 次數為14次,僅為同一期間的野田政權的70%。

2014年1月8日 星期三

加強領海防衛 日本擬將280個離島國有化/ 福島第一核電廠廠區的港灣和水井內海水和地下水的採樣鍶(Sr)濃度無法公開發表


新頭殼newtalk2014.01.09 鄭凱榕/編譯報導

根據日本《讀賣新聞》9日報導,東京電力公司8日表示,關於在福島第一核電廠廠區的港灣和水井內進行海水和地下水的採樣,以檢測放射性元素鍶(Sr)濃度,由於「測定結果可能有誤,所以無法公開發表。」

為了監視污染狀況,定期取樣海水進行檢測,放射性元素銫(Cs)是每週均會公布濃度分析結果。但是污染水中所含主要放射性物質其中之一就是鍶,則應該每月分析一次,可是自從去年6月採樣海水的分析結果發表後,已經近半年沒有更新公布分析結果了。

根據東電表示,到去年夏天為止所使用的檢測設備得到的分析結果,統計數據呈現不規則分布,因此缺乏統計信度。去年9月引進了新的檢測設備,統計信度雖然提升,但希望能夠「等詳細分析說明了為什麼與舊設備分析結果相異的原因後,再來公布根據新設備所做出的分析結果。」

加強領海防衛 日本擬將280個離島國有化

【李忠謙/綜合外電報導】日本領土問題擔當相山本一太今天表示,政府擬加速將作為日本領海基點的280個無主離島國有化。時事通信社稱,作為領海基點的400座離島約有350座為無人島,其中約280座應為無主島嶼。

山本一太在記者會上表示,「將把離島作為國有財產登記,加強管理專屬經濟海域」。時事通信社稱,政府將在今年6月以前,對離島的所有權人進行調查,並完成國有財產的登陸作業。日方強調,此舉對既有的領海範圍不會發生改變。
日本擬將作為領海基點的280個無主離島國有化。翻攝網路

2014年1月3日 星期五

Fukushima ghost towns struggle to recover amid high radiation levels


Fukushima ghost towns struggle to recover amid high radiation levels

Post-tsunami reconstruction and radiation cleanup could take 10 years, but officials say something has been permanently lost
The evacuated town of Namie in Fukushima prefecture
Homes, shops and streets are deserted in the town of Namie, which lies six miles from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Nearly three years after a major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation leak devastated coastal and inland areas of Japan's Fukushima prefecture, 175 miles north-east of Tokyo, Namie has become a silent town of ghosts and absent lives.
Namie's 21,000 residents remain evacuated because of continuing high radiation levels, the product of the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, six miles to the south. Homes, shops and streets are deserted except for the occasional police patrol or checkpoint.
Like the setting for a Hollywood post-apocalypse movie, grass and weeds poke up through cracked pavements. At an abandoned garage, a rusting car sits on a raised ramp, waiting for a repair that will never be completed. A feral dog peers from a wild, untended garden.
Namie is nobody's town now. Nobody lives here, and nobody visits for long. Even the looters have stopped bothering, and no one knows exactly when the inhabitants may be allowed to return permanently – or whether they will want to.
The 2011 catastrophe faded from world headlines long ago, but in Namie, Tomioka, Okuma, Futaba and other blighted towns in the 20-mile evacuation zone around the Fukushima plant, it is a disaster that never ends.
At the plant itself, recent leaks of contaminated water into the sea and a fraught operation to remove fuel rods from one of the damaged reactors have shown how critical the situation still is – and will remain during a decommissioning process that could take up to 40 years.
For Fukushima's displaced population, the effects of the disaster continue to be deeply felt. The evacuation area was subdivided earlier this year into three zones of higher or lower radiation risk. In the worst affected zone, return will not be allowed before 2017 at the earliest.
In other areas, families and businesses face difficult decisions about whether or not to go back. At present, no one is even allowed to stay overnight. Locals say that whatever happens, many younger people will not return.
There is little or no trust in official pronouncements, given the failure of the Fukushima Daiichi operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), to take adequate measures to protect the plant against the tsunami and the company's unimpressive post-disaster record.
There are suspicions that the government knows some towns may never be safe to live in again, but refuses to admit it in order to protect Japan's unpopular nuclear power industry. There is also a sense that Fukushima's victims have been forgotten.
That said, the painstaking cleanup continues and there has been some progress in adjoining, less badly affected areas, according to Hiroshi Murata, the head of the Odaka ward of Minamisoma City, close to Namie.
As many as 18,000 people died or were declared missing in Fukushima prefecture after the tsunami struck. The radiation plumes caused the forced evacuation of a further 154,000, according to the Japan Reconstruction Agency.
In Odaka, 148 people died, and there were more than 300 fatalities in Minamisoma as a whole. But now around 53% of Odaka residents have returned home, a total of 6,800 out of a pre-disaster population of 12,800, Murata said.
Nobody has died directly as a result of the nuclear disaster, but a close eye is being kept on the incidence of thyroid cancer in children, following the experience of Chernobyl.
The biggest issues the local administration now faces, following the rehousing of residents in temporary accommodation, are the demolition of unsafe houses, replacement of infrastructure and services, including roads and school playgrounds, and the decontamination and desalination of buildings and land.
"To decontaminate one house and garden takes 10 to 14 days," Murata said. "We have to remove surface soil, cut the trees, wash the roofs, clean the rain gutters. The house owners are responsible for cleaning inside. The city and the government help with the rest."
At least in Odaka there is something to clean and repair. In Ukedo, the part of Namie municipality closest to the Pacific ocean, the devastation is total. Hardly a single house was left standing by the tsunami, which reached 17m in height in some places, Murata said – a vast wall of water that devoured all in its path.
Wrecked fishing boats still lie stranded miles inland and there are vast piles of scrap metal, smashed cars, bits of concrete bridges and broken wooden house frames where once a thriving village stood. An abandoned elementary school, 500m from the sea, looks as though it has been bombed.
But even in Ukedo, a long line of displaced local resident volunteers can be seen picking up and sorting debris on a wintry afternoon, gradually clearing the land where homes formerly stood. With impressive organisation, the local authorities are recycling everything they can, bagging it up in vast compounds erected amid the bleak, salty flatlands that were once rice paddy fields.
Tetsurou Eguchi, the deputy mayor of Minamisoma City, said the radiation-related cleanup was likely to take another five to six years and could cost as much as ¥350bn (£2bn), much of which would come from the national government. Post-tsunami reconstruction would take up to 10 years. But something intangible had been permanently lost, he said. "When it comes to the economy, and individual and social life, it is very difficult to recover this, compared with how it used to be."
The most challenging problem, he said, was decontamination. "Basically [the radioactive fallout] is not in the air any more. It's in the soil." The area was dependent economically on small businesses, agriculture, fishing and tourism, including the famous annual Soma Nomaoi samurai festival, he said. All had been seriously affected.
"People don't believe it is safe to visit here. They won't believe our produce, our livestock, our fish are safe. There is a blight. This will take a long time to change."
Much had been said by the national government about supporting Fukushima prefecture in its efforts to get back on its feet, but the reality is different, Eguchi said.
"It is a fact that we have received quite a lot of support, but is it sufficient? That is difficult, because it's not just a question of reconstruction. Politicians in Tokyo say if Fukushima does not recover, Japan will not recover, but I'm not sure they really mean that.
"I don't think Fukushima is fully supported by the whole country. And that's what the citizens here think."

2014年1月2日 星期四

Japan’s whisky makers drum up global market for their drams

Japan’s whisky makers drum up global market for their drams




TOKYO -- After years of being overshadowed at home and practically unheard of overseas, Japan’s whisky distilleries are expanding capacity as their malts become serious contenders against Scottish and Irish brands.

The oldest cask of whisky of Suntory Holdings’ Yamazaki brand is seen at its Yamazaki Distillery in Shimamoto town, Osaka prefecture Dec. 15, 2013. -- Reuters
  Exports are booming at Nikka, owned by Asahi Group Holdings , and at Suntory Holdings, which is ramping up production at its Yamazaki distillery for the first time in 45 years as domestic sales recover from a prolonged slump.

But some are concerned the distilleries may be caught out if the enthusiasm for whisky changes as it did in the 1990s, when several smaller players shut down as Japanese drinkers shifted to beer, clear spirits and imported liquor.

“At the moment, no one can see this boom busting. The difficulty is that you’re making it today for 20 or 50 years’ time,” said Marcin Miller, an importer of small-batch Japanese whisky with his British company Number One Drinks.

The drop in demand during the 1990s meant Suntory and Nikka had to cut production, industry experts say, leaving distilleries with a shortage of stock for their youngest single malts when whisky made a comeback in 2008.

Last year, Suntory stopped making its 10-year Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts and introduced “no age” versions instead. Nikka is expected to phase out its 12-year Taketsuru single malt after releasing a “no age” variety this year.

The slump had more a serious impact on minor distilleries such as Karuizawa, Mars and Hanyu. All three were mothballed by 2000 and their stock left dormant until a run of international awards for Japanese whisky brought buyers knocking.

BOOTLEG TO BLOCKBUSTER
In its earliest incarnation, Japanese whisky was a bootleg adulterated with spices and perfume. Lacking strict regulations of the Scottish and Irish varieties, it was largely ignored by foreign connoisseurs for much of its 90-year history.

“I thought going to drink Japanese whisky would be a bit like drinking a Welsh claret,” Miller said of his first trip to Japan in 1999, when he was editor of Whisky Magazine. “I wondered ‘Will my hosts be offended if I drink gin and tonic?’.”

Miller was soon converted but he found no one to share his enthusiasm with back in Britain, where Japanese whisky exports were practically non-existent.

The turning point came in 2001, when Nikka’s 10-year Yoichi single malt won “Best of the Best” at Whisky Magazine’s awards.

Japanese makers have stormed competitions ever since, with Suntory winning “Distiller of the Year” at the International Spirit Challenge for the third time in July and the Trophy prize for its 21-year Hibiki blend.

The acclaim nudged Japan’s distilleries to market overseas and sales jumped. Nikka’s exports grew 18-fold between 2006 and 2012, while Suntory is looking to double overseas shipments to 3.6 million bottles by 2016. They grew 16% in 2012.

While that is still a wee dram compared with sales of more than 72 million bottles at home, Suntory and Nikka export only premium varieties to the United States and Europe. In Japan, premium bottles make up 6% of sales.

A MATTER OF TIME
Distillers and blenders toiled for years to replicate traditional techniques, following notes brought from Scotland in 1920 by pioneer Masataka Taketsuru, who worked for Suntory before founding Nikka.

Japan’s mountain water and icy winters proved ideal. Foreign fans rave about the authentic taste of Japanese whisky, a result of attention to every part of the process -- from imported peat to the blending.

“While Scotch is about maintaining the flavor of a certain brand or label, Japanese distillers think mainly about increasing flavors,” said Atsushi Horigami, owner of the Zoetrope bar in Tokyo, which specializes in Japanese whisky.

Horigami said most Japanese drinkers go for blended whisky but the leftover stock from the mothballed distilleries -- sold as single casks -- has been a hit with foreigners.

Aficionados and speculators alike await the releases of batches of the Karuizawa stock, which was bought by Miller’s Number One Drinks in 2011. Miller says most bottles are snapped up within seconds, going for as much as £12,500 ($20,700).

But with just two years of auctions left and the remaining bottles from Hanyu and Mars also in short supply, some wonder where Japanese whisky lovers are going to find their single cask kicks in years to come.

“We may be on the crest of a wave now and in a few years see a completely different scene,” said Stefan van Eycken, editor of Nonjatta, a blog on Japanese whisky.

That’s where Suntory and Nikka hope to step in. But time will tell whether they can sustain the fashion for their brands for the decade or more it will take to produce their famed single malts. -- Reuters