ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Diary, Nikki on echigonagaoka.com</title> <META NAME="author" CONTENT="echigonagaoka"> <META NAME="copyright" CONTENT="diary"> <META NAME="content-language" CONTENT="ja"> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="diary"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="nikki"> <META NAME="robots" CONTENT="all"> </head> <!--COLOR--> <BODY BGCOLOR="white" TEXT ="black" LINK ="blue" ALINK ="green" VLINK ="blue"> <basefont size="4"> <a name="toptop"></a> <table width=800> <tr> <td> <font face="arial"> <span style='font-size:8.5pt'> <b> <a href="../../../index.html" target="_self">[HOME]</a> <a href="../../../nagaoka/sitemap.html" target="_self">[Site Map]</a> <a href="../../../nagaoka/links_in_english.html" target="_self">[Nagaoka Links]</a> <a href="../../../nagaoka/index.html" target="_self">[Nagaoka]</a> <a href="../../../turbot/link/index.html" target="_self">[Japan Guide]</a> <a href="../../../bomb/index.html" target="_self">[Air Raid]</a> <a href="../../../turbot/index.html" target="_self">[Islands]</a> <a href="../../../kobe/index.html" target="_self">[KOBE]</a> <a href="../../../kobe/bks/index.html" target="_self">[Books]</a> <a href="../../../kobe/links.html" target="_self">[Links]</a> <a href="../../../lauranyro/index.html" target="_self">[Laura Nyro]</a> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self">[Diary]</a> </b> </span> </td> </tr> </table> <!--Title Image--> <table width="800" border="0" background="../../pic/seashore.JPG" cellpadding="10"> <tr height="140"> <td width="700" valign="top" cellpadding="10"> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self"> <font size="1" face="arial" color="white"> <span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-weight:bolder'> <font color="#E01170"> Diary <br> </font color> </font color> </span> </a> </td> <td width="100" valign="bottom" cellpadding="10"> <span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <b> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self">[RETURN]</a> </b> </span> </td> </tr> </table> <!-- Left Column --> <table width="800" border="0" cellpadding="10"> <tr> <td width="120" rowspan="2" valign="top" bgcolor="#D6EAFF"> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b> Links inside "echigonagaoka.com" <br> </b> </font color> </span> <a href="../../../index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/echigonagaoka.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "echigonagaoka.com" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../nagaoka/sitemap.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/sitemap.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="image JPG for link to sitemap"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "echigonagaoka.com" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../turbot/index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/small_islands_in_japan.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Small Islands in Japan" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../turbot/link/index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/letsgoto_japan.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Japan Guide" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../turbot/phg/index.htm" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/turbots_photo_gallery.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Photo Gallery" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../rose/index.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/turbots_rose_garden.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Rose Garden" </b> </span> </a> <br><br> <a href="../../../nagaoka/links_in_english.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/nagaoka_links.JPG", width=100, height=69, alt="photo"> <span style='font-size:8pt'> <b> "Nagaoka Links" </b> </span> </a> </span> </FONT> </td> <!-- Main Column --> <td width="560" rowspan="2" align="left" valign="top" cellpadding="10"> <!--  % % DATE AND TITLE  % % --> <span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bolder'> <font color="#E01170"> <font face="georgia"> Monaday, FEB. 23, 2009 <br> Speech by Mr. Haruki Murakami in Israel </font color> </span> <br><br> <span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:22.0px;font-weight:bolder'> <font color="black"> <font face="georgia"> <!--  % % WRITE HERE  % % --> <left> A famous Japanese writer Mr. Haruki Murakami received the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. In the Israeli capital, he made a public speech which was titled with "Always on the side of the egg". <br><br> Since it is a kind of burden for me to read English, I have just read <a href="http://finalvent.cocolog-nifty.com/fareastblog/2009/02/post-1345.html" target="_self">Japanese translation by Mr.finalvent.</a> <br><br> What Mr. Murakami Haruki meant by "the egg" was those who were <br> <i> <font color="#505050"> "the unarmed civilians who are crushed and burned and shot" </font color> </i> <br> according to his words. And he used the word "high, solid wall" to express for what burns and shots these unarmed civilians. They are Bombers and tanks and rockets and white phosphorus shells. Apparently, Mr. Murakami tried to declare a strong criticism against war. I think he is a grave guy who went there and did that. Actually, some Japanese people told him not to go to Jerusalem. For example, Palestine Forum Japan in Osaka posted <a href="http://palestine-forum.org/doc/2009/0129-e.html" target="_self">an open letter to Mr. Murakami</a> on their website on 29th January 2009. It says that <br><br> <i> <font color="#505050"> receiving the "Jerusalem Prize" from the mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Barakat who is in charge of this oppression, contributes towards hiding and vindicating Israel's apartheid policy all the more. </font color> </i> <br><br> Nonetheless, Mr. Murakami decided to go to Jerusalem. I think his act should be applauded when you read what he said. He said that <br><br> <i> <font color="#505050"> I do not approve of any war, and I do not support any nation. </font color> </i> <br><br> I guess that "any nation" means nations that go to war. It is obvious that he is a pacifist. I was really moved by reading his speech. <br><br> Why he has become antiwar? He implied a part of reason of that as below. <br><br> <i> <font color="#505050"> My father died last year at the age of 90. He was a retired teacher and a part-time Buddhist priest. When he was in graduate school, he was drafted into the army and sent to fight in China. As a child born after the war, I used to see him every morning before breakfast offering up long, deeply-felt prayers at the Buddhist altar in our house. One time I asked him why he did this, and he told me he was praying for the people who had died in the war. <br><br> He was praying for all the people who died, he said, both ally and enemy alike. Staring at his back as he knelt at the altar, I seemed to feel the shadow of death hovering around him. <br><br> My father died, and with him he took his memories, memories that I can never know. But the presence of death that lurked about him remains in my own memory. It is one of the few things I carry on from him, and one of the most important. </font color> </i> <br><br> I think this is an important part which explains why he does not approve of any war. But interestingly enough, major Japanese newspaper "Asahi Shimbun"'s article at 08:27 on February 16th, 2009, which was titled "Mr. Murakami Haruki criticized the attack on Gaza Strip at the lecture of the Jerusalem Prize", just omitted this part which might have told readers that Japan invaded China in the past. Maybe, it is a kind of common sense on the internet that one should not criticize what was not written. But to me, truncation of an important part of Mr.Murakami's speech seems to indicated that the newspaper "Asahi Shimbun" is recently going to start leaning towards "right", although the paper has been recognized as leftist favorite. <br><br> Some Japanese opposed that Mr. Murakami was going to Israel and getting a prize before his speech. But I guess since what he said was splendid and firmly based on pacifist's perspective, some of people who were against his visit might have changes they objections. I think going abroad and telling his/her opinion is tough but very important. And I support his decision and act that he made. But still some of Japanese are critical, for example, <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/bluefox014/20090221" target="_self">a Japanese blogger Ms./Mr. (I'm not sure) bluefox014 </a> says Mr. Murakami should have not been to Jerusalem, but made his speech in Tokyo. I don't agree with this accusation at all. Even though the world has become smaller by aviation, getting on an airplane for many hours and making a foot steps on a foreign land are not things to do easily. And it is really important to go to the place and to tell your opinion with facing the people who you are talking to. It is often said that we'd better not make any criticize from safe and protected place. My opinion is that Mr.Murakami's visit and making the speech should not be criticized. <br><br> Mr. Murakami's going there is being criticized, on the other, there is also a critic against Mr. Murakami as to "not going". Another Japanese blogger Mr. Prodigal_Son (if my memory is correct, once he said he is an woman, but he seems to be male ) wrote <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Prodigal_Son/20090218" target="_self">on his post on February 18th</a> that his friend wonder why Mr. Murakami had not been to Gaza Strip. It is demanding too much. Why can a guy who goes to neither Jerusalem nor Gaza Strip criticize Mr. Murakami? I can't understand such accusation. One of comments on the post with ID "}YM0`0c0_0“0`0L0& " is a quite interesting. <br><br> <i> <font color="#505050"> The friend of Mr. Prodigal_Son would criticize Mr. Murakami if he hadn't been there, criticize by calling it "self-advertisement" and "hypocrisy" if he had been there, or criticize that he had made a trouble to Japan if something bad had happened on his visit to Gaza Strip. After all, your friend will denounce Mr. Murakami in any consequences. *1</font color> </i> <br><br> It seems that there are so many people who want to disdain Mr. Murakami, nonetheless they don't do any good job as he did. <br><br> *1: This part is translated by me. If there are any mistakes, it is my fault. <br><br> ------------------------------------------------------------------- <br><br> The image below has nothing to do with today's post <br><br> </left> <center> <img src="23/01.JPG" width="360" height="270" alt="supper"> </center> <br> <br><br><br> <!--  % % THE END OF WRITING PART  % % --> </font face> </font color> </span> <a href="21.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/previous.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to previous page"> </a> <a href="25.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/next.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to next page"> </a> <a href="#toptop"> <img src="../../pic/top.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to the top of current page"> </a> <a href="../../nikki.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/diary.GIF" width="100" height="25" alt="link to next page"> </a> </td> <td width="120" valign="top" cellpadding="10" bgcolor="#D6EAFF"> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b> CHAPTER II RENUNCIATION OF WAR <br> Article 9. <br> </b> </font color> </span> <a href="../../article9_Japan_constitution.html" target="_self"> <img src="../../pic/japan_peace.JPG" width="100" height="147" alt="Do not go to war. Resource should be used to make people's lives better"> </a> <br><br><br> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b>Links to OUTSIDE</b> </font color> <br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Portal/Communication Site about JAPAN</b> </font color> <br><br> <a href="http://www.whynotjapan.com/" target="_blank">WHYNOTJAPAN - for Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe)</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.jref.com/" target="_blank">Japan Reference</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/" target="_blank">japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-zone.com/index.shtml" target="_blank">Japan-Zone.com - Japan Travel Guide, Japanese Pop Culture, History, Japanese Girls, Japanese Guys</a> <br><br> <a href="http://metropolis.co.jp/default.asp" target="_blank">Metropolis - Japan's Number 1 English Magazine</a> <br><br> <br> <font color="black"> <b>Forum about JAPAN</b> </font color> <br><br> <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&amp;sid=396545488" target="_blank">Japan - Yahoo! Answers</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quedisplay.html" target="_blank">japan-guide.com - Forum - Questions</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.jref.com/forum/" target="_blank">Japan Forum in Japan Reference</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japanforum.com/" target="_blank">Japan Forum.com</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japan-zone.com/forum/" target="_blank">Japan Forum in JAPAN ZONE</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/forum/" target="_blank">Japan Today Forum</a> <br><br> <font color="black"> <b>News on JAPAN</b> </font color> <br><br> <a href="http://www.asahi.com/english/" target="_blank">asahi.comÿgåe°e^€>y ÿÿEnglishû0Ë0å0ü0¹0</a> <br><br> <a href="http://mdn.mainichi.jp/" target="_blank">The Mainichi Daily News</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/" target="_blank">The Japan Times Online: News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.newsonjapan.com/" target="_blank">News On Japan</a> <br><br> </span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFD2E6" valign="top"> <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> <font color="#E01170"> <b>Links to Japanese blogs</b> </font color> <br><br> <font color="black"> <b>fc2</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://azuryblue.blog72.fc2.com/" target="_blank">"Gazing at the Celestial Blue" by felis_azuri-san</a> <br><br> <a href="http://caprice.blog63.fc2.com/" target="_blank">"Kimagurena Hibi" by kojitaken-san</a> <br><br> <a href="http://koriume.blog43.fc2.com/" target="_blank">"Hansik Ilgi(Kanshoku Nikki)" by kQ0ul ÿ+ÿû0&ÿû0#ÿ</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Hatena::Diary</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Apeman/" target="_self">"Apes! Not Monkeys!" by Apeman-san</a> <br><br> <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/claw/" target="_self">"CLick for Anti War" claw-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Excite Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://sekakata.exblog.jp/" target="_self">"Sekai no Katasumi de Nyu-su wo Yomu" by mahounofuefuki-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>So-net Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://furuido.blog.so-net.ne.jp/" target="_self">"Shikou Sakugo" by furuido-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Rakuten Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/intisol/diary/" target="_self">"inti-sol no burogu" by inti-sol-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Seesaa Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://uyotoubatsunin.seesaa.net/" target="_self">"Uyoku Toubatsu Iinkai" by uyotoubatsunin-san</a> <br><br><br> <font color="black"> <b>Cocolog Blog</b> </font color> <br> <a href="http://finalvent.cocolog-nifty.com/fareastblog/" target="_self">"Kyokutou Blog" by finalvent-san</a> <br><br><br> <br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="800"> <tr> <td> <span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <b> <a href="../../../index.html" target="_self">The Top Page of "echigonagaoka.com"</a> </b> </span> <span style='font-size:9.0pt'> Any compaints, or some, send them to <img src="../../../pic/address.GIF" alt="my e-mail address" width="155" height="15"> <br><br> </span> </td> </tr> </table> <!--LINE3--> <!--LINE4--> </body> </html>