Can't We Have Peace?

Hi, everyone! It's been a while since I last uploaded a post. To be honest, I haven't been able to have time to sit down alone in front of my laptop to write a post because I had been with people a lot this week. My sister visited me, and stayed at my place this week, which was so much fun, and also, I was at my boyfriend's place for the past few days. It's been a while since last time when I was at my house alone actually!

Oh, by the way, it's the cherry blossom season again in Japan! This spring, it came a little late that usual, but I was lucky enough to have a full day to walk around, and see those beautiful pink flowers since the school hasn't started yet. It actually started today, but I don't have any class on Fridays this semester, so basically, I am going back to school from Monday next week! I am so excited about my new classes because I am mostly taking the ones that I really don't have to. I am almost done with all my required classes for my major, which means that I can take extra classes because I have more time than previous years, when I had to spend my time taking required classes. I am so hyped up!

Ok, so this time, I am going to talk about a sad thing that happened recently. And I am so sad that I have to talk about this. Because... seriously, when we can say that we have a peaceful world? We human beings have had two major wars. But sadly, it seems like those aren't enough for us to really learn that we shouldn't rely on violence anymore. I feel like people want peace, but not many people actually believe that we can really achieve that with everyone working together. People want peace, but they think that's too difficult and complicated. Or maybe they think there's no such thing as peace. They may think that they want to have faith in people and people's good will, but too many times their hope has been betrayed.

I was watching a news program the other day, and when I heard this, I was speechless... because I was so shocked to hear the news. Japanese government said that it would not participate in the negotiations on a treaty to ban nuclear weapon. I will link an article from The Japan Times, so that you can read it. I was shocked because Japan should be willing to talk about this. Japan is the only country that have suffered from attacks using nuclear weapons. We should be the first country to raise our hands, and say, "Hey, we should work together to make a better world." I see that Japanese government is making a political move. They stepped out of the negotiations because Japan is "under the U.S. nuclear umbrella," as it says on the article from The Japan Times. Japan can't really say the world doesn't need nuclear weapons, huh? This is really frustrating. I think those people who actually was there in 1945, and experience all the damage and sorrow brought by nuclear weapons are also frustrated.

I know we can't just say, "Alright, so all kinds of nuclear weapons are banned from tomorrow, so let's just dump all the things we have now." We need a steady plan, and follow it step by step. But rather just trying to find a way to achieve the world without any nuclear threat, Japan just simply stepped out. Easy as it is.

I mean... what are we doing?! Is this the peace we want? Maybe it's the peace we deserve. "Haha! We have this deadly weapon here! You see that? You know what? This one can be really bad! You don't wanna see me fire this, do you? No, you don't. And we don't wanna do that either. Alright, so we don't fight." So we live in a peaceful world where people still need to fear somebody may fire nuclear weapons someday. Is this peace? Are we happy?

I feel like this is the same as gun control. People always say, "But what if...?" "But how would you protect yourself and your family when things happened?" So, maybe we want to, but apparently, we don't believe in the theory of innate goodness of human beings. We have been living on the peace based upon the idea that we human beings are fundamentally and inherently evil.

Well, living in Japan is easy in terms of not having to live with fear of civil wars or bombings from foreign countries. But in many places around the world, people have to and forced to live with fear. I see innocent people getting injured, being killed, crying, and suffering on the television, and it hurts to watch those pictures. I can't stop myself from crying. I want to switch to different channels, but I always don't because for those people, that's the reality they cannot escape from. And then I get angry at myself for enjoying this ordinary life. And... our leader announced that they were refraining from talking about the treaty to ban nuclear weapons? I am so ashamed.

The world free of nuclear weapons might sound crazy in this world with nuclear weapons. But you can't make things come true if don't believe you can. I don't have any kids yet, but when I do in the future, I want to tell them people can have a peaceful world with confidence. I don't want to feel like I'm lying to them. I don't want to tell them we can't have a peaceful world because we're all too scared. I don't want to tell them it's better to be armed than to have faith in humanity.

I know this is a complicated, difficult issue. But we all want peace. It's simple; we all want peace. Can't we have it?

Reference:

• A treaty to ban nuclear weapons. (2017, April 1). Retrieved April 7, 2017, from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2017/04/01/editorials/treaty-ban-nuclear-weapons/#.WOd5zoiGNPY 

The PM of Japan Visits the U.S.!

Hi! So as you may or may not know, the Prime Minister of Japan flew to the U.S. to visit President Trump. I think by this time I upload this post, the two will have already gone through all the agenda, and the Prime Minister will have been flying home.

Overall, the meeting seems to went very well. The President has left some pretty positive comments about the PM of Japan on Twitter. The President even wrote "Prime Minister Shinzō"! That seemed to attract some attention. Some replied to that tweet, asking whether or not he was aware that it was "Prime Minister Abe" as "Shinzō" is his first name, and "Abe" is his last name. I want to think that President Trump wanted imply their close relationship. I actually have no idea what American people think or feel about the U.S.-Japan relationship, but I am interested in this relationship. Which means... I am going to do another Mini Report!

I read articles from The Huffington Post, Time, and The New York Times.

First, the article from The Huffington Post doesn't actually talk about the meeting itself (e.g., what was talked about, the future view of the U.S.-Japan alliance, etc.). I mean, look at that. The article is even categorized as comedy! The article writes about the handshake between the two, the PM of Japan, and the President of the United States. Ok, so for those of you who are not familiar with Japanese, here is a supplementary explanation. If you watch the video, you can witness the "awkward" handshake. You can hear the sound of cameras, and a foreign language in male voices, which is Japanese. The voices is asking the two to look at the cameras. President Trump asks Prime Minister Abe, "What are they saying?" because he doesn't understand Japanese. PM Abe answers, "Please, look at me." Well, he should've said, "They are telling us to look at them (= cameras)," instead. He meant to say, "They are saying, 'Look at me (the press),'"  but you know, that was kind of misleading. I want to think that the President kept holing hands for the press; they were taking pictures of them holding each other's hands. But I don't know. Watch the video clip attached at the end of the article. I mean, look at that handshake!

About the other articles... Time writes PM Abe's flattery paid off. I agree. I don't think the word "flattery" is inappropriate. I have not heard anything related to TPP from the two, though. But other than that, the PM has always showed how Japan was willing to work with the United States, and that made the President like him very much. The President has made harsh comments on Japan, and many people in Japan has expressed concerns towards our future relationship. I'm sure at this time, those people are relieved to hear those public statements from the President.

So, you can watch a video clip on their public statements if you go click the URL to the article from The New York Times. The PM do not hesitate to say, "The United States is the champion of democracy." And said the fact that the President was elected through the tough campaign even though he has no experience in politics, is "the dynamism of democracy." Then he continued to congratulate the President's inauguration. The video is cut off right in the middle of the PM's speech, but you can hear the PM says the U.S. is filled with chances and opportunities. Wow, that was a lot of positive comments! The democracy elected the most unpopular President in the U.S. history??? Ok, so he may not be the most unpopular President (I have to looked at the numbers...), but all the protests make me wonder. And, lots of chances and opportunities... Perhaps he is talking about the American Dream...? I never want to say that there's no dream or chance or whatever you call it in the U.S. But what President Trump says makes me worried. You know, the wall, Muslim Ban, and all... America is being exclusive, and I don't feel that is the sign of a lot of chances and dreams.

I have been to the United States, and I have lots of friends there. I love that country. And I am happy to hear that the two is getting alone very well, and to think that the two countries will build a good relationship. But I am also worried. I hope other countries don't associate Japan with exclusiveness. I hope other countries think Japan also agrees with the wall, and the Muslim Ban, etc. The PM actually refrained from giving a comment on Muslim Ban the other day, which you can read about in my older post. I value the U.S.-Japan alliance, but I also really hope that this alliance does not make Japan alone in the international community.

References:

• Strachan, M. (2017, February 10). So, Trump's Handshake With The Japanese Prime Minister Got ... - The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-handshake_us_589e1a10e4b094a129eafc3c
• Miller, Z. J. (2017, February 11). Japan's Prime Minister Showed the Way to Trump's Heart. - Time. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://time.com/4667744/donald-trump-shinzo-abe-flattery/?xid=homepage
• Davis, J. H., & Baker, P. (2017, February 10). In Welcoming Shinzo Abe, Trump Affirms U.S. Commitment to Defending Japan. - The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/world/asia/trump-shinzo-abe-meeting.html?_r=1

A Message to the Prime Minister of Japan.

Good evening, or good morning, or good afternoon, or maybe just hello may be the best in this case! Spring vacation has started, and hopefully, I will have more time to come here and write things.

So this time, I would like to talk a little about politics. Yup, I know this a very hot topic right now, and oh, you know which country's politics I am referring to, right? I am talking about the American presidency. But the main focus for today is not to protest against President Trump. I do disagree with him, but in this post, I will write about our Prime Minister Abe. Basically, I want to say is that I do not like his reaction to the "Muslim Ban," and that it is not wise of him to make such a move. Let me explain in more details in the following paragraphs.

I assume that I don't really have to go through what Muslim Ban is. Everyone knows it, and everyone talks about it. Leaders across the globe have made official comments on this President Trump's new policy. Prime Minister Abe is the leader of Japan, and he, too, was asked his opinion on this controversial policy. I can't help being a bit emotional here, so I am letting you know this beforehand. lol Ok, so basically, he refused to make a comment on President Trump's move by saying, "I am not in a position to make a comment on the move he (President Trump) made."

Wow, can you believe it? Well, at least I could not believe it. I was watching a new channel and happen to see the scene where he made that comment. I was so angry! I will share the URL of an article talking reporting the comment which Prime Minister Abe made here: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/30/national/politics-diplomacy/tokyo-silent-as-trump-immigration-ban-sparks-global-outcry/#.WJHxbo9OJPY
(The article is from The Japan Times.)

I was like, "Why are you so reluctant to throw yourself into this conversation? Why are you running and hiding? We are talking about humanity! The basic human right was violated! You don't feel anything about it?" Well, there's a good reason for him to take this kind of attitude. He simply doesn't want the President to hate him. He wants to keep a "good relationship" with America because he wants the U.S. to stay in the TPP agreement, and he wants the U.S. military to stay in Japan for national security. So... he's basically an apple polisher??? Yes, I get his concerns. But we are talking about human rights here. The way our Prime Minister responded to this issues really embarrasses me as a member of this country. I am embarrassed for those who have been affected by the Muslim Ban, and also, for the international community, which I will mention in the next paragraph.

I don't want people around the globe to think that all Japanese people think like Prime Minister Abe. Actually, many people also feel anger towards the ban, and I have never seen a person in Japan who just raises his/her and say, "I totally agree with you, Mr. President! Thank you for doing this!" When the entire world (technically, it may be not the most accurate description, and there are actually people who agree with the President, but you know?) shows concerns about what President Trump has been doing, Japan is the only country who is being so thoughtless. We are falling behind. If Prime Minister Abe keeps taking this kind of attitude, we may be isolated in this international community in the near future.

I am not saying the U.S.-Japan alliance is not important; I think we can work together to build a good, balanced relationship. I just wanted to say that I do not like the current attitude of the Prime Minister. I simply think it's not right, and I have to say that it's unwise of him. I truly hope that he realizes that there are many, many people affected and offended by what is currently going on in the U.S. And each of those people have feelings, emotions, personalities, lives, stories, etc., just like us. They are not just numbers. I want the Prime Minister of Japan to be kinder and more respectful, and to imagine, and think about the persons.