"America First" vs. "Japan-US Relations First"

     When Mr. Trump stresses "America First" the implications are that the interests of every other country should be subjected to this single standard.  In Mr. Abe's case, however, as his policy slogan "Japan-US Relations First" would show, Japan's interests have been made subservient from the beginning, namely before the US-Japan summit, held at Washington on 11 of this month, Japan time.  The dialogue was not on an equal footing.  It was held under the US tutelage.  I am deeply ashamed of it, and so are many of my fellow countrymen/women.

     It was said that the alliance between the two is a cornerstone for peace, prosperity and freedom in the Asia-Pacific region.  Has the statement said anything about the possibility of peaceful solution of whatever problem may prop up?  No. It refers to the security situation in the Asia-Pacific becoming more serious, but it provides only for military measures to cope with it.  It also approves the construction of the huge airbase at Henoko, Okinawa, which goes against the view of by far the majority of the residents there.

     Mr. Abe is happy that the US has reiterated its intention to apply Article 5 of the Security Treaty to the Senkaku islands, that is, to defend them.  Who else is going to threaten the security of these islands but China?  Similarly the statement talks about the freedom of navigation and other matters in the East and South China Seas.  These words are meant only for China.  But strange to say, Mr. Trump had a very cordial telephonic conversation with the Chinese Chairman only the previous night.  Then what are these policies for?  Or are they mostly with DPRK in mind?   Mr. Trump is going to increase the defence budget by a huge sum, but again for what? There is no real military threat in the Asia-Pacific, and the strengthening of the US-Japan military alliance itself is increasing the tension in this region.  In this sense the summit was a complete failure, making no contribution to the peace of this area.    

       

Resident Korean Baseball Players 1981

     May I take it that the readers are reasonably familiar with the rules of baseball.  A game is participated in by two teams, each consisting of 9 players-a pitcher, a catcher, four infielders and three outfielders.  It is played for nine innings.

     From almost the time immemorial there has been an annual national tournament in baseball of high schools.  Hundreds of them take part.  In 1981 the final game, to decide what team comes to the top of the whole high school baseball world in the country, was fought between Hotoku Gakuen High from Hyogo Prefecture and Kyoto Commerce High.  The daily Asahi has started writing a column for 20 consecutive days on this game for entertainment starting today, 21 February.  The following is based on the first installment which appeared today.

     What I would like to tell here, however, is not the game itself(Hotoku beat Kyoto by 2-0).  I was rather keenly interested to know from the above that, the two teams put together, as many as seven of the players were of Korean origin(not seven out of eighteen but of fifty or so including the substitute players). Moreover, two of them from Kyoto were there by their real, namely the Korean, names.  This was unheard-of, when many of the resident Koreans were living under adopted Japanese names, although some of those names would suggest the national origin of their users.  Those two with the real Korean names were particularly popular with the Korean audience, receiving phone calls as well as letters from those unknown to them.

     Thirty-six years on, and I am hereby expressing my respect to the courage that the above seven, especially the two, faced the prejudice by the Japanese from which we are yet to be free.