I will admit that this particular entry was inspired by a recent visit to the National Gallery of NSW to view their “Japan Supernatural” exhibition. The exhibition, in addition to including works by modern artists such as Aoshima Chiho and Murakami Takashi, also featured various works depicting ghosts, goblins, demons, and other creatures of Japanese folklore from the early Edo period. So on that note, I decided to pull out my rather well-thumbed copy of Sugiura Hinako’s “O Edo de gozaru” (お江戸でござる) to translate the chapter dedicated to “ghosts and monsters” (pgs.182 to 191).  Hopefully it captures some of the fascination surrounding the subject matter that Sugiura sought to convey to the reader.

“A popular trend from the mid-Edo period onwards was the telling of “one hundred tales of terror”.  In the evening, adults would gather together, with participants telling between 4 to 5 horror stories each. In the centre of an otherwise dark room were placed 100 candles, lit one after another, the light from which shone on the candle trays supporting them.  Once a tale had been told, a single candle would be put out so that the room grew progressively darker.  By the time of the witching hour (around 2 in the morning), all 100 tales had been told.   Upon the extinguishment of the last remaining candle, creatures of the night would instantly emerge from all directions, making such gatherings a kind of ‘monster viewing’ party. 

However, it was common practice to refrain from telling the hundredth tale.  Superstition had it that if the hundredth story was told, misfortune would befall whomever had spoken it. People were afraid that they would regret having told the hundredth tale, and so avoided doing so.

In truth, there was a very clear distinction between “monsters” and “ghosts”.  ‘Ghosts’ appeared to a specific person and would deliberately seek that person out.  The character of “O-Iwa san” from the Tale of Yotsuya by Tamiya Iemon was one example of this. 

‘Monsters’, on the other hand, would attach themselves to objects and the elements of the natural world, similar in manner to a haunting, and from there would appear to anybody who happened to be passing by.  One example of this was “O-Kiku san” from the “Sara Yashiki Densetsu”, and whose modus operandi consisted of emerging from a well.  There were also monsters who only appeared at fixed times, and so you would be able to avoid them if you refrained from passing their haunting ground during certain hours of the day or night. 

‘Monsters’ consisted of many different forms – from animals such as foxes, badgers, and sparrows, to trees and grass.  Many ancient tales of Japan had monsters made musical instruments and common household objects such as Koto harps, Biwa lutes, Sheng (or Shō) mouth organs, and even cauldrons.  Their purpose was to serve as a lesson to “look after your possessions”. 

‘Monsters’ were divided up into those that transformed and those that didn’t.  Badgers, foxes, ‘snow woman’, and ‘Rokuro-kubi’ (the ‘long-necked woman’) were all examples of everyday people and animals that could undergo transformation. By contrast, ‘Kappa’ (water sprites), ‘Tengu’ (forest goblins), ‘Nurarihyon’ (“the old monk with the elongated head”), and ‘Suna-kake Baba’ (the “old woman who throws sand”) all appeared as they were.  They constituted a separate category to “monsters”, which is why they were referred to as ‘Yōkai’ (or ‘creatures’). 

‘Monsters’ lived in close proximity to the townspeople of Edo.  One of these, known as the ‘Adzuki Bean Washer”, didn’t do anything nefarious at all, merely producing a noise of adzuki beans being washed.  One would think it better to wash rice, but it appears this was a no-no. 

One ‘monster’ that appeared in an unclean public bath was “Akaname” (or ‘filth licker’), who would turn up to lick the dirt and other debris out of a bathtub.  The lesson to be learned from this was “keep your bathtubs clean, otherwise a ‘monster’ will appear”. 

Another ‘monster’ was ‘Nebutori’, an immensely overweight woman who slept on a pile of cushions.  The lesson here was “if you are lazy, then this is what you’ll become”. 

Around the Honjō area there were a large number of canals (or ditches, if you like).  One of these was the infamous “Oite kebori”, although since a canal by this name was never specially designated, it seems that any canal into which someone cast a fishing line could be classified as an “oite kebori”. 

If you spent all day trying to catch fish and ended up on the canal bank as it grew dark, it was said that the spirit of the canal would command you to “leave, leave!” (or 置いてけー、置いてけー！) . If you chose to leave then you would be fine. However if you chose to stay, then some misfortune would later befall you, or all of the fish that you wished to catch would disappear.  This served as a warning not to get carried away in catching fish, and also prevented any water-related accidents around the canal. When it grew dark, there was a greater risk of stepping in a mudhole and end up drowning.

“Oite kebori” was one of the tales that appeared in the “seven mysterious tales of Honjō”. Others included “Kataba no Ashi” (or “The Single Root”), “Tanuki Bayashi” (the “Badger Dance”), “Ochibanaki Shii” (the “Evergreen Beech Tree”), “Okuri Chōchin” (or “the Fleeting Lamp”), “Tsugaruke no Taiko” (the “Drum of the Tsugaru”), and “Mutō Soba” (the “unlit soba noodles”), among others.

“The Fleeting Lamp” was a somewhat positive tale.  When hurriedly returning home late at night, a lamp would occasionally appear and disappear off in the distance ahead of the person running. This lamp was held by a beautiful woman. However the top half of the woman might be hidden by the dark of night, so it was by no means guaranteed that the woman would be beautiful. 

“The Single Root”, by way of contrast, was apparently a true tale of a tree root whose leaves would only appear on one side.

“The Evergreen Beech Tree” was a tale of a giant beech tree whose leaves never fell off, and other such tales of woe. 

Then there was “Ashiarai Yashiki” (or “The Foot-Washing House”).  According to this tale, in the dead of night a giant foot, dripping with mud, would suddenly appear from the ceiling. If you washed the foot, it would immediately disappear.  However if you left it be, it would grow violent and impossible to control.

In addition to Honjō, many other monsters appeared in the newly built suburbs of Azabu and Yoshiwara close to the outskirts of Edo.  As the city continued to develop, the population increased, and many of the suburbs that were rapidly emerging contributed to the destruction of the natural environment surrounding them.  The foxes and badgers that lived in such areas found themselves without places to live nor food to eat, and so began to appear more frequently in human habitats.  It was among such conditions as this that tales of creatures undergoing transformation grew in popularity.

For the people of Edo, who loved a good mystery, the very height of this culture was manifest in the works of the scholar Hirata Atsutane (平田篤胤).  He would go about collecting tales told by the people of the city, and would note them down for posterity.  Among these tales was one of “Heitarō”, the boy who feared nothing.  In this tale, despite being visited by a number of different monsters and creatures over many nights, Heitarō was afraid of none of them, merely commenting “well that’s an odd looking thing”.  Such was his reaction to them that many of the monsters grew more fascinated with him, with ‘Oyadama’ (a giant eye ball) eventually deciding to become his guardian spirit.  

Atsutane conceived of a world in which gods, spirits, and humans all co-existed.  He opened up a private academy in the centre of town known as “Ibuki no Ya” (or ‘The Breathing Inn’), where he told tales of other worlds to those who would listen.  He reportedly had 553 students of his own, and when combined with visitors these might exceed 3000, making it a very lively venue indeed.  Such was his fame that Atsutane came to the attention of the Bakufu government, who ordered him on three separate occasions to “quit talking such nonsense, and advance the cause of national studies.” 

While tales of terror were certainly used as entertainment before the Edo period, in the early Edo period virtually all ghost stories were about men.  There were tales of spirits who, after being defeated in battle, would continue to haunt their descendants.  There were violent ghosts, who after being killed in a fight with another warrior, laid a curse on their murderer’s children, saying that he would “kill them all”.  It was only from the mid-Edo period, a time of relative peace, when people started to think that it was far more frightening to have a beautiful woman transform into a monster.

The person most responsible for the popularity of this type of narrative was the Rakugo entertainer Hayashiya Shōzō (林家正蔵).  He believed that rather than simply trying to frighten people, using humour and other elements would make stories more memorable. So he would use various props, such as flying fireballs or modified pieces of furniture.  People dressed as ghosts would also suddenly spring out behind an audience listening to one of Shōzō’s stories and frighten the bejesus out of them. Over time, tales of terror became popular within the world of Kabuki theatre as well.

I cannot help the feeling that with the climate of the earth currently hanging in a precipitous balance, with every indication that if nothing is done to mitigate the effects of human-induced climate change then large sectors of the earth with become uninhabitable to all forms of mammal and plant life, that a lot of these problems are the logical conclusion of activities unleashed during the nineteenth century.  In other words, the modern world, for all of its technical achievements, has yet to escape the debilitating effects of a world built on the subjugation and industrialisation of nature and its resources.

The nineteenth century, carrying on the ethos of the industrial revolution as it was practiced in the United Kingdom from the eighteenth century onwards, regarded nature as a thing to be tamed, codified, and exploited for the betterment of the nation and for humanity as a whole.  This was to be achieved by a naked form of capitalism, of exploitation for the sake of profit, with the means of production and distribution to be ever thus refined and improved so that those profits could be distributed faster and wider than before.

To realise this goal, the United Kingdom (and then other European states) needed to control resources and subjugate those who held them so that both could then be put to use for the sake of the industrial state. Hence the development of imperialism, and with it militarism, which would in time be followed by mercantilism and commercialism. It created the basis for the concepts of destiny and superiority that were central to nineteenth century theories concerning race.  These forces would continue to hold sway over Europe, and its colonial branches, for over a century as the drive to achieve “prosperity” sent government and commercial entities to every corner of the globe in the search for more resources to exploit.   

Such ideology, which believed in eternal progress and industrialization as the key to “prosperity”, only occasionally considered the ramifications of what such activity would do to the natural world.  Adjustments would not begin to be made until the effects of industrialisation and commercialisation became blatant to large sections of society, thus initiating movements (from the late 1960s onwards) aimed at trying to mitigate some of the damage created over the previous century.  Yet the fundamental ideology underpinning the industralisation and commericalisation of Western and later Eastern societies – exploitation of resources for the scientific betterment of society and humanity as a whole – did not change.  It continued to hold sway over government and business thinking, and dictated how such bodies would react to changes in the natural world.

Those forces that the nineteenth century thought admirable and aspirational have, over time, proven a curse to the modern world.  This naked desire for “prosperity” has ruined the very ecological systems that allowed human society to thrive in the first place. If human society is to have a future, it must learn that “sustainability” is crucial not only to humans but to all forms of life.  “Sustainability” means rejecting those forms of industralisation which cause the greatest harm to the largest number of species. It, at its very core, means finding ways to live which do not damage the threads by which life itself is sustained. 

Humans have within their means the ability to change their society to make it sustainable.  It means moving away from the destructive technology of the nineteenth (and, to a great extent the twentieth) century and the exploitative ideology that drove such destruction.  Yet the time for change is running out before irreparable harm is done that will diminish humanity and condemn it to a future plagued by nightmares.

I’ve been assiduously trying to avoid writing about this topic for the past two weeks, however the amount of hullabaloo about it in Japan’s domestic media has made me feel that I should jot down my two cents about what really should have been a non-event. Recently, during an American football game between Nihon University and Kwansei Gakuin University, a defensive player for Nihon made what has been described as an “egregious” or “malicious” tackle on the quarterback of the opposing side, ostensibly putting that quarterback out of action for three weeks (although he subsequently returned to play a week later). After the game, the Kwansei Gakuin coaching staff lodged a protest with the Japan American Football Association, pointing out that the quarterback had already thrown the ball and was effectively not involved in the play when he was tackled by the Nihon player from behind, causing the quarterback to tear a knee ligament. Kwansei’s coaching staff thus demanded an apology from Nihon University and the suspension of the player and the Nihon University football team for the remainder of the season.

Then things become murky. Nihon University’s coaching staff, mainly consisting of former head coach Uchida Masahito and coach Inoue Tsutomu, initially denied that they had instructed the player to deliberately perform a dangerous tackle on the opposing quarterback. This did little to placate the coaching staff of Kwansei or the father of the injured quarterback, who held their own press conference in which they voiced their anger at how Nihon University was treating the matter. They were particularly incensed by former coach Uchida’s comments made to sections of the media following the game, in which he said that “if you don’t do that, you won’t win”, thereby admitting some involvement in the decision to make the tackle.  Pressure continued to build on the Nihon University coaching staff, so much so that Uchida was eventually forced to resign from his position not only as a coach but also as a member of the university’s executive committee.   

Yet the matter did not end there. Kwansei Gakuin pointed to a section of a letter received from Nihon University which ostensibly apologised for the incident, but stated that the problem had occurred because there was “a gap in understanding between the directions issued by the coaching staff and the manner in which the player received them”, thereby hoisting the blame for the tackle onto the Nihon player. The injured player’s father also made a reappearance in the media, stating that his son had submitted an aggravated assault complaint against Nihon University with the Osaka Prefectural Police and that he wanted to know whether the Nihon coaching staff had issued a directive for their player to make the dangerous tackle.

The Nihon player then held his own press conference in Tokyo (such was the level of interest in the story from across Japan, as a video of the tackle had been posted to Youtube and had subsequently been picked up by the major news networks), where he apologised to Kwansei Gakuin’s team, the injured player, and revealed that he had been directed by the coaching staff of Nihon to make the tackle after being warned that if he didn’t he would be left out of any subsequent matches.  One day later, Uchida and Inoue fronted the media once more, in which they denied giving any directions to deliberately injure the opposing quarterback, although during the same press conference Inoue did admit that he told the Nihon player to ‘crush the opposing quarterback’. Inoue added a proviso to this, however, saying that his expression had been ‘misinterpreted’ by the Nihon player.   

To cut a long story short, the Kansai Students American Football Association eventually met on the 30th of May, where Uchida and Inoue both had their qualifications as coaches revoked and Nihon University found its football team suspended for the remainder of the season, along with an obligation to reform its internal practices to ensure no repeat of the incident.

Japanese university team clubs generally conform to the ethos of fair play and responsible conduct, and so the this entire episode served as a focal point for (somewhat obsessive) commentary about the perceived decline in morals within Japanese society and a ‘win-at-all-costs’ mentality by which reputation means nothing and victory must come no matter what. It was also used to demonstrate that despite the passing of 70 or more years, Japanese society still possesses a mindset that puts obedience to hierarchy above all else even though it may be against one’s own best interests and/or morals (a topic that segues nicely into the scandals currently plaguing the Abe government). 

That might be reading too much into it, however. What is clear is that the coaching staff of Nihon gave their 19 or 20 something year old player an ultimatum that, given previous comments he presumably received regarding his performance, left him with little choice but to conclude that if he didn’t take out the opposing quarterback he’d be off the team. In hindsight that conclusion appears ironic, but for a young university football player desperate to show his talents and remain on the team, the decision was clear-cut.  Of course, the player could have chosen to just tackle the quarterback in a more conventional style, such as after the snap, but maybe he felt that this wouldn’t be enough to satisfy his coaches.

If there is any fault to be found here, it is in the way Nihon University dealt with the problem. Instead of issuing a blanket apology to Kwansei Gakuin, investigating the incident from all sides, and suspending the coaching staff while the investigation was underway, Nihon preferred to remain silent, then contrite, and then attempted to blame the player for the incident. It was cowardice on the part of Nihon to avoid taking responsibility for its actions, although in the current political climate, perhaps that’s only to be expected.

Today is Valentine’s Day (in Australia, although the date above is set by the US based host of this blog), that day when expressions of affection are made public, where couples are given the liberty to renew vows of matrimony or provided with a sharp reminder to declare everlasting devotion to their significant other (or face the consequences). On this day, presents are often exchanged, most notably chocolate – a substance that in its own right has fairly questionable aphrodisiacal qualities but when combined with sugar becomes the embodiment of romantic love. Or so one is led to believe if approaching things from a Western perspective, for the tradition of Valentine’s Day has a somewhat different interpretation in Japan, and it is one that makes it quite a fascinating study in human behavior and social expectations.

Japan, as a non-Christian nation (meaning not founded on or around Christian beliefs), was initially slow to adopt this most Western of traditions, however from the mid-20th century onwards the spread of Western mass culture to Japan brought about a shift in mindset and the adoption of Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate personal relationships. However unlike in the West, the expectations surrounding Valentine’s Day were focused on female relations with men, for under Japan’s traditions women did not play as prominent a role in public matters and so were expected to defer their own ambitions to their male counterparts.  Hence rather than give chocolate as a sign of genuine affection for someone, women employed in the corporate world of Japan were expected to provide chocolate to their male colleagues out of a sense of obligation. Since it was the male employees of a company that dictated how the company was run and whether it would succeed or fail, any encouragement to the male workers of the company was deemed beneficial (particularly to the continued employment of women in the company), and so rose the concept of “義理チョコ, or obligation chocolate”.

However department stores in Japan, aware that a one-off hit of chocolate sales were good but two were better, came up with the idea of “White Day” in the 1960s, whereby male staff would repay their female colleagues for their kindness by providing chocolate in return.  Hence the concept of “obligation chocolate” runs both ways, although in terms of marketing and overall corporate interest Valentine’s Day is by far a much bigger deal than “White Day”. While it is often considered better “form” to make one’s own chocolate and then distribute this in the form of a gift, the pace of modern life in Japan means that most people purchase chocolate from department stores and give these to their colleagues.

Yet one chocolate maker has gone out on a limb to try and overturn the concept of “obligation chocolate” and return Valentine’s Day to its more traditional image as a genuine expression of affection. Or at least that seems to the reason why, earlier this month, Godiva Chocolates Japan took out a full-page ad in the Nikkei Shimbun calling on Japan to “end the practice of obligation chocolate”.  According to the text in the ad, CEO Jerome Chouchan declares that Valentine’s Day should go back to its origins and not be used as something to just “improve relations around the office”.  However as this article by Jake Adelstein notes, the reaction to the ad has been mixed. While some agree with its sentiment, others have interpreted it as a cynical marketing ploy, given that Godiva chocolates are not usually given as gifts on Valentine’s Day and thus halting the practice of “obligation chocolate” would benefit Godiva’s sales.

Yet the fact that most reactions to the ad have been positive shows that the issue of “obligation chocolate” is one that people have been mulling over for some time.  It seems that giving chocolate as an obligation is regarded as more of a nuisance than anything else, and one office practice that is unlikely to survive much longer as workplace diversity and a falling workforce participation rate forces changes on corporate Japan that are ultimately replicated across society as a whole. 

Since this has been such an issue for more than two months now, I’ve decided the time has come to delve into the continuing malarkey surrounding Japan’s Sumo Association and the fallout from Harumafuji’s decision to resign from his position of Yokozuna.

On Thursday, Takanohana Koji, himself a former Yokozuna and director within the JSA, and in charge of the stable that oversaw Harumafuji, was booted off the board of directors and demoted two places for his apparent reluctance to report to the JSA on the incident involving Harumafuji. The board found that despite Takanohana’s admission that he went to the police to report on the incident soon after it occurred, his failure to inform the JSA board immediately after the event and his refusal to attend a meeting of the JSA crisis management panel until December 25 were grounds for removing Takanohana from his post.

As has been widely reported, it is the first time that the JSA executive has removed a director from its ranks, itself a fairly newsworthy event. However further details have come to light which reveal more details about Takanohana’s attitude towards the JSA board and why he behaved in the manner he did.

Takanohana was admitted to the JSA executive in 2014 by former JSA chairman Kitanoumi at the relatively young age of 41 (Takanohana, along with his brother Wakanohana, were revered as Yokozuna throughout the 90s and early 2000s). Kitanoumi made Takanohana general operations manager, which was a sign of the confidence he had in Takanohana’s abilities. However in November 2015 Kitanoumi suddenly died, thereby leaving a vacancy for the position of JSA chairman.

In March 2016 elections for the chairman’s position took place pitting Takanohana against another former Yokozuna, Hakkaku Nobuyoshi. Hakkaku won the election, and appointed Takanohana as the chief of the tourism department of the JSA, a position that effectively removed Takanohana from the executive. To add injury to insult, Hakkaku then appointed one of his own stable’s members, Oguruma Oyakata, to the position of managing director of the JSA, effectively making him Hakkaku’s deputy. 

Takanohana appears to have something of an axe to grind against Hakkaku, and that might make its presence felt at the next chairman’s election. Takanohana has around 8 close allies on the board, and with another 10 supporters would have more than enough votes to clinch the top position in the organization.  The main problem here, however, would be whether the existing executive would acknowledge the result of the election, given that they had previously removed Takanohana from his position for acting in contempt of their authority.  If Takanohana was elected, and then proceeded to implement his own plan of reform, quite a few executives might object and seek to block Takanohana from exercising his authority.

So far, Takanohana has not spoken in public in relation to the controversy surrounding him, so his intentions are only known to a close circle of allies. It is highly likely that he will put himself forward as a candidate for chairman at the next election (scheduled for this year), if anything to ensure the prompt removal of Hakkaku from any position of authority. This, of course, will only perpetuate the degree of hostility between the two, and could split the JSA which would affect sumo operations and ultimately the public’s enjoyment of tournaments.  Takanohana will accept his punishment for now, but he is biding his time, and the issue will flare up again either next month or in March when electoral matters bring it to a head.  

As has begun a common trait of this blog over the past year, I must
start with an apology for the HUGE amount of time
that has passed since my last post. However given what has happened
over the past six months, and everything that took place before then,
then the somewhat tardy nature of my posts can in part be explained.
In many ways, 2016 was a very, very unusual year. It was a year that
was marked, for better or worse, by demonstrations of both the power
of democracy and its obvious weaknesses.

In terms of the relationship between Australia and Japan, what could have
potentially been a momentous year instead turned into a fizzle. Apart from the
disappointment of the future submarine announcement, a series of events
during the year - a general election in Australia, the onset of the
diplomatic silly season (September to November), and illness, all
conspired to both derail a potential bilateral leaders' meeting, and
led to the cancellation/postponement of the annual 2+2 foreign and
defence ministers' meeting.

Hence for both sides, restoring a degree of normalcy to the relationship
and reinforcing its importance will be priorities in the new year. And
this goes for all nation states. While the bureaucracies of states are
already well versed in inter-state ties and would (I suspect) prefer to
keep the involvement of the political class in such relations to a bare
minimum, it is the political class that is ultimately responsible for
the success or failure of such ties. So it is imperative that this
class acts in a manner that reinforces and defends the standing protocols
between states rather than seek to undermine them.

To paraphrase Henry Kissinger, the stakes are too high for the political class
to be involved in petty squabbles and retaliation for perceived insults.

Just a glance at this region reveals a myriad of issues that could potentially
destabilize the global order and lead to not only recessions but the outbreak
of open warfare. The most pressing of these is obviously the situation in the
South China Sea, where competing economic and security interests have combined
to create one almightly doozy of a diplomatic problem, and where any unilateral
action by one state can trigger hostile reactions from one or more rival states.
While the potential for conflict is very real in that area, so is the potential
for cooperation, which will become more important as the natural resources of the
region continue to be depleted.

That, in fact, might be what pushes both ASEAN and China to restart their negotiations towards a Code of Conduct, which has been much discussed but never resolved. Ever since I attended a lecture on the subject at the Australian Institute for International Affairs back in 2011, I have been curious as to these effect that sudden and catastrophic depletion of fishing stocks in the South China Sea will have on state relations in that area. With stocks already near extinction, those states wishing to provide a food source for their population and a livelihood for their fisheries industries will be forced to send their fleets further and further into international waters outside of the South China Sea, and will therefore create sources of conflict between states that until now have had amicable relations.

This is assuming, of course, that the states involved don't first reach an agreement between one another to preserve and protect what fish stocks are left, but given the history of both ASEAN and its relationship with China, that is a very low possibility. So in this state of affairs, and with no alternatives currently in sight, expect to see many more fishing vessels from Southeast Asian states and China turning up in the territorial waters of Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island
nations, Japan, South Korea, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Central America, Canada, India, Sri Lanka, if not as far as the east coast of Africa and potentially the Hawaiian Islands.

The other issue is of course US China relations. Already this has seen US president elect Donald Trump indicate his support for the pro-independence Tsai government in Taiwan, thus both catching Beijing off guard in its reaction to such news and infuriating the CCP through its brazen contempt for China'd core interests.

Just over the past two days, President Tsai has gone on a visit to the US and Central America, a visit not formally recognized by the US but which will certainly involve some form of discussions with members or affiliates of the Trump administration. Beijing is of course watching this very closely for any sign of
greater affinity between the Tsai and Trump camps, and there is speculation that perhaps Trump will use Taiwan as a bargaining chip to gain more concessions from China over trade.

So once January 20 rolls around and we end up facing the reality of a Trump presidency (which, by the way, might be one of the most closely scrutinized in US political history, particularly given the damning report from US intelligence agencies on the direct involvement by Russian cyber spies in hacking the DNC, stealing emails related to Hillary Clinton, and then using this to damage Clinton's campaign and assist Donald Trump in winning the White House), we could indeed be in for some interesting times ahead, but very much in spirit of the Chinese use of the term.

After yet another prolonged absence from updating this blog (believe me, I have every intention of updating it, but fate and other assorted nuisances get in the way), I wanted to touch upon an issue that has come to the surface in Japan in the past week – that of the arrest of former Yomiuri Giants and pro-league baseball player Kiyohara Kazuhiro on charges of possession of methamphetamines (J). For those who might not be familiar with Kiyohara’s work, I’ll provide a brief recap (courtesy of Wikipedia). 

Kiyohara, 48, is originally from Kishiwada City in Osaka Prefecture, and over his long career (22 years in the pro league, playing for Seibu Lions, the Giants, and then the Orix Buffalos) he established himself as a slugger, albeit one with some issues (his batting average over his career was .272, and he still leads the Japanese Professional Baseball League in the most strikeouts at 1955, and most hit by pitches at 196). 

Kiyohara’s reputation was cemented during his days playing for PL Gakuen High School, where over his three years at the school he appeared in 3 consecutive summer national high school baseball championships at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture and hit a record 13 home runs, a feat that has yet to be equaled. Kiyohara was then directly drafted from high school into the Seibu Lions and made his debut for the team in 1986.

After retiring in 2008, Kiyohara used his celebrity status to pen articles for Nikkan Sports and made numerous television appearances on variety programs and in product commercials, while also lending his voice in the commentary box at various pro-league games. 

In 2014, the first signs of trouble emerged when the Shukan Bunshun magazine reported that Kiyohara had been suspected of indulging in illicit substances, quite possibly as a consequence of his attempting to deal with his Type-2 Diabetes for which he was hospitalized in early 2014. Kiyohara initiated legal proceedings against Shukan Bunshun, yet later dropped his libel case. While this was occurring, Kiyohara used his spare time to get tattoos on his shoulder and foot (which itself is a social taboo in Japan, and is a practice that it generally frowned upon).  Kiyohara’s erratic behaviour resulted in a divorce from his wife in September 2014, after which he lost custody of his two sons.

All this came to a head last week when Tokyo Metropolitan Police raided Kiyohara’s apartment and found 0.1gms of methamphetamine (which Kiyohara admitted was his) (J).  Kiyohara was arrested at the scene, not only for possession of narcotics but also on suspicion of having associated with organised criminals (the Metropolitan police apparently tracked Kiyohara to Gunma Prefecture the day before his arrest to confirm this and to trace the route of his drug supplies) (J).      
 
In many respects, this is yet another sad tale of a former sports legend falling on hard times after their retirement and, devoid of any set of skills apart from their sporting prowess, they find it especially difficult to adjust to a life out of the limelight.  Kiyohara had a fan following similar to that of Nagashima Shigeo (J), hence his fall from grace has hit many of his former teammates and friends (not to mention his fans) hard.

While it is not unusual for sports personalities to occasionally be their own worst enemy, in the case of Kiyohara it appears that his afflictions might stem from a deeper level of dissatisfaction and despair that he has yet to fully face.  It may be possible for Kiyohara to make a comeback, particularly to the world of either radio or television, but it will be a long, slow process, and he may not have the temperament for it.  The whole issue of illicit drug taking doesn’t help his case (this is in contrast to entertainers that have affairs. After a period of “remorse” (usually a year or so), they gradually start appearing on Japanese television once again, albeit as a source of mirth for their co-stars.)

It`s not too late, however, for Kiyohara to find redemption. The world of entertainment is a fickle thing, and Kiyohara`s former stature and popularity may serve him in good stead in the long run.

Oh boy, we`re only four weeks into 2016 and already things appear to have fallen off the rails. For starters, last week there was a somewhat failed terrorist attack that took place in Jakarta, never a great way to see in a New Year, and with freakish weather events pummelling countries across the globe, one feels that climate change and devastating weather patterns it produces might become a new source of strategic interest for writers in this field. In terms ofsecurity events in Australia, apart from a possible bomb scare in Sydney last week (which occurred only hours before the Jakarta attack unfolded) and another attempted attack on a police station in Sydney`s outer west, the New Year has been relatively sedate.
 
In relation to the Competitive Evaluation Process, events have moved along quite dramatically in just four weeks. For example, The Australian`s Greg Sheridan and Cameron Stewart have been writing at length on Andrew Shearer`s op-ed (co-written with Michael Green) which essentially said that the US prefers the Japanese option over those of the French and Germans, and that if the US is going to share its submarine combat system technology with Australia then it wishes for it to be installed in a Japanese submarine. Not surprisingly, TKMS and DCNS were not exactly thrilled to learn of this, especially given that last year they were seeking assurances from the US that it would remain neutral on the CEP and not undertake any lobbying on behalf of Japan.
 
For Japan, however, such news has been a win fall. At the back of everyone`s mind is the idea that as the US quietly favours the Japanese option, strategic elements along with technical ones will come to dominate the selection agenda. Ultimately it is up to the Australian government to make up its mind about which option it would prefer, but these reports and others like them will be influential, there`s no doubt about it.
 
In the meantime, as this is 2016, I`ve been pondering whether it is time to let the ol` Pre Modern Japanese website go. I made that website 5 years ago, and while it presume it has been of use to some in their studies, for the past five years I`ve been renewing the domain name and that process is getting more expensive. Besides, I`ve no real way of knowing whether the site has been of any use to anyone. Which is to say that the feedback has not been overwhelming, so keeping that site running does not appear to be serving any useful purpose.
This is a bit of shame, but I suppose I`m dealing with a very niche area, and there`s not likely to be a large amount of interest in such matters except from those who have studied the subject in depth. Speaking of which, I wanted to introduce yet another resource that I have found indispensable to my knowledge of premodern Japanese studies. Last year, Karikome Hitoshi, a lecturer at Shujitsu Daigaku in Okayama, published a book titled `Reading methods for classical and early modern Japanese documents and records` (古文書・古記録訓読法 吉川弘文館). Honestly, I wish I had this book while studying at Otani University all those years ago. In fact, this is precisely the sort of book that would have proven a godsend in helping me to acquire a much more rapid knowledge of premodern grammar as it applies to the medieval period.
 
The book gives numerous examples of how to read the unusual grammatical structures used by writers in the medieval period, as well as meanings behind certain common expressions and how they translate into modern Japanese. It also includes an extensive glossary giving details of other books like it that are aimed that improving the students knowledge of both cursive script and premodern grammar. This book is an absolute must for those interested in exploring premodern Japanese documents in greater detail, and I can`t recommend it highly enough.  It`s also proving an inspiration in getting back to considering study of cursive script so that any premodern documents I might be interested in will be more legible to me than they were in the past.
 
So apart from grammatical issues and those of strategy in the region, 2016 appears to be a year of promise, but at the same time is a year that may bring with it instability and possible upset. I will do my best to record how it progresses, particularly as it applies to bilateral relations between Australia and Japan (and this year will be very monumental indeed on that front). So stick with me readers, things will get more interesting from here on!
 

It`s been a long time coming, this next Defence White Paper from the Australian Coalition government. After initially pledging that another white paper would be produced, fully costed, 18 months after coming to office, political events transpired to delay the process at least three times. First, David Johnston made his ill-considered comments about the ASC and their ability to manufacture ships, which saw him replaced as Defence Minister by Kevin Andrews in December last year. Then the whole episode of who will build Australia`s next generation of submarines offset the writing process, with the government announcing a `Competitive Evaluation Process` (the first time many in defence had actually heard of such a term) to determine who should be granted the contract to manufacture subs in what will be the largest defence procurement in Australia`s history (to the sum of $50bn).
 
This certainly can`t have been envisaged by the white paper drafting committee in the DOD, who were forced to incorporate this new element into the paper and thus delayed the paper`s release yet again. In early August, concerns among South Australian MPs that they might suddenly be faced with electoral defeat at the next election promoted then PM Abbott to announce a plan for continuous ship building, with the idea that Australia, upon completion of the AWD project, would then branch out into manufacturing frigates to replace the ageing ANZAC class frigates. Not only this, Australia would be increasing its frigate fleet to 8 ships, together with 21 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs, namely corvettes), in addition to completing the construction of its three AWDs and the second of its LHD fleet (New Ship Adelaide, the sister ship to HMAS Canberra, not to mention the offshore build of 2 refuelling ships in Spain and South Korea). All of these vessels were envisaged to be operating by the mid to late 2020s (a plan described as “ambitious” by the navy’s maritime systems chief).
 
Although this announcement was warmly greeted in South Australia (unlike other defence manufacturing states such as Victoria and Western Australia, who thought too much emphasis was being placed on rescuing federal South Australian seats at the expense of their own industries), the sudden nature of the announcement meant that once again the white paper drafting committee had to go back and revise what was written, and incorporate new costings into the white paper itself, thus delaying the release of the white paper yet again.
 
Just when everybody thought that the release of the paper was imminent in late August,/early September, along came the change in leadership in the Coalition government. Despite protestations from Kevin Andrews that removing him as Defence Minister would again postpone the white paper release, he was given the boot and replaced by Marise Payne, Australia`s first female Defence Minister. Andrews, for his part, claimed that the paper was already completed and ready to be released, but clearly his removal and the installation of new members to the National Security Council of Cabinet meant that the paper could not be released until it was at least understood by both the Prime Minister and the new Defence Minister, both of whom might hold their own views about defence that differ from their predecessors.
 
So the expectations right now are that the white paper will be released some time between now to the end of this year. As to the content of the white paper, most analysis claims that the paper will mostly focus on expanding the role of the RAN in order to secure Australia`s vital sea trading routes to Asia and across to the Middle East. What the paper is envisioning is the largest ever build-up of Australian naval power, with a dramatic expansion in fleet capabilities and greater inter-operability with the US Navy to offset the growing capability of China to project its own naval power further into the Pacific and Indian Oceans, not to mention upgrades to naval bases.
 
Of course, singling out China as a potential threat to the region is not something that the white paper drafting committee wishes to do, certainly not after the experience of the 2009 white paper which specifically named China as a potentially destabiling force in the region. Then again, the committee will not want the next white paper to be as docile as the 2013 white paper was, which essentially avoided any concern about China`s intentions and claimed that economic relations within the region would offset any concerns about conflict. This concern about what China thinks has plagued the debate about Australia`s defence position since at least 2009, and has not done Australia any favours in helping to clarify just what Australia`s strategic interests actually are.
 
Defence analysts certainly appear to be in two minds about whether Australia needs to produce a white paper at this point in time. With most of the major acquisitions in defence already planned for (namely 72 JSF F-35 aircraft, 8 P-8 Poseidon aircraft, 10 C-27J Spartan short takeoff and landing aircraft, Triton surveillance UAVs (amount as yet unknown, with the possibility of 8 Reaper UAVs also being purchased), 10 C-17 Globemaster II heavy transport aircraft, 12 EA-18 Growler electronic attack aircraft, in additional to the naval acquisitions), it is obvious that Australia is planning to base its defence more on sea and airpower capabilities than land based forces, and a white paper doesn`t necessarily have to spell this out. This is a response to recent trends in the region, and the fact that Australian land forces are substantially smaller than those of other nations in the region, and so much be more specialised in their capabilities (hence the greater emphasis given in recent years to Australia`s special forces in deployments overseas).
 
Of course, white papers cannot merely be about purchasing of equipment, but are also supposed to outline the nation`s defence posture and how its sees regional and global event impacting upon its defence environment in the future. On this point, analysts are again divided on what should be in the paper and what shouldn`t. Hugh White, the ANU academic who often likes to play devil`s advocate in potential defence scenarios, believes the white paper in its current form is probably far too influenced by Tony Abbott`s thinking, with little thought to how defence procurement might improve Australia’s strategic position and the pointless task of achieving 2% of GDP for defence spending. Nic Stuart of the Canberra Times/SMH believes that the paper probably is in keeping with the conservative mindset of its drafters – i.e., namely that there will be nothing controversial within it, it will merely recite bland statements, and that ultimately it will be forgotten almost as quickly as the 2013 paper was.
 
Recent statements by Defence Minister Marise Payne essentially reinforce the idea that there will be no major shift in Australia`s defence thinking from the Abbott to the Turnbull government – that Australia will continue to emphasise the pivotal role played by the US in the region, that China`s rise is welcome but not at the expense of the status quo and the peaceful resolution of disputes. On that point at least the white paper won`t need to be re-drafted. On questions of other defence relations, particularly the nascent relations shared between Australia and Japan and Australia and India, it`s a bit harder to tell at this stage, seeing that neither Malcolm Turnbull nor Payne have yet to visit either country. However the increased ties between both countries gives the impression that they would welcome further defence ties with either state, at the very least as part of a strategy of `hedging` against any possibility of conflict in the region.     

After a three week hiatus, a result of a trip to the US and Canada of the same length, I`m returning to writing this blog on a subject vastly different to my usual posts, namely my own impressions of what I experienced during that trip. From the outset I must say that I was thoroughly impressed by the people of both nations, who obviously carry a self-assured nature that comes from being citizens of two of the wealthiest nations on the planet. The people I came into contact with were affable, approachable, and genuinely interested in a person`s origins and their reasons for travel.

It appeared to me, as an Australian, that the peoples of these nations have more in common than they may realise, although their approach to matters  is, on occasion, radically different. There were, it must be said, far fewer homeless on the streets of Canadian cities than those in the US, although neither country was beset with the type of poverty that you often witness in Asia.  Having said this, clearly the issue of social disparity is widely debated within American society, particularly among the recent migrant communities in large cities such as New York and Washington D.C. Many that I talked to express frustrations at working in a system that they consider perpetuates rather than relieves their financial concerns, and weren`t shy about revealing that to a foreigner.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that American society is by and large stable and recovering from its financial problems of the past years. Employment seemed regular and widespread, and there were plenty of people purchasing items in stores in the cities that I visited. Gun violence, a subject that is often raised overseas in relation to the US, was a distant issue even in large cities. Mind you, I did not visit the outer suburbs of these larger cities so my impressions were formed on what I saw at their centers, but these areas are like any other city centre in Canada and Australia. Speaking of city centres, clearly American cities take enormous pride in their civic spaces, and I was impressed by the neo-Roman, Greek, and British/French inspired architecture that dominates public spaces in places such as Washington, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Canada also had that same civic pride, but theirs was somewhat more subdued in its promotion. Canadians are a little more reserved than Americans in their temperament, but they are by and large more affable than Australians (these are my own observations, it must be remembered).  Canadian cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal are, despite their size, well run, well organised, and quite safe to travel in. The scenery of Canada, for those reading this in Australia, must be seen to be believed. It is hard to believe that such greenery can exist, given the tendency of our own continent to be averse to steady rainfall. No wonder the earlier European settlers of North America were so captivated by the place, as such rich soil in such abundance would naturally create ample crops for farms to trade with one another and the cities on the coastline. It makes an Australian very envious!

If there was one thing that I found at fault in my journeys, it was the existence of tipping. It has long been pointed out that this is an inefficient form of taxation, and the absence of a standard minimum wage (by which I mean liveable wage) for either the US and Canada means that its practice will not disappear anytime soon, but I found it an inconvenience more than anything else.

I will also say in closing that if there was one city that impressed me more than any other, it was Quebec. Many might find that odd, given the range of amenities and civic projects one can find in bigger cities such as New York or Toronto, but that was my impression. Perhaps it was the fact that Quebec strongly retains its French heritage, and that its architecture was reminiscent of Europe that so captivated me, but at any rate I found it to be far more liveable and awe-inspiring than the other cities that I visited (Boston also caught my eye for its historical significance, and is another city I would like to visit again in the future). This much is true, one cannot do justice to the amount of sights and sounds available in North America by just visiting it once, hence at some point in the future I will once again head out north to visit the fascinating countries that reside there (just as soon as I overcome this damn jet lag!).