Holiday Greetings

“I think State threw a dart at the calendar...” was my friend Dan’s analysis of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement recognizing Children’s Day in Japan. No one could remember when last, if ever, State recognized this Japanese holiday. 

The press release on May 4th read:

It is my pleasure to offer warm wishes to boys and girls in Japan on the May 5 occasion of Children’s Day. On this holiday, Japanese families celebrate the joys of childhood and family life. Children are, indeed, a national treasure, and both the United States and Japan share a strong commitment to childhood health, safety, and education. It is a responsibility for all of us to work together to ensure the protection of children. It is our hope that one day children from all countries will be able to celebrate the carefree joys that children in Japan celebrate today.

State’s press office said the statement was merely part of a new policy of recognizing selected “seasonal holidays” around the world. He is probably right, but like most things Japanese what seem innocuous are not.

Children’s Day (Kodomo no Hi, こどもの日 ) is an annual Japanese national holiday. It is on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month, and is part of the Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness.

It was designated a National holiday by the Occupation authorities in 1948 as part of the effort to eliminate militarism from Japan. The day was originally called Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), and was celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th moon in the lunar calendar. It is the festival for boys and warriors. The holiday’s symbols are the carp and the samurai helmet. The carp is supposed to symbolize success and the helmet is self-explanatory.

It is common today in Japan to see figures of Colonel Sanders standing in front of KFC in full samurai regalia for the holiday. This definitely makes you think twice about the benefits of globalization.

In addition, to the historical issues that surround this holiday, it is possible that Tokyo may read the Secretary’s statement as having some contemporary message. It does come on the heels of North Korea Freedom Week where rightist Japanese Diet members and Abductee representatives traipsed around Washington pleading for stronger sanctions against North Korea. Maybe the Children's Day message was a nod to the Adductee families.

On the other hand, pressure has been mounting from Congress for the State Department and the White House to take a strong tack with Japan regarding the child abduction issue. Draft resolutions are floating around Congress asking for action. The Secretary did mention the issue in her talks with officials in Japan. Last month, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and his chief of staff joined a protest on child abduction outside the Japanese Embassy. 

It was a cold and windy night for a candle light vigil, and although he received no publicity the Congressman stayed with the small group of heartbroken fathers for the duration. Maybe the message was a finger wag to the Foreign Ministry to speed up signing the Hague Convention.

And maybe it just meant nothing and was merely an ill-considered gesture.

Later: Sources say that there was simply no policy message of any sort intended. The holiday greeting is merely part of a new policy initiative to celebrate random cultural holidays with other nations of the world. Sources were annoyed that I thought it was ill-considered. Ok, how about a bit careless.

Dare Ya

On a day in which all the major Western newspapers reported that Japan’s GNP will fall 3.3 % for the coming fiscal year that began on April 1 and that the economic situation is worsening, Japan’s conservative nationalists spent over US$100,000 for a full-page advocacy ad in the New York Times.

Finance and Economics Minister Kaoru Yasano had told the Diet on April 27^th that the Japanese economy is rapidly deteriorating.  “Our country,” he continued, “is clearly in a situation that can be described as an economic crisis.” He reported that Japan will experience a nominal growth rate of minus 3%. Private analysts say that this is more likely to be a minus 6%. 

The April 28th ad, DO YOU DARE OVERLOOK THE HELL NAMED NORTH KOREA?, challenged President Obama to press for human rights in North Korea so that it can become a truly democratic state.  Signed by a group of seven generally moderate public intellectuals, the ad demands that the President relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Reportedly “thousands” of individual Japanese donations helped pay for this ad that appeared in the middle of North Korea Freedom Week and the visit of a delegation from Japan of well-known abduction advocates led by Dietmember Takao Hiranuma and accompanied by Keiji Furuya, Ichiro Tsukada, Jin Matsubara, Masahisa Sato, and Shinkun Haku. 

Representing the families of the abducted is Teruaki Masumoto, Secretary General of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN), whose sister, Rumiko, North Korea admitted kidnapping. 

In February, Masumoto participated in a symposium on abduction and national defense in Nagoya hosted by General Toshio Tamogami’s support group. The General, known for his skeptical views of American influence and authority, was the main speaker. Masumoto reportedly said that Japan should use its economic power to pressure the US into relisting North Korea as a terrorist supporter.

And what economic power would that be?

rATIONALITY?

Did I read this correctly? The Nikkei reported today (March 4) that:

Toru Hasuike, deputy representative of the Association of Families of Abducted Victims, attended a meeting yesterday of the Parliamentarians League to Promote Normalization between Japan and North Korea (chaired by Taku Yamasaki). Hasuike stressed that "dialogue" should be promoted in Japan's foreign policy toward North Korea, saying: "The government needs to think about what the origin is of North Korea's anger and resentment toward Japan. We have reached an important time when a flexible response is necessary." He proposed the realization of an early meeting between the parents of Megumi Yokota and her daughter Kim Hye Gyong.

This still does not define success, but it appears that some members of Rightist controlled Abduction group are trying to think outside their handlers' narrow political interests.

Just this afternoon, I advised some friends that they should slow down and be a bit more patient with political Japan. Something is happening that we are not seeing. Around the edges it appears that parts of the DPJ agenda are being co-opted by the LDP. And the good guy image of the DPJ is being shattered. Finally, change in Japan that we are used to.