無力感

最近、日本の政治を見ていて思うことがあります。

来年度の予算が92兆円をこえたとか、過去最大規模だとか、マニフェストを優先して財政規律を緩めたとか。

新聞の話題は予算の話ばかり。

なぜならそれは私たちの税金がどのように使われるかという問題であって国民の関心が高いから。

たしかに予算の使い道は僕も気になります。はてして日本の財政は破綻しないのか？今の予算で景気を浮揚させることは出来るのか？コンクリートから人へという方針は正しいのか？暫定税率は維持すべきなのか？

しかし、以上のようなことをいくら考えても、無力感に襲われます。

それは自分の生活に直結してるとは思えないから、また直結していてもその影響は極めて限定的だと思われるから。これは今の社会的立場が関係してるかもしれないが。子ども手当てに所得制限がかかったことで何が変わる？土地改良事業の予算が半額になったからって自分に関係あるの？

そして無力感に襲われる理由として最も大きなものは、“結局自分には何も変えられないから”。何を当たり前のことを言っているんだと言われるかもしれませんが、僕が何を考えようと、何をしようと何も変えられないという気持ちがあります。

概して“関係ないじゃん”という自己中心的な思考が特に若い世代の政治への無関心の根底にあると思います。

ああ無力、

お久しぶりです！

こんばんは！竹中です。

長らく放置されてたこのブログですが最近自分の意見や考えを文章にするのが楽しいので僕が活性化していきたいと思います。

近況ですがゼミも決まり、一段落しました。ゼミは政経で一番厳しいと言われる東南アジア地域のゼミにしました。面接では『大学辞めたら？』とかサディストのようなこと言ってましたが、河合塾の講師の山西先生に一種似た空気を感じました笑。『学生の仕事は勉強だよ？』ごもっともです笑。

やっぱり２１世紀はアジアの時代なのではないかと強烈に感じるので日本にとって絶対に東南アジアは無視できない存在でしょう。最近は興味が中東からアジア地域に確実に移っています。また来年からシンガポールに留学するのでこの地域は将来にわたって関わることになるかもしれません笑

てな訳で最近Asian Development and Globalizationという授業で書いた論文です。この授業は７人くらいの超少人数で(最初は１５人くらいいた)、しかも中国人、韓国人、シンガポール人など国籍もバラバラです。授業の公用語は英語ですが、実際マジつらいっす笑。何言ってるかわからない。でも議論は面白い。

The impact of Japanese imperialism on Asian Development.

Japan’s aspiration for the Great East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere began in 1984 with Sino-Japanese War. Modernized Japanese army defeated china, as most people expected Japanese to win. “The implication of this victory would guide Japanese policy in Asia for almost the next century”⑴ In addition to this victory, Japan won the fight against even the European power, Russia. As a result, Japan had come to have control over Korean peninsula, which was extremely important for a geopolitical reason at that time, and established its status as a big power in Asia. Its victory over two countries, especially Russia, was significant. “Speaking more than a half centuries later, Mochtar Lubis, the distinguished Indonesian journalist, fairly summarized a reaction that transcend national boundaries. “One of the factors which pushed our nationalist movement”, he told us, “was the defeat of Russia by the Japanese. An Asian country, an Asian power had been able to defeat a European power. ”⑵ The victory over Russia apparently inspired Asian countries, and made Japan believe that they must release Asian nations from European powers. In this way, Japanese imperialism began sweeping across Asian countries. They occupied or annexed many Asian countries and left good and bad influence to posterity.

I would like to take a look at positive influences Japanese imperialism left in Asian countries. Many countries which Japan had occupied or annexed benefited economically from Japanese rule and achieved high economic growth. For instance, Japanese government invested intensively in Korea because Japan regarded Korean peninsula as a vital base for expanding its territories. “During THE colonial period, 1910-45, the Japanese government attempted to integrate completely the Korean economy with Japan, and thus introduced many modern economic and social institutions, and invested heavily in infrastructure, including schools, railroads and utilities. Most of these physical facilities remained in Korea after the Liberation.”⑶ Because of these investments, Korea developed rapidly in 1930s and the development was called “Korean industrial revolution”. With the Korean industrial revolution, enrollment ratio of primary school was improved, consumer spending increased rapidly, and public security was restored. In post- war era, Korea became a wealthy and highly developed country by rapid economic growth called Miracle on the Han River. Likewise, in Taiwan, in which Japan started to gain control over its authority by Shimonoseki treaty on April 17, 1895, Japanese government invested in infrastructure and improved economy, industry, and public safety. Especially, a sugar industry, which later became one of the biggest sources of tax, was invested intensively by Inazo Nitobe. A development of the sugar industry made it possible for Taiwan people to increase their income and achieve fiscal independence b y 1905. Because of the stable tax revenue which sugar industry supported, public spending in the form of budget allocations for public works such as railroads, irrigation systems, and electric power plant was made easier to build⑷. In other words, in my opinion, Japanese investments in major infrastructures in Korea and Taiwan during colonial period became a base for rapid development in post-war era.

However, there are many negative influences Japanese imperialism left in Asian countries which Japan occupied or annexed. In my opinion, Japan committed two types of war crimes: normal war crime and cultural one. First, Japan committed a lot of war crimes such as summary execution, rape, forced labour, preventable famine, and looting. They ignored basic human right of colonial people in order to win the wars and develop their country. Second, most importantly, Japan suppressed colonial people culturally and deprived them of the most basic human right. For example, in Korea, native Korean people are forced to change their original name by a notorious policy called soshi-kaimei and to give their loyalty to Japan. In addition to this policy, Korean people are obliged to learn Japanese language instead of their mother tongue and a lot of subject in Japanese. “Focus was heavily and intentionally placed upon the psychological and cultural element in Japan’s colonial policy, and the unification strategies adopted in the fields of culture and education was designed to eradicate the individual ethnicity of the Korean race.” ⑸ The fact that their country was colonized and exploited lingers on even today and will be remember in the future. Former colonial people have a strong anti-Japan sentiment expect Taiwan in which people tend to be relatively less obsessed with anti-Japan sentiments. Because of anti-Japan sentiments former colonial people have, there are lot problems Japan can not solve such as territorial and history issue. As a result, Japan and former colonial countries have not archived future-oriented relationship based on reconciliation and cooperation.

In conclusion, in order to gain economical benefit, Japan expanded its territories, colonized many neighbor countries and invested in infrastructures in the colonies. Because of the extensive investment, former Japanese colonies had made a basis for the rapid development and achieved rapid economic growth in the post war era. However, what Japan committed during the war had more meaning to colonial people than the fact that Japan invested in their countries and made basis for economic growth. The way Japan expands its territories and exploited neighbors was too cruel for colonial people to forgive Japan. In other words, if Japan wants to solve the many issues and reconcile with them from the heart, Japan should show their sincere apologies and remorse toward them over and over again.

⑴ Frank Gibney. (1992). THE PACIFIC CENTURY, America and Asia in a Changing World. P, 104

⑵Frank Gibney. (1992). THE PACIFIC CENTURY, America and Asia in a Changing World. P, 105

⑶Lee, Jong-Wha. "Economic Growth and human Production in the Republic of Korea,- 1992". United Nations Development Programme.

http://hdr.undp.org/docs/publications/ocational_papers/oc24aa.htm

⑷Mikio Sugimoto. (1997). Taiwan, Korea and Philippine from the data produced point of view. 邦題：データから見た日本統治下の台湾・朝鮮プラスフィリピン　杉本幹夫

⑸Matsumura, Yuko. ""Cultural Genocide" and the Japanese Occupation of Korea. http://www.cgs.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/workshops_e/w_2004_02_23_e.html

ノミニケーション

今日は、NOMADメンバーの内田と竹中と佐藤で飲みに行きました。

（こやく丸も途中参加）

HUBで日本対スコットランド戦を観戦しました。

あまり期待せずに交代されたように見えた駒野が、見事相手にアシストしましたね！

オウンゴールがあるスポーツってサッカーぐらいでしょうか！？

気になります！

ノミニケーションの成果：

後期１回目のミーティング日時が18日（日）に決まりました！

「NOMADを再起動せよ」ということで、まずはNOMADYを軸に後期も活動していきましょう！

更に自由に、熱く、夢のある場所にしていきたいですね！

詳細は追って連絡しますー(^^)

そろそろ、文化祭シーズンですね。

読書の秋、スポーツの秋、食欲の秋、

キレイな紅葉でも見に行きたいもんです！

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

ｂｙしゅがー

Change

月曜日は学校がないので、毎週シルバーウィークな佐藤です。

NOMADのblogのテンプレートを変えてみました！

いくらかさわやかになればいいなと思いましたが、どうでしょうか(^^)？

それにしても、ひさしぶりの更新です。

大学が夏休みになると同時にNOMADも夏休みに入り、

毎週月曜に行っていたミーティングもお休みしていました。

そろそろ、NOMADの新学期も始めたいところですね！

NOMADの１学期は、「学生団体」として運営すること

が目的としてまずあり、その上で

多様な価値観・物事の考え方・視野を広げるという活動のvision

を打ち出して活動していました。

具体的には週一回集まり、NOMADYを中心とした活動をしていました。

NOMADYの他にも、大学生しかできない活動＝イベントを

開催したいという想いから、7月８日に

「夏休み充実会議」を行いました。

しかしその後もイベントを開催することを予定していたにも関わらず、

実現できずに夏が終わってしまいました。

その理由としては、代表である自分が

自分が所属しているもう一つの団体が忙しくなると共に、

NOMADに費やす時間が減ってしまったこと

またなにより、

NOMADに対する想いが薄れていってしまったことが問題だった

と認識しています。

先程、当初はNOMADを「団体として運営すること」が目的であったと言いました。

しかし、NOMADを立ち上げた時の初心は「団体の運営」以前に

「大学生活を充実させたい」「切磋琢磨できるような仲間が欲しい」という想い

が強かったのだと思います。

その想いを実現するための「手段」として、高校の仲間と「団体の運営」をしようと思いたったのです。

NOMADの２学期は「学生団体」として運営していくことを目的としなくても、

大学生活を充実させるきっかけになったり、そこで仲間をみつけることができれば、本来の目的は達成することができるのではないかと考えています。

1学期の活動で行ってきたNOMADY等の活動を糧に、また「学問的な」ということにとらわれずに、興味のあることについて熱く語ったり、おもしろい友達を連れてきて紹介したりする場になればよいと思います。

Take it easy.で頑張りましょう～

更新

最近まったく更新されず


ですね。

Competition is the best way?

Some people belive that competition is the best way to attain their full potential. Other people say that cooperation with others is more important in a persons eventual success. Which opinion is better?

While it may be true that cooperating with other people is crucial to obtain success, in my opinion, it is the best way to compete with each other in order to succeed. There are two reasons for this: motivation and human nature of selfishness.

The first reason why I support competition to obtain individual success is that competing each other makes people strongly motivate. In other wards, it encourage people to make a lot of efforts to obtain something that is difficult to get when they do not work hard. For instance, a exam that are required to enter universities is complete competition. This is why people who want to enter a high level university have to make tremendous efforts, and people who have high competence and are finally successful usually come from famous universities. In addition, cooperate with others make people feel that they do not have to work hard and make efforts. This is because people come to depend on each other, and even if some people become lazy, it did not lead to a significant problem.

The second reason why I agree with the idea that it is the best way to compete in order to drive a full potential from people is that people are naturally selfishness. Some people may say that human is one of the animals cooperating with each other to accomplish something difficult or needed. However, generally speaking, because human is selfish creature and always purse their own benefit, cooperation sometimes does not work. For example, as history prove, although socialism which prefer cooperation to competition did not work in the Soviet Union, capitalism which is based on competition archived a lot of success and prosperity. Because, in the system of competition people have to purse their own interests and make significant efforts, it eventually lead to not only the individual success, but also social prosperity.

For these reasons, to derive full potential from all people, competition is the best way. In the environment based mainly on competition, its competition make people work harder motivate them, and even give that society a lot of benefits.

Hallucinogens, like a marijuana, heroin, and cocaine are should be banned?

Saturday, Japanese famous actress, NORIKO SAKAI was arrested for the suspicion that she have had and used illegally drugs, turning herself in the police station. This woman were fleeing from the police chasing her, and television and mass media are covering this case widely and closely because she is one of the most famous actress in Japan. This news came as a shock nationwide.

Today, I would like to focus on whether or not hallucinogens, like a marijuana, heroin, and cocaine are should be banned. Why these drugs are illegal even if it is possible for those who suffer from depression or psychological pressure to mitigate that symptom by taking these pills? And is it their right to take whatever drugs they want?

Under the current law, these drugs that make people hallucinate are widely banned in Japan except a few uses for medical treatments. I support this law and it have to severely punish those who take it, no matter what reasons they may have. But, we have to reinforce this law to punish criminals more severely.

To begin, there is high possibility that people who are addicted to these hallucinogenic drugs break the law once more even if they are arrested and regret what they did. It is because these drugs can lead to physical dependence. They can not resist tempt to take drugs and have a high recidivism rate.

Second, by illegally selling these drugs criminal gangs earn their money. It is clear that a lot of money they obtain come from drug trafficking business. If there is demand, supply will not be reduced. Demand creates supply, and supply creates demand. This law allows those addicted to illegal drugs to abuse them again and those engage in drug trafficking to run that business. This situation obviously gives them more power and fund, creating the negative cycle.

Finally, the security of citizens is posed to a lot of danger if illegal drug come to be widespread among people who seem to be good citizens. These drugs becoming prevalent, the feeling of danger of illegal drugs would be vanished, many people, even “famous actress” would not come to consider it dangerous. On the country, they may even come to take it “necessary”.

Therefore, some people may say it is unnecessary and restrict the personel right, but we have to rethink about the current law regulating drugs. It was established too long ago. Speaking generally, we need to change a law as time changes. I think it is high time to reconsider this law, and it should be more severe than before. And it is a few chances to amend it when a lot of public attention is focused on this issue.

Takenaka