美國空軍學日語

Recently the Asahi News reported the following:

米空軍士官学校の生徒たちが２３日から約１カ月間、山形県鶴岡市内にホームステイして、日本語研修を行う。国の重要無形民俗文化財・黒川能やしな織りの体験など、地元の人たちと交流し、江戸以前の文化や中山間地の暮らしを学ぶユニークなプログラムだ。
　研修生は１９～２３歳の男女１２人。日本語レベルは中・上級という。同校日本語担当のグワハルト・ユミコ准教授が、国際交流のＮＰＯ法人スターティングプレース（千葉県船橋市、高橋徹代表）や旧知の伴和香子・元鶴岡市教育委員長と企画、準備を重ねた。 同校では４年前から、日本各地でホームステイして語学学校に通う研修をしている。今年も和歌山市と金沢市で従来方式の研修を行うが、鶴岡市だけは初の試みとして、地域に入って言語の背景にある文化や歴史を学ぶ。「地域社会の体験に参加し、奉仕活動など教室の壁を越えた研修にしたい」とユミコ准教授。
　一行は２３日に来日。温海地区にホームステイして午前中はタケノコ狩りやしな織りなどを体験、午後はプログラムにちなんだ日本語を学ぶ。後半（６月５～１８日）は旧櫛引町、旧羽黒町、鶴岡市などに場所を移して、庄内藩酒井家１８代当主で致道博物館の酒井忠久館長（６３）の話を聞き、藩校致道館で小学生と一緒に論語の素読にも挑戦する。

Starting from the 23rd students of the School for the U.S. Air Force Officers would do the home stay at the Yamagata Prefecture Tsuruoka city for about one month to learn Japanese. It is a unique program to experience the important intangible folk cultural property, the Kurokawa play, and to exchange experience with locals and to learn their culture before Edo period and the living at Nakayama.

The trainees included 12 men and women aged between 19-23 years old. All had Japanese language level from middle to high. The Associate professor responsible for Japanese language of this school, together with a Japanese agency that promote international exchange (a city representative from Chiba Prefecture) and an old friend Kaoru who was the former Tsuruoka City education committee chairman, all repeatedly made the preparation. Since 4 years ago, the training was done using the home stay in various parts of Japan through the language school . Although training method used so far was adopted in Wakayama City and the Kanazawa city this year, Tsuruoka City was the first attempt to enter a region to learn its culture that had language background and its history. The Associate professor was saying that " we hope to participate in the experience of the regional society, and to make training and volunteer works to go beyond the wall of the classroom".

They would come to Japan on the 23rd. The home stay would be done in the Atsumi district, and in the morning bamboo shoot hunting would be experienced, and in the afternoon Japanese studies related program would be held. In the latter half of the period (June 5 to 18th), the location would be moved to the old Kushibiki town, the old Haguro town, and the Tsuruoka city, etc. , and to hear the story of Shonai clan Sakai family present 18th generation master Sakai superintendent (63) of the Itamichi Museum, and to face the challenges of reading the Analects of Confucius without construing, together with the primary-school students of the Itamichikan clan school.

As US Air Force officers in Japan, these 12 young men and women are required to understand the culture and language of the local people. I think their home stay in Japan is a good opportunity for them to broaden their horizon.

The China White Paper 1949 (XIX)

In a letter dated November 26th, 1945 Ambassador Hurley informed the US President about his intention to resign, and was accepted by the President the next day. This ambassador position was vacant until July 11th the next year to be taken up by Ambassador Stuart.1 When President Truman accepted Ambassador Hurley's resignation, he also appointed George C. Marshall as his Special Representative in China. One of the Presidential instruction to George Marshall was to achieve a cessation of hostilities in North China.2 This instruction also stated that a "strong, united, and democratic China" was crucial to world peace. The president hoped that the Chinese people would not miss the opportunity to settle internal disputes peacefully. He also explained that the presence of US troops in North China was for disarming and evacuating surrendered Japanese troops there, and that no military intervention would take place to influence the Chinese civil fighting.3 The US also promised that American assistance would be targeted at the improvement of China's industrial and agrarian economy, and to help establish a military organization "capable of discharging China's national and international responsibilities for the maintenance of peace and order."4 (to be continued)

Notes:
1.United States, Department of State. The China White Paper-August 1949. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1967, page 110.
2. Ibid., page 132.
3. Ibid., page 133.
4. Ibid., page 133.

岩手縣有假醫生

Recently the Excite News reported the following:

医師不足に悩む岩手県宮古市の県立宮古病院（菅野千治院長、３８７床）に医師と偽り勤務しようとしたとして、県警宮古署は８日夜、自称大阪市天王寺区上本町５、無職、一宮輝美容疑者（４４）を医師法違反容疑で現行犯逮捕した。共に勤務予定だった知人男性（自称３８歳）も偽医者だったとみて事情を聴いている。

　逮捕容疑は、８日午後６時半ごろ、宮古市和見町の同病院官舎前で、職員に対し、医師免許がないのに循環器科の医師と虚偽の申告をした疑い。２人は１０日から勤務予定で、８日に宮古入りしていたという。 同病院によると、一宮容疑者は０８年１１月ごろ、大阪市内の病院の医師と名乗って宮古病院に電話し、「ニュースで岩手の医師不足を知り、手助けがしたい」などと話した。

このため同病院は、一宮容疑者と知人男性を０９年末から２、３回面接し、４月中旬に採用を決めた。だが２人は医師免許や履歴書の提示に応じず、今月６日にようやくファクスで医師免許を送ってきたが、厚生労働大臣印などが無いことなどから、県医療局を通じ宮古署に相談していた。

県医師支援推進室によると、県内の人口１０万に対する医師数は１９１．９人（０８年）で全国３７位。宮古地区も医師不足が深刻で、同病院は循環器科の常勤医が不在のため、他病院から派遣を受けていた。常勤医は年収約２０００万円。公募はしていなかった。菅野院長は「常勤医が欲しいとの思いから、疑問な点も見過ごしてしまった。市民の期待や安心を踏みにじる結果になってしまい申し訳ない」と話した。

On the night of 8th, Miyako station prefecuture police arrested a suspect Terumi Ichinomiya (44) who came from Osaka City Tennoji Ward, unemployed, for pretending to be a doctor for the purpose of working in the prefecture Miyako hospital (Director Kanno had 387 beds) in Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture which all along had trouble of doctor shortage, and thus suspected of violating the Medical Law. Miyako police station also listened to the case that an acquaintance man (self claim 38 years old) who was scheduled to work together was also an imitation doctor.

The arrested was suspected to have made false declaration to hospital staff in front of this hospital's staff residence in the Miyako City at around 6:30PM on the eighth, purporting to be the doctor of circulatory but in fact had no medical licence. The two people said that they entered Miyako on the 8th and scheduled to start work on the tenth.

The Ichinomiya suspect introduced himself in around November 2008 as the doctor in the hospital in the Osaka city, calling the Miyako hospital, saying that "from the news I know about doctor shortage in Iwate, and I want to help" etc. according to this hospital. This hospital therefore interviewed Ichinomiya the suspect and the acquaintance man for two to three times since the end of 09, and decided on the employment in the middle of April. However, the two people did not respond to a request to present the medical licence and the personal history, although had sent the medical licence by fax at last on the sixth this month, but because there were no Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare stamping etc, the hospital consulted the Miyako Police station through the prefecture medical treatment bureau.

According to the office responsible for prefecture doctor promotion and support, the number of doctors to a population of 100,000 in this prefecture is 191.9 (year 2008), ranking at the 37th place in the whole country. The Miyako district was in serious doctor shortage, and when the full-time doctor of circulatory was absent another doctor had to be sent to this hospital. A full-time medical doctor annual income was about 20 million yen. It had not made open recruitment. Director Kanno said ｢A doubtful point has been overlooked due to the desire of wanting a full-time doctor. My apology to the fact that it had resulted in trampling down citizens' expectation and safety｣.

I am wondering whether it is due to lack of funding that the Miyako district has difficulties in attracting doctors to work for them.

中日海上主權有爭議

Recently the NHK News reported the following:

岡田外務大臣は、今月３日に奄美大島沖合で調査活動を行っていた海上保安庁の測量船に、中国の海洋調査船が近づき調査を中止するよう求めたことは、日本の主権的権利を侵害するものだとして、中国側に抗議しました。
海上保安庁によりますと、今月３日、海上保安庁の測量船が奄美大島沖合の排他的経済水域で、調査活動を行っていたところ、中国の海洋調査船が近づき、無線で調査を中止するよう求めました。これを受けて、岡田外務大臣は６日、中国の程永華駐日大使を外務省に呼び、「中国側の妨害行為は日本の主権的権利を侵害するもので、断じて受け入れられない」と抗議しました。これに対し、程大使は本国に伝えたいと述べる一方で、中国側の対応は正当なものだと主張しました。日本と中国の間では、先月、２回にわたって、中国海軍艦隊の艦載ヘリコプターが東シナ海と太平洋上で、監視活動を行っていた海上自衛隊の護衛艦に異常に接近し、日本側が危険な行為だとして抗議したばかりです。

Foreign Minister Okada considered that Japan's sovereign right had been violated and protested against China because on the 3rd of this month China's oceanographic vessel approached the surveying vessel of Japan Coast Guard that was conducting investigation at Amami Oshima offshore and requested the Japanese vessel to discontinue the investigation.

According to the Japan Coast Guard, when the surveying vessel of the Japan Coast Guard was doing investigation in the exclusive economic zone of Amami Oshima offshore on the third of this month, an oceanographic vessel from China approached, and used wireless to request the investigation be discontinued. This was received, and on the 6th Foreign Minister Okada called in China Ambassador to Japan Mr. Cheng to protest, saying that "The sabotage of China is violating the sovereign right of Japan and can never be accepted". Ambassador Cheng while insisting that the response of China to be the right one, undertook to convey the protect back to his own country. Between Japan and China, last month, twice the helicopter belonged to the warship of the Chinese naval forces fleet abnormally approached Japan's escort vessel of the Maritime Self-Defense Force that were conducting monitoring activities on East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Japan considered that was a dangerous act yet merely protested at such a behaviour.

It seems that arguments between China and Japan over their respective sovereign right at sea will continue. I hope they will have the wisdom to resolve these disputes peacefully.

日截獲用假指紋入境者

Recently NHK News reported the following:

過去に強制退去され、日本に入国できない韓国人が、他人になりすまして不法に入国するためにシリコンを使って指紋を偽造していた男が韓国の警察に逮捕されました。
逮捕されたのは４３歳の韓国人の男です。ソウルの警察によりますと、男は、過去に不法滞在で強制退去となったため日本に再入国できなくなった韓国人１３人の指紋をシリコン樹脂で偽造した疑いが持たれています。男は、知り合いをだまして指紋の提供を受け、シリコン樹脂に転写する方法で偽の指紋を作っていたもので、１３人は、これを指にはり付けて不法入国を試み、このうち８人が羽田と青森などの空港で審査をくぐり抜けていたということです。警察は、主犯格で、中国に逃亡している男２人を国際指名手配するとともに、偽造を依頼した１３人と、依頼者を男らに紹介した男女、あわせて１７人を書類送検しました。

A man was arrested by the South Korean police for helping South Korean who in the past had faced compulsory eviction and could not enter Japan again, disguising them as others in order to enter the country unlawfully using silicon to counterfeit fingerprints.

The arrested man was a 43-year-old South Korean. According to the police in Seoul, this man was suspected of using silicon resin to counterfeit fingerprints of 13 South Koreans who were not allowed to enter Japan again because they had a forced displacement due to illegal residence in the past. This man received fingerprints by cheating his acquaintances to offer them, then made fingerprint imitation by method of transcribing, using silicone resin, and offered them to 13 people who tried to enter Japan illegally, among them eight people tried to pass through the examination in the airport in Haneda and Aomori, etc and it was said that these fingerprints came off. According to the police, two men who were the principal offenders had escaped to China and were on the wanted list internationally, the 13 clients together with the men and women who introduced them to these two men to request the counterfeiting totaling 17 people had their reports sent to the police.

Some people are trying to enter Japan illegally, using many different ingenious ways.

日外務大臣在聯合國用英語發言

Recently Asahi News reported the following:

国連本部で開かれている核不拡散条約（ＮＰＴ）再検討会議で、日本の福山哲郎・外務副大臣が４日登壇し、日本政府代表として英語で演説した。

　約１４分間をすべて英語で通し、日本は「核廃絶の先頭に立つ」と強調。会議にあわせて被爆者らがニューヨークで核兵器の悲惨さを訴えていることに言及し、「その思いの共有」を各国に呼びかけた。 英語での演説は、国連日本代表部の職員らに意見を求めたところ、「圧倒的な多数」で決まり、前夜に猛練習したという。「英語は苦手で恥ずかしかったが、唯一の被爆国として行動する道義的責任を強く訴えたかった」.　演説後には、韓国やグルジアの代表らが駆け寄り、握手を求めた。福山氏は「被爆国としての立場を明確にしたことに敬意を表してもらえた、と感じた」と述べた。

On the 4th, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Tetsuro Fukuyama of Japan ascended the platform of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held in The United Nations Headquarters, and as a representative of the Japanese Government he made a speech in English.
In English throughout the some 14 minutes, Japan emphasized "standing at the lead of nuclear abolition". It made reference to radiation victims and appealed in this conference in New York about the misery of the nuclear weapon, and called on all countries to "share such a desire". It was said that to give the speech in English was decided by "overwhelming majority" when opinion was sought from staff of the Japanese representative in the United Nations, and hard practice was made at the previous night. "As the only nation that had suffered atomic bombings, I wanted to appeal strongly for a moral responsibility to act, although my English was not good and even shameful. " After the speech was made, representatives from South Korea and the Republic of Georgia came forward, and requested the handshake. Mr. Fukuyama described, "I can feel the respect given to me for being able to clarify the standpoint of the atomic-bombed nation".

The hard work of Mr. Tetsuro Fukuyama to give a speech in English at the UN is respected.

The China White Paper 1949(XVIII)

Ambassador Hurley left China for the States on September 22, 1945. Meanwhile negotiation between Chungking and the CCP continued. In early October, Dr. K.C. Wu, the Minister of Information of Chinese Government through the US Embassy at Chungking told Hurley that the CCP had agreed to accept the proposal by Nationalist Government that they were to be given 20 divisions in the National Army. A military commission would work out the time table and General Yeh Chien-ying (葉劍英) would represent the CCP in this commission. Also, a political council 0f 37 members would be established during the interim. CCP insisted that this council should adopt a 'system of absolute veto', which meant that all proposals would have to receive unanimous approval before they became effective.1 In late October, a CCP representative at Chungking told the US Embassy that recent negotiations had yielded little progress.2 He felt that the Nationalist government was buying time for the purpose of securing military control over areas liberated by CCP, and that the American was landing troops to many points in North China, and holding them until the arrival of the Nationalist army. On November 4, 1945, the Embassy at Chungking reported that the chance of a widespread civil war in China was growing. The Communist was trying to prevent the Nationalist government troops from entering the areas they controlled. They had offered to refrain from attacking communication lines if the Nationalist government stopped moving troops into North China. The Nationalist government rejected such a request.3

Notes:
1.United States, Department of State. The China White Paper-August 1949. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1967, page 108.
2. Ibid., page 109.
3. Ibid., page 110.