The Importance of Living in Japan

Since Monday news headlines in Japan have been dominated by the Chinese Vice-Premier Wu’s cancellation of her scheduled meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi. Today the two biggest national newspapers—Yomiuri and Asahi—published editorials about this incident. Their arguments are almost identical: while the last-minute cancellation by Ms. Wu is indeed rude, Mr. Koizumi’s insensitivity to Asian countries (i.e., his repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine where 14 Class-A war criminals of WWII are enshrined) is also problematic.

I began appreciating the importance of actually living in Japan in order to understand what is going on in this country. Now I can see more clearly what preoccupies Japanese (adults) than when I was in the U.S. By watching TV programs, reading newspapers, listening to radio, and having conversations with people, recurrent themes inevitably emerge: to name only a few, the relationship with China vis-à-vis the UN Security Council, fear of Japan’s future decline, anxiety about social and mental problems, such as “abnormal” crimes committed against (as well as by) children.