The following is from the first article of the monthly magazine Hanada released today by Mr. Nobuyuki Kaji.
The monthly magazines Hanada and WiLL, released today, are a must-read not only for the people of Japan but also for people worldwide.
Coronas, coronas every day.
After all, if you get sick, you can't win the threat of a life-threatening one.
After all, I can't resist the threat of death if I catch it.
The "Mere Old Man" has been living in his house for a long time.
I am not saying, "being confined to one's house."
Being confined to one's house means punishment.
I have not done anything wrong, you know.
But I have been staying home, just to voice my objections.
Now, the "theories of Japanese people" about the corona is getting a lot of attention.
By the way, the Japanese theory about corona is a hot topic.
It means that in Europe and the United States, the curfew is legally enforced as a measure against corona.
But in Japan, it issued a declaration of emergency, even though it was only a request to look forward to the common sense of the people; this is because the results are equal to or higher than legal regulations.
That is a mystery to Westerners, and they want to know why and why not.
And as a result, the number of Japanese deaths due to the corona is very low.
Immediately, Deputy Prime Minister Aso said.
He said the cultural level of people in Japan was high.
Well done!
It is a fact that the cultural level of people in Japan is high.
Just look at how far Japan has come since the Meiji Restoration.
Aso is correct in that statement.
The problem, however, is what comes next.
Then, what is the so-called "cultural level of the people"?
Regarding this "the cultural level of the people," an editorial commentary on various publications in the July 2020 issue (Sankei Shimbun, June 25, 2020; editorial committee member Shin Okabe) expands on multiple arguments relating to the cultural level of the people.
However, as it is my days of staying home, please forgive me for borrowing the quotation from Okabe's column on the right.
For example, Masakazu Yamazaki, a critic, says that "the Japanese have a sense of self-control.
In other words, Japanese people's "self-control is worthy of special mention."
It has already recorded in Lafcadio Hearn's memoirs. Still, the sense of civic virtue was nurtured a little later," he said in the 1970s and 1980s, "as well as in January 1995, when the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck, that virtue continued to flourish until just yesterday.
But he does not say why this was so.
It is not a "theory" at all; it is just an impression.
If you say it is since the Great Hanshin Earthquake, you should have a good argument as to why this is so.
The Japanese people's sense of public morality should be considered from a more fundamental point of view.
The "Mere Old Man" thinks as follows.
At the time of the Meiji Restoration, the leaders of the Japanese people made a spectacular mistake. They were overwhelmed by Western industrial products, revered the Western modernity that gave birth to them, and wanted to make Japan like them, so they concentrated on imitating them.
Japan's modern intellectual class is the same today.
However, the individualism and ability-based approach of the Western people is nothing more than the development of the individual abilities of distant hunters and their results.
In contrast, we Japanese have a long history of being agrarian and have lived by putting family unity first in the joint work of agriculture.
It has been in our DNA.
Let's say; you should pay attention to Japanese TV.
The weather forecast is on from morning till night.
That's what the Japanese want.
Why?
It is because the Japanese have a sense of agrarianism to the bone.
This clannishness creates a spirit of mutual help and unity among the clans.
The typical example of clan-all is Chinese.
Clan unity is strong.
Then they don't care about others.
The Japanese are different.
We share the same point with the Chinese because they do not cause trouble for their clan, but we have a sense of expansiveness in that we do not bother other people outside of our family, that is, other people.
In China, the climate is rigorous, and it is a family affair, but in Japan, the climate is much gentler than in China, so the Japanese are kind to other families.
In today's terms, it could be called a sense of public morality.
This sense of virtue and behavior began in the distant past and did not emerge suddenly after the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
When discussing the characteristics of a nation, one should reflect on its traditions, history, and culture.
The ancients have said that supreme wisdom is formed without teaching. A person of lowly knowledge will not learn or benefit from the teaching of a person of humble expertise, and people of moderation are not taught and do not know.
A moderation person is not taught, and a person of moderation does not know if he or she is not explained.