Kumamoto International Archive

Archive of the Kumamoto International Facebook group, 2011–present.

Kirk here with some recreational reading for Kumamon fans. The article, which is fairly long and detailed, describes how Kumamon came into being (no, he wasn't brought by a stork!):
"Kumamon is the brainchild of designer Mizuno Manabu. Writer and producer Koyama Kundō, who oversaw the creative aspects of the project, initially turned to Mizuno to come up with the logo mark for the campaign."
The bear's media activities, in-person appearances (domestic and international) and other topics are also discussed.
Getting to Know Kumamon, Japan’s Superstar Mascot
Kumamon, a wide-eyed and red-cheeked bear representing Kumamoto Prefecture, is the gold standard of yuru kyara, Japan’s pervasive promotional mascots. Since debuting in 2011, the character has won hearts in Japan and abroad, bringing in billions of yen in sales of Kumamon-related goods in the proc...

Kirk here with a call for support for Le Thi Thuy Linh. If you support the appeal, as I hope you will, I hope you will sign and also share this post with others who might also be interested and/or willing to sign.
Here's the text of an English report about Ms. Linh's case:
---- quote starts here ----
The Kumamoto District Court has sentenced a 22-year-old Vietnamese woman to eight months in prison, suspended for three years, for abandoning the bodies of her newborn twins last year.
According to Tuesday's court ruling, Le Thi Thuy Linh, who came to Japan in 2018 to work as a technical trainee, gave birth to twin boys in her company dormitory in Ashikita on or around Nov 15, 2020, Sankei Shimbun reported. She then wrapped the bodies in a cloth and placed them in a cardboard box.
On Nov 16, she took the box to a hospital in Yatsushiro City, where she told medical staff that she had given birth at her dorm and that the twins were stillborn. She gave no information on who the father of the babies was.
==========
NOTE: It has been pointed out to me that this part of the article is wrong. She did not take the box to the hospital. Instead, she left it at her residence. I'll post separately about this inaccuracy later. -- Kirk
==========
Linh’s lawyer said Wednesday she will appeal the ruling, claiming she did not commit a crime. He said she did not abandon the bodies but took them to a hospital.
--- quote ends here ----
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/vietnamese-woman-gets-suspended-sentence-for-abandoning-bodies-of-newborn-twins
An NHK article about Ms. Linh's case and a similar case in Hiroshima can be found here:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1498/
The thrust of the appeal is in the title:
ベトナム人技能実習生リンさんの無罪判決を求めます！
A direct translation might be "We demand (or request) that Ms. Linh be found innocent" but I think that in English it might be more natural to render it "We support Ms. Linh's appeal for justice!"
I support this. I don't have time to translate the text of the Change.org appeal right now but everything I have been able to learn about this case tells me that Ms. Linh is a victim, not a criminal. I will sign as soon as I post this. If someone has time to translate the text properly, I'm pretty sure that Ms. Linh's supporters will be able to make good use of the text.
Finally, there is a paper petition that is being circulated as well. You can only sign one or the other; please be careful not to sign twice. That might cause a problem.
https://www.change.org/p/福岡高等裁判所-第2刑事部-裁判長裁判官-辻川-靖夫-御中-ベトナム人技能実習生リンさんの無罪を求めます?fbclid=IwAR3fVVDJasxevsFklUM8DEcBBOZ8fol_-rzKU3ITTVqodPU8VWjjITDMSlU--
ベトナム人技能実習生リンさんの無罪判決を求めます！

William. Autumn is dragonfly (蜻蛉, トンボ, tonbo) season. Kumamoto's abundant water ensures a plethora. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent as a nymph. The nymph extends its hinged labium (a toothed mouthpart similar to a lower mandible, normally folded and held before the face) that can extend forward and retract rapidly to capture prey such as mosquito larvae, tadpoles, and small fish - kinda like Alien; this trait extends to its adult phase, useful when you're chasing mosquitos. Must be terrifying for other insects; the dragonfly then perches on some high point and consumes its prey headfirst. The nymph stage lasts between a few months to as long as five years, depending on the species. The nymphs are voracious predators, eating most living things that are smaller than they are. Once out of water, they only have six to ten months to live, depending on the species, so they've gotta focus on that mating/reproduction stuff. You'll often see two dragonfly connected, chilling on a leaf: the male is delivering sperm to the female, who will decide what to do with it later (females may mate multiple times).
Of interest is the dragonfly eye. Each eye is composed of over 16,000 cells, giving it a 360° view, and its vision "refresh rate" is about 200 frames per second, compared with 45 for humans. Their agility and ferociousness inspired samurai, who on occasion modeled their helmets on the beast, as shown below. I hope this has given you a better appreciation of dragonflies. Please see the links below from which I have sourced this information.
As a special note for Kumamoto: the smallest dragonfly in Japan lives here, called the ハッチュウトンボ、, which is about the size of a one-yen coin (click on the photo for a comparison).
https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/asia/dragonflies-in-japan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganisoptera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ommatidium
https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/asia/dragonflies-in-japan/

You'll remember there was a reservoir overlooking Route 57 as it threaded its way through Tateno Gap to Aso and on to Oita which ruptured in the quakes, causing landslides that cut off the route. Instead of trying to reopen that, they tunneled, opening a new route a year ago. Kumanichi reports that the smooth transportation has led to an increase in population in the Aso region as the "Silicon Island" workers increasingly choose to live there while working at the fabs in Ozu. Imagine what the trans-Kyushu highway will do for the forgotten eastern area of Kumamoto.

Kirk here with a bit of media news. Seeing William's recent post about an article in the Kumanichi Shimbun (thanks William!) reminded me that the newspaper ended publication of its evening edition (yukan) a few days ago. The article says that the evening edition had continued for 69 years. I heard on TV that the one factor in the yukan's demise was the internet, which has reduced the need to get a second edition of the paper to learn about the latest events.
I'm a fan of and moderately heavy user of the internet, but I worry about what it's doing to journalism and public culture. You may be aware of recent reports about how Facebook knew it having a negative impact on many young girls but didn't take significant action to curtail the problem. Fake news often spreads more quickly than and crowds out real news. Similar problems abound. I have very mixed feelings about this platform. 😕
https://kumanichi.com/articles/415909

William. Taniguchi Musuo (谷口睦生) is being honored with a statue in his hometown of Yatsushiro. Taniguchi was a talented sprinter in the 200 and 400 meters who competed in the Berlin Olympics (he didn't medal but competed admirably). Upon returning to Japan, he was soon drafted and sent to Bougainville in the Solomon Islands just as the US was beginning its counteroffensive. His ship was sunk, he along with it. A friend of his said, "Perhaps he had doubts about the war because he participated in the Olympics and fostered friendship across countries. Had it not been for war, he would have been a good track and field leader." Reminds me a bit of the movie "Chariots of Fire." Let us be thankful that we are in no danger of being drafted - for the moment. The article is a good read; some tricky words are translated below.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/418465
双璧（そうへき）= two greatest authorities
翻弄（ほんろう）= trifling with
散った（散る、ちる）= died
召集される（しょうしゅう）= be drafted

(Fiona) Local author and Kumamoto-i contributor Tristan Vick has a new Kickstarter for his latest project Daughter of Wolves. You can find out more about his comic book series here:
Daughter of Wolves Issue #1

William. The "higanbana" is so named as it blossoms at the time of the Buddhist celebration of higan, when your ancestors to whom who still probably owe money to return to remind you of that. The bulbs of the plant are very poisonous and are thus used in Japan to surround paddies and houses to keep away pests; also, their deep roots form a dense water barrier, which is why most of them are grown close to rivers, particularly surrounding rice paddy embankments. In Japan, the Red Spider Lily signals the arrival of fall. Many Buddhist will use it to celebrate the arrival of fall with a ceremony at the tomb of one of their ancestors. They plant them on graves because it shows a tribute to the dead. People believe that, since the Red Spider Lily is mostly associated with death, one should never give a bouquet of these flowers.

A note from our shakuhachi virtuoso, Jeff Cairns.

William. I had thought of Kumamoto shipbuilding as only in Arao, but apparently there is a shipyard in Amakusa near Misumi of all places. It is called Shinozakizousen and produces mostly medium-sized ships for domestic freighting. It is also in charge of maintaining the gates on the seawall. Recently, as Kumanichi notes, it floated a medical ship intended for extended use in the Marshall Islands to provide dental, health, and emergency care for the islanders; it is now being fitted out in preparation for its voyage. Its name is Polynesian, "Liwatooon Moura," which apparently means, "No ship, no health."
The article is an interesting read, pointing out that Kumamoto once flourished with shipbuilding until ships turned from wood to iron. Photo below is of the medical ship. The first link is to the Kumanichi article; the second, to the company's Website. Those interested in the history of maritime Kumamoto should have a look.
https://kumanichi.com/articles/413881
https://www.shinozakizousen.com/works

Kirk here with some more copying and pasting:
"Tests at restaurants and bars will be conducted in 12 prefectures -- Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Okinawa. Tests covering small concert venues and small theaters will take place in four prefectures -- Hokkaido, Aichi, Osaka, Kumamoto."
Japan plans tests to ease coronavirus restrictions | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
NHK has learned the Japanese government plans to stage tests as it moves to ease coronavirus restrictions.

Kirk here, demonstrating my ability to copy and paste. First, some text . . .
"Kumamoto Prefecture will continue to ask eateries in Kumamoto city to close by 8 p.m. until Oct. 14 because the city’s hospital bed occupancy rate remains high. "
. . . and now the URL . . .
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14450162
P.S. Dear Asahi Shimbun:
In the phrase "the city’s hospital bed occupancy rate" the word "city" does not need to be capitalized because it's not part of a proper noun. "Kumamoto City," on the other hand, is a compound proper noun, that is, the name of a place that is made up of more than one word, so you have to capitalize "city" in this case. You got it right with Kumamoto Prefecture so perhaps this was just an oversight. At any rate, I see this mistake a lot so I thought I'd point it out.
Booze to flow again at eateries Oct. 1 as state of emergency ends | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
All of Japan’s 19 prefectures currently covered by the COVID-19 state of emergency are expected to allow restaurants and bars to serve alcoholic beverages from Oct. 1 after the declaration is lifted, sources said.

Kirk here with an election update: Fumio Kishida will be Japan's next prime minister.
Here are some notes about how RKK reported the Kumamoto side of the election today. The LDP party members in Kumamoto voted as follows:
Kishida: 6109
Kono: 6012
Takaichi: 2783
Noda: 743
In addition to party members, the votes of Diet politicians accounted for about half of the electorate in the national vote. Of six LDP politicians from Kumamoto three supported Kishida.
As I'm not a big fan of right-wing politicians, I was glad that Takaichi (the person on the left in the picture) didn't have a lot of support in Kumamoto. Here's a blurb about Takaichi from Japan News:
"Takaichi, a former internal affairs and communications minister, is known as one of the most conservative LDP members, calling for highly conservative policies, such as maintaining male-only Imperial succession, visits to Yasukuni Shrine, and Japan’s possession of precision-guided missiles and armed drones. Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead, is considered a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, particularly in China and Korea."
https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0007776111
In case there's any doubt about whether her patronage of Yasukuni has meaningful policy implications, check out this sentence from an Asahi article:
"Her security policies include developing a preemptive strike capability to counter threats from China and North Korea."
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14448535
The one Diet member from Kumamoto to support Takaichi was KIHARA Minoru. Here's part of a statement that appeared in the Washington Post that he signed:
“The ianfu (comfort women) who were embedded with the Japanese army were not, as is commonly reported, ‘sex slaves.’ They were working under a system of licensed prostitution that was commonplace around the world at the time.”
https://www.japan-press.co.jp/2007/2533/history2.html
I won't take the time to explain how this misrepresents what has been documented. I'll just say that there's lots of evidence to the contrary.
The support for Takaichi was quite high among LDP diet members (sorry, I forgot the exact numbers). I'm glad that the extreme right doesn't seem to be quite as popular here in Kumamoto.
2 women, political opposites, vying in race for Japan PM | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
The inclusion of two women among the four candidates vying to become the next prime minister seems like a big step forward for Japan’s notoriously sexist politics. But their fate is in the hands of a conservative, mostly male governing party--and the leading female candidate has been criticized by...

Kirk here with a photo of damage caused by heavy rains last year. The article is about what LDP politicians have to say about disaster preparedness. In that context, Kumamoto is a poster child of sorts. The photo caption reads as follows: "Buckled tracks on the JR Hisatsu Line near Watari Station in Kumamoto Prefecture after heavy rains on July 5, 2020 (Jun Kaneko)."
Kumamoto also comes up in relation to candidate for party head (and, by extension, prime minister) KONO Taro:
"Taro Kono, the minister of administrative reform and one of four candidates for the LDP presidential election on Sept. 29, was in charge of disaster prevention and mitigation when areas in Kumamoto Prefecture were hit by a cluster of massive earthquakes in 2016. In a book he wrote, Kono made some notable proposals, including a program to train experts in disaster risk management."
EDITORIAL: How to respond to disasters key issue for LDP candidates | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
One important role of political leaders is to plan and promote measures to ensure the nation is better prepared against natural disasters and limit potential damage to a minimum. Voters need to hear the candidates for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party discuss their plans in depth...

Kirk here with a follow-up to my post about Hansen's disease in Kumamoto. That post is here:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/6029416413798407
Anett wrote in a comment that she recommends visiting the Riddell & Wright Memorial Hall. I haven't gone yet but it's been on my list of places to visit for a long time now. The poster you see with this post indicates that an exhibition is in progress to celebrate 125 years since the facility's establishment. But, as I write below, they seem to be closed now for COVID-19. Their website says they will reopen on October 1st.
Here's a picture of the memorial hall:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Riddell-Wright_Memorial_Hall.JPG
And here's the best English-language page that I have been able to find about the facility:
http://www.qsr.mlit.go.jp/suishin/story2019/english/06_3.html
There's an announcement on the Japanese website for the facility that says that, as I wrote above, it has been closed due to COVID-19 but will open again on October 1st, 2021:
http://riddell-wright.com/memorial-hall/
It's also possible to find the complete text of a book about Hannah Riddel that was published in 1937. I used the text to make a long pdf file that I plan to read on my iPad.
http://anglicanhistory.org/asia/jp/riddell1937/

Kirk here with some news / history. Important events in the history of Hansen's disease (leprosy) have unfolded here in Kumamoto. One such event was the 2001 Kumamoto District Court ruling that held that the central government’s segregation policy was unconstitutional.
That was a big step forward but this article indicates that there's still a lot of work to be done.
Survey: Fearing prejudice, 38% of leprosy patients use false names | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Nearly 40 percent of leprosy patients are still living under false names to shield themselves and their families from prejudice and discrimination, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

Kirk here with a note about Daikichi Irokawa. He has a clear connection to Kumamoto (Minamata disease) but I'm a fan for a number of reasons. If you're interested learning more about the life of an outstanding progressive intellectual, read the article.
VOX POPULI: Remembering the pioneering historian Daikichi Irokawa | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Historian Daikichi Irokawa, who died on Sept. 7 at age 96, broke free of the restraints of academia to blaze a trail in modern and contemporary history.

William. The Aso Volcano Archeology Museum has announced it will host something called the Aso Night Museum this weekend and a few weekends following. The link does not provide the time, but I guess it's at night. It looks fun - if you have a car. Scroll down on the link for wonderful photos.
阿蘇火山博物館 × ネイキッド阿蘇ナイトミュージアム
阿蘇火山博物館とネイキッドがコラボレーション。夜の阿蘇火山博物館と阿蘇の大自然の中をめぐるナイトウォーク。

William. China's President Xi announced that the country will stop funding overseas coal projects and try to itself become carbon neutral by 2060. This puts a bit of pressure on Kyushu's largest power company, Kyuden, to eliminate coal from its energy mix as well. Here's a quick look at major Kyushu power plants and their type. There are two coal gas power plants nearby, in Ashika and Matsuura. Kyuden's got to get moving.

Kirk here with an article about Aileen M. Smith, Eugene Smith's wife, whom Andrew heard speak the other day:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210907/p2a/00m/0et/015000c
Here's a like to Andrew's post:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/5995116257228423
'Justice will see the light of day': Minamata disease book coauthor Aileen M. Smith - The Mainichi