Kumamoto International Archive

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

This provides some international perspective on recent events in Kumamoto. The article is from just a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps Ms. Ogata was aware of it when she decided to take action. -- Kirk
New Zealand's new baby-friendly Parliament
An MP's baby was breastfed in Parliament and then sat on the Speaker's lap in the paid parental leave debate.

Unfortunately, a participant in Kumamoto International who disagreed with some things I had written and that others on the page had written about Ms. Ogata's case began to engage in ad hominem attacks. The person began "you should not enhance this case while you don't know much about the situation in Japan." Then, when I warned him about the ad hominem nature of this argument and explained that I do not allow ad hominem attacks on this page he responded "I clearly understood what kind of a man you are" etc. So, I did something I almost never do on this page; I banned him. He will no longer be able to participate in discussions on this page.
I am sorry I had to do this. I would like Kumamoto International to be a place that welcomes diverse opinions. But, my experience on the internet tells me that ad hominem is a line that must be maintained.
One problematic consequence of banning the individual seems to be that threads he participated in have disappeared, along with other thoughtful, civil comments. I'm sorry about that but Facebook doesn't seem to give me an option in that regard. :(
-- Kirk

Construction to begin on a solar park (photovoltaic power plant) in Yamaga. -- Kirk
Smart Solar breaks ground on 2.5-MW PV park in Kumamoto
November 24 (Renewables Now) - Japanese company Smart Solar Corp announced this week the start of construction works on a photovoltaic (PV) plant

If you're like me, you've been married long enough to learn what yanks your wife's chain and then release comments at intervals sufficiently judicious to provoke a reaction enabling conversation yet not disallowing dinner (Note: fine line). My wife, it turns out, reacts negatively when I confuse Camellia sasanqua, which in Japanese is sazanka (サザンカー山茶花) and the C. japonica, or "tsubaki"(つばきー椿). For some reason, this really annoys her, but in English, they're both "camellia," so I can confuse them as often as I judge reasonable. The former is in deep bloom now and can be discerned by the multiple number of petals (as my wife, an artist, never tires of pointing out); the latter will bloom in late winter/early spring. "Tsubaki" is a common Japanese family name, is known as the "Japanese rose," and is related to the tea family. Just don't confuse it with the sazanka (both shown respectively below) or you risk my wife's wrath.

NPR (National Public Radio) in the United States has covered Ms. Ogata's case:
-- Kirk
Japanese Lawmaker's Baby Gets Booted From The Floor
When Yuka Ogata went back to work after having a baby, she tried to bring him along. The response highlighted the difficulties working women face in rules-bound Japan.

The word "kenminsei" (県民性) means "prefectural culture" or the "cultural tendencies of the people in a particular prefecture." Regardless of the degree to which pronouncements about the "kenminsei" of people in Kumamoto are based in fact, such statements do come up from time to time in Japanese-language conversations about local events.
The word that comes up most frequently in regard to the "kenminsei" of people in Kumamoto is "mokkosu." The Japanese Wikipedia page on "Higo mokkosu" (Higo is the old name for Kumamoto) defines it as follows:
"純粋で正義感が強く、一度決めたら梃子でも動かないほど頑固で妥協しない男性的な性質を指す。" (Pure of heart and possessing a strong sense of justice, a masculine tendency to become implacable and stubbornly refuse to compromise once one has made up ones mind. -- Translation by Kirk)
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/肥後もっこす
Perhaps if the "masculine" part is abridged, the word may be applied to the strength shown by Ms. Ogata in the face of resistance from the Kumamoto City Council leadership. (And, of course, we should note that she has combined a limited willingness to compromise with her "stubborn" insistence on social justice for working women.)
Another "kenminsei" expression that I have heard in relation to Ms. Ogata's case is "薩摩の芋づる、肥後の引き倒し" (Satsuma no imozuru, Higo no hikidaoshi; Pulling up potatoes in Kagoshima, cutting [people] down to size in Kumamoto). Here's an explanation about meaning of the first phrase about Kagoshima (taken from the blog post I like to at the end of this post):
"他者の成功を周囲も喜び、その成功者の影響を受けて応援者も成功していく。" (Celebrating the success of others, supporters are stimulated to achieve similar success)
And here's the blogger's explanation of the second phrase about Kumamoto:
"成功者が出ると足を引っ張ることを考え、故に成功者が出にくい。" (When someone is successful, others think about how to put them back in their place, thus making it difficult for anyone to succeed)
In Ms. Ogata's case, we are not talking about success, at least not yet. But, I heard the "Higo no hikidaoshi" expression used in relation to her case, perhaps in the sense of 出る杭は打たられる (deru kui wa utareru; hammer down the nail that sticks out).
Personally, I'm skeptical about blanket statements regarding the "kenminsei" of the people in Kumamoto, or anywhere else for that matter. On the other hand, I wrote this up in the hope that non-Japanese that live here might be interested in how Japanese people sometimes talk about the local culture.
Perhaps these expressions could be interesting topics of conversation with Japanese friends and/or students. :)
-- Kirk
http://blog.livedoor.jp/isakigyou/archives/2131009.html
鹿児島の県民性「薩摩の芋づる」、熊本の県民性「肥後の引き倒し」 : 伊佐＠ランチェスター経営、一言（多い？）ブログ
あっちゃ〜ぁぁ．．．痛っ！！私自身が九州出身じゃないので、こんな言葉を聞いたことなかった。「薩摩の芋づる」とは・・・他者の成功を周囲も喜び、その成功者の影響を受けて応援者も成功していく。そんな薩摩の人（鹿児島県）の県民性を表

Bit of an update for those interested in castle restoration efforts. We've already discussed the contributions of Toppan Printing Co. (凸版印刷), which has gathered detailed images of the walls and where each rock was before they tumbled down. Now, the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (人科学技術振興機,ＪＳＴ）has gotten involved to figure out how damaged stones can be reconfigured to match the original design.The photo attached shows how this might be done, with replaced stones highlighted. So the idea now is that Toppan will provide digital imagery and JST will aid in reconstructing the stones that have been lost. - William
熊本城石垣復元、写真４万点活用　崩落前と照合位置推測　凸版印刷と熊大連携
熊本大は３日、熊本地震で崩落した熊本城の石垣の早期復旧へ向けて、凸版印刷（東京）が地震前に撮影していた４万点を超す...

I wrote earlier that I was concerned about what misogynistic trolls on the internet would do to Ms. Ogata. Curious about what was being said I searched Google with the key words "twitter" and "緒方夕佳" (Ms. Ogata's name in kanji). This is the first (!) tweet that came up. The tweeter, Showa Danji (a fictitious name) launches an ad hominem attack at Ms. Ogata. In other words, instead of posting about the issues at hand, he attempts to discredit her because of her association with an NPO called the "Okinawa Peace Assistance Center":
http://www.opac.or.jp
He also asks "What university did she graduate from?" and "Who is her husband?" He does all this as he hides behind his Showa Danji pseudonym, a paragon on masculine virility and courage ( . . . not!).
But, for those of you who see this as a "Japanese" problem, I'm not so sure. A lot of similar harassment has been occurring on line (and off) in English-speaking countries:
Online harassment of women at risk of becoming 'established norm', study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/08/online-harassment-of-women-at-risk-of-becoming-established-norm-study
-- Kirk

Dear friends,
I sometimes try to stagger my posts so that they don't come all a once. However, as coverage of Ms. Ogata's attempt to get the Kumamoto City Council to show more flexibility is heating up, I think I need to share the information as quickly as possible.
This particular article seems to have been written by or with the help of someone in Kumamoto:
"On-the-street interviews with Kumamoto residents produced a number of reactions, ranging from good-natured support to gruff criticism of the idea of taking an infant somewhere as baby-unfriendly as a government assembly hall."
I was unaware of Mr. Ogata's international background:
"Ogata, a graduate of George Mason in the U.S. and previous United Nations employee who was posted in Yemen, has said:
'By serving as a councilwoman while raising a baby, I hope to be a spokesperson for other people of my generation who are in similar situations…Even though [child-rearing] is a societal problem, in the workplace it ends up being treated as an individual’s problem.'"
I think the article is worth reading so please do click on the link.
-- Kirk
https://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/11/24/japanese-city-councilwoman-stirs-controversy-by-bringing-baby-with-her-to-assembly-hall【video】/
Japanese city councilwoman stirs controversy by bringing baby with her to assembly hall【Video】
American-educated councilwoman says she want to be “a spokesperson for other people of my generation who are in similar situations.”

This BBC article came out about an hour ago. It does not, however, mention yesterday's developments (censure, etc.).
It ends with the following sentence:
"Japan is ranked 114 out of 144 in the World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap report."
-- Kirk
Baby ordered out of Japan assembly
A politician brought her baby to a council session, saying it was hard to to juggle careers and kids.

Ms. Ogata may be reprimanded by the leadership of the City Council. The chair is reportedly considering issuing a "strong warning" (厳重注意) to her and demanding that she apologize. RKK reports that the reason for the reprimand is not that she brought her child into the chambers but that her action caused a delay in the start of the meeting.
When I first posted this note about the RKK report the following link was valid:
http://rkk.jp/news/index-google.php?id=NS003201711231908360111
However, in just two hours (less than 24 since the original news broadcast) it has been taken down. Hmmm . . .
For more background please see yesterday's post:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1672696646137094
-- Kirk
P.S. I was concerned about what might be said about Ms. Ogata on the web by various misogynistic trolls but this possibility did not occur to me. :(

Ms. Yuka Ogata (Ogata is her family name), one of a few female members of Kumamoto's City Council, has received national media attention recently over her bringing her child to the council chambers. I have had the honor of meeting Ms. Ogata but have not spoken with her recently. I'll do my best, though, to summarize the central issues based on Japanese-language news reports I am familiar with.
A key issue is that the Kumamoto City Hall (Shiyakusho), where the City Council meets, does not have a daycare facility for the children of employees. Ms. Ogata would like the council to address the problems she faces as a person who must simultaneously meet responsibilities as both a parent and a public servant as structural ones, not merely as the personal dilemma of one individual. According to Ms. Ogata, however, the leadership of the council has suggested that she discuss the problem with other individual council members (presumably, those with children who might be able to offer practical advice on how Ms. Ogata could solve the problem on her own).
Yesterday, she brought her child with her to the council chambers but this was deemed unacceptable according to council rules, which forbid the presence of any person who is not a council member. The council meeting could not resume until Ms. Ogata's child was placed in the care of another person outside of the council hall.
An Huff Post (Japanese version) article presents these developments in an international light:
熊本市議会で赤ちゃん連れ議員の出席認められず...でも、世界にはこんなにいます
http://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2017/11/22/kumamoto_a_23285061/
In the article, other English-language articles about how this kind of issue has been handled in other countries are discussed:
Mom-Mentum Hits House Of Commons With Pregnant MPs
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/27/pregnant-mps_n_2369046.html
MP Says Her Baby Was Kicked Out Of House
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/02/08/sana-hassainia-baby-kicked-out-house_n_1263004.html
In pictures: MEP Licia Ronzulli's daughter Vittoria in Strasbourg parliament
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/10461357/In-pictures-MEP-Licia-Ronzullis-daughter-Vittoria-in-Strasbourg-parliament.html
There's also a link to a Spanish language Twitter post featuring nine photos of women voting in governmental assemblies with children in their laps.
https://twitter.com/mariasolcorral/status/474577247299706880/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.jp%2F2017%2F11%2F22%2Fkumamoto_a_23285061%2F
I think Ms. Ogata's efforts are worthy of international media attention. Within Japan, it is significant, even historical as it represents the first instance of a member of such a body attempting to bring a child into council chambers. At this point, however, I have not been able to find any mentiion of Ms. Ogata's situation in English. So, if you happen to know a journalist who might be interested in this, or another individual who might have such connections, please share this post.
Thanks!
-- Kirk
http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000115139.html
　22日に開会した熊本市議会で、緒方夕佳議員（42）が7カ月の長男を連れて着席し、ともに出席したいと求めたが、議会は紛糾し、出席は認められなかった。市議会は「議員以外は傍聴人とし、傍聴人はいかなる理由があっても議場には入れない」という規則に違反することが理由だとしている。緒方議員はこれまで、妊娠中から相談していたというが、議会事務局は「他の議員に相談してはどうか」と助言。市議会の澤田議長は、21日に相談された際に「それは追ってゆっくり話そう」と対応したという。全国市議会議長会によると、議員が子どもを連れて議場に入った事例は初めて。緒方議員は「議員だから、特別だからということではなく、今の子育て...

Happy Japan Thanksgiving to all of our friends! (And feel free to PM for the recipe.)

Lacking the pleasure of yet meeting this madame, there is nothing I can say as to her character other than her not having yet taking up my society is likely a positive point for the ol' gal. I'll try to track her down. - William
89-Year-Old Japanese Grandma Discovers Photography, Can’t Stop Taking Hilarious Self-Portraits Now
Most people think that technology is for young people, but nobody told Kimiko Nishimoto that. She's an 89-year-old Japanese grandma who's been snapping and editing her own pictures for the last 17 years, and as

Sometimes the earth rotates more quickly (mornings!) and sometimes more slowly (class time!), and these rotational differences are due to what scientists call "lots of stuff." (These could include icecap thicknesses, magma movements, earth/moon orientations, how Trump feels today, etc.)
Anyway, said scientists believe that next year MAY bring a millisecond delay in the earth's rotation, which, not only causing JR to send out apologies for any inconvenience, might also trigger (gasp!) EARTHQUAKES! The key point is not to panic, so please unread this if you can. Otherwise, prepare yourselves for refugees streaming across the island from Miyazaki as the Nankai Trough ruptures. Or it could be somewhere else. Or nowhere. It's just probability, after all. - William
Upsurge in big earthquakes predicted for 2018 as Earth rotation slows
Scientists say number of severe quakes is likely to rise strongly next year because of a periodic slowing of the Earth’s rotation

This post is not specific to Kumamoto. It has to do with the treatment of consumers in Japan vs. other countries more generally.
Today I am finally getting around to unsubscribing from e-mail services (commercial ads and non-commercial announcements, exhortations, etc.) I don't need and that are making it harder for me to get to the messages that are important to me.
Well, since I'm doing this all at once, I've noticed a significant difference between the relative difficulty / ease of unsubscribing from Japanese vs. non-Japanese services. The non-Japanese services usually have an "unsubscribe" link at the end of the e-mail that takes you to a webpage where you complete the unsubscription process with one additional, easy click. The Japanese services, however, tend to be a pain in arse (pardon my Old Norse). The "no more mail, please" process usually involves several steps, such as typing in a password, responding to an e-mail, going through many pages on a website, etc. Finding the appropriate places to click on the websites can also be like finding a needle in a haystack. My Japanese is fine (I have no difficulty reading Japanese) but still the process can be a major pain nonetheless.
The worst one I experienced today was JR Kyushu. I had to log in and was then was presented with menus that had nothing to do with unsubscription (in fact, I appeared to be registering for something new, though that was not actually the case). I had to look for instructions on how to unsubscribe before I was finally able to figure it out.
Japan is often lauded for it's excellent service. Indeed, there are many examples of fine service to be observed here. But it is also true that consumers can be treated rather badly in certain circumstances, either because of poor design and/or ignorance or because corporate interests are allowed to come before consumer interests. I think the stark difference I have observed between unsubscription systems in Japan and English-speaking countries probably results from a mixture of both.
-- Kirk
P.S. The image is the one I was first presented with when I attempted to enter JR Kyushu's unsubscription labyrith.

An unusual story about something that looked like attempted murder (fortunately, the woman survived) but seems to have been a nasty cat attack -- complete with stock photo of an evil cat.
-- Kirk
Murder bid in Kumamoto leads to feline suspect | The Japan Times
A police probe into the attempted murder of an elderly bedridden woman has reportedly led to an unlikely suspect: a stray cat. Mayuko Matsumoto's daughter

You can find a YouTube video news report on the linked page. You can also hear the audio of a Montana Public Radio segment about the event here:
http://mtpr.org/post/montana-celebrates-35th-anniversary-japanese-sister-state
Finally, here's a newspaper article:
http://missoulian.com/news/local/japan-friends-gather-to-celebrate-kumamoto-sister-state/article_922a90ca-7936-544c-8fd3-a363fed2a2a0.html
-- KIrk
http://www.kxlf.com/story/36855432/kumamoto-and-montana-celebrate-sister-state-status
Kumamoto and Montana celebrate "sister state" status
Kabashima and 20 other dignitaries from Kumamoto are spending three days in Montana.

Here's an inquiry about where to eat American Thanksgiving style turkey. Any ideas? Also, any information about planned celebrations, etc. that interested persons might be permitted to attend would also be welcome. -- Kirk
"American Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple of weeks, November 23, a Japanese national holiday as well. And despite the fact that the USA has a turkey for a president, the desire to eat turkey on that holiday is not indicative of cannabalistic tendencies amongst its citizens. Does anyone know of any restaurants in Kumamoto that might be serving turkey on Turkey Day?" -- Carlton McCycle
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1656114997795259

Here's some information about an opportunity to hear traditional Japanese music, with explanations in English. The event is scheduled for December 10th. Higo inlay (zogan) will also be on display.
-- Kirk