NPR (National Public Radio) in the United States has covered Ms. Ogata's case: -- Kirk
2017-11-25 13:55 JST 2017 NPR (National Public Radio) in the United States has covered Ms. Ogata's case: -- Kirk Japanese Lawmaker's Baby Gets Booted From The FloorWhen 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. https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?stor … ↗ View original post on Facebook For a link to the original post on Facebook, open this page on a computer. Reactions: 21 · Comments: 10 · Shares: 6 ← 2017-11-25 11:53 JST 2017-11-25 15:29 JST → Around this time … 2017-11-26 19:40 JSTApparently, the US tilt-rotor V-22 aircraft, popularly known as the "Osprey," will be deployed for exercises in Kumamoto, and whether the safety history of the plane is cause for concern is under debate.I'm old enough to remember when the prototype version of the aircraft was dubbed "the widowmaker" due to its tendency to suddenly collide with what scientists call "the ground," but my reptilian statistician brain nagged me for more recent data to support my perception. So here you go: in a nutshell, it depends on which version statistics commence from, but the more recent version of the plane could be termed moderately safer than the helicopter it replaced, the CH-46 "Sea Stallion," which has been in service since the Vietnam War. So if you're against the plane flying over your area for safety reasons, you'd logically be against every type of helicopter as well. There are of course other reasons to oppose the overflight of military aircraft, but safety is, at least regarding this plane in relation to others, statistically not a significant one. - William 2017-11-26 17:59 JSTThis 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. -- KirkNew Zealand's new baby-friendly Parliament 2017-11-26 09:59 JSTUnfortunately, 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 2017-11-25 15:29 JSTIf 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. 2017-11-26 08:48 JSTConstruction to begin on a solar park (photovoltaic power plant) in Yamaga. -- KirkSmart Solar breaks ground on 2.5-MW PV park in Kumamoto 2017-11-25 13:55 JSTNPR (National Public Radio) in the United States has covered …Japanese Lawmaker's Baby Gets Booted From The Floor (this post) 2017-11-25 11:53 JSTThe 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. :)-- Kirkhttp://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 2017-11-24 23:50 JSTBit 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 2017-11-24 16:53 JSTI 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.jpHe 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 findshttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/08/online-harassment-of-women-at-risk-of-becoming-established-norm-study-- Kirk 2017-11-24 15:27 JSTDear 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.-- Kirkhttps://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】 2017-11-24 15:19 JSTThis 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."-- KirkBaby ordered out of Japan assembly
