The following is from Mr. Shizo Abe's article in the March 1 issue of the monthly magazine "Sound Argument" titled "History May Have Changed with Ishihara as Prime Minister" at the beginning of the particular feature, Sayonara Shintaro-san.
It is a must-read not only for the Japanese people but also for people worldwide.
The emphasis in the text except for the headline is mine.
I believe that Mr. Shintaro Ishihara's life was "Season of the Sun" itself.
He made his debut as a writer when he was a student at Hitotsubashi University. When he won the Akutagawa Prize for "Season of the Sun," it caused a controversy. There were both pros and cons to his work.
There was an intense backlash against Mr. Ishihara's life as he confronted the established concepts and the established order head-on.
Conversely, I believe that Mr. Ishihara was a rare politician who could transform that opposition into his power.
Nowadays, politicians must keep "political correctness" in mind or lose their office; the same is true for letters people.
In this context, Mr. Ishihara was, first of all, a writer and then a politician.
That is why he dared to speak out against the narrowing of freedom of expression. It must be his pride as a writer.
He was determined not to yield to any power that attempted to narrow the speech space.
When he announced his resignation on April 14, 1995, when he was being honored for 25 years of service as a Diet member, his words caused a stir in the House.
"Japan has become a nation like a castrated eunuch, unable to express its will as a nation clearly."
These words shocked the members of the Diet who were in the audience. I was sitting in the front row of the assembly hall, and I vividly remember how surprised I was by his words.
Diet interpellation worth listening to
After serving as Governor of Tokyo, Mr. Ishihara returned to the Diet after an 18-year absence.
It was the general election in December 2012 when the Liberal Democratic Party regained power.
Mr. Ishihara resigned as Governor of Tokyo and led the Japan Restoration Association.
I also returned as LDP president, won the general election, and inaugurated the second Abe administration.
On February 12, 2013, Mr. Ishihara was asked a question in the Diet by the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives.
Turning back the clock, the first time I met Mr. Ishihara was when he visited my father (the late former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe) at our home.
I was waiting excitedly for that Mr. Shintaro Ishihara to come to our house.
He must have had a political discussion with my father at that time.
I decided to ask for Mr. Ishihara's autograph since it was an excellent opportunity for me, so I looked for his book and found an old paperback copy of "Season of the Sun."
I took the book and asked Mr. Ishihara to sign it, and he signed it left-handedly.
When I said, "Thank you very much," he told me, "If you are going to ask me to sign your book, you should bring a new book that is appropriately bound.
More than 30 years later, I had no idea that I would be facing the Prime Minister in the Diet as a representative of the Restoration Association of Japan.
Mr. Ishihara argued that it should scrap the current Constitution in his question.
Before I ran for the LDP presidency the previous year, I had dinner with Mr. Ishihara through an intermediary.
Mr. Ishihara shared his dining experience with me during the Diet questioning. He said, "I asked you many questions to confirm various things. I was very reassured and had high expectations for you," he said before launching into his speech.
"I want to ask you about the current Constitution, which is one of the major causes of the confusion and decadence that has brought this country to the present state of confusion and decadence."
On top of that, "the case where the ready-made fundamental law that the victors of the war forcibly created to rule the defeated nation has survived for decades after the defeated nation became independent. I have never seen it in history, "he said, asking for my view on constitutional amendment.
"In 1946, the MacArthur Draft was made and scooped by the Mainichi Shimbun while Japan was still occupied. MacArthur was angry when he saw the scoop and couldn't leave it to Japan. Commanded Whitney, who ordered Kades, Deputy Director of Civil Affairs on February 4, to complete it in almost eight days, recognizing that it is under the current Constitution. " I answered with all my heart.
Even if we are told to scrap it, we cannot say upfront that it cannot be discarded. It is not easy to do so because various laws have been created under the Constitution, which has effectively taken root in the country.
I remember thinking, "I understand your feelings, but.... After that, Mr. Ishihara raised the "ugliness" of the preamble of the Constitution.
For example, it says, "This Constitution is now confirmed." In Japanese, to determine a law is to enact it. Then, "We, the undersigned, affirm that all peoples of the world have the right to live in peace, free from fear and want. In the common usage of particles, this means "to be free from fear and want.
"Japanese particles and interjections are very important. If you make a mistake, the impression of the work and the impression of the sentence will be different, but the English sentence that does not have a Japanese body completely ignores this. The Constitution spelled out a sentence that would not reach 70 points if translated into Japanese is still not destroyed or discarded. (Omitted) I would like you to make a significant change as soon as possible to make it Japanese."
Rather than looking at the contents verbatim, Mr. Ishihara's criticism from his aesthetic sense and well-honed sensitivity as a writer was, in a way, refreshing.
At the same time, an episode shows the fundamental problem with the Constitution, which is the result of hastily translating the content written in English, and where the Constitution came from.
Mr. Ishihara always had many boneheaded questions about his view of the nation, history, or the Constitution. It was worth listening to.
The following day, October 30, 2014, he again asked about the Constitution at the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives. Furthermore, he took up the preamble and questioned the sentence "Trust in the justice and faith of peace-loving nations."
He said that the correct phrase in Japanese is not "on justice and faith," but "to justice and faith.
Mr. Ishihara explained that he says, "I trust to you, " when he lends money to someone," but he does not say, "I trust on you."
He said that it is strange that the general public does not even accept a sentence in the Constitution.
In response to the question, "The incorrect particle 'ni,' I would like you to change at least one character in the word 'ni.
I think this is a point that is typical of Mr. Shintaro Ishihara, a scholar of literature. When I was a junior high school student, I was memorized this preamble in my Japanese class. At the time, I was told by my teacher that this was a beautiful sentence. Still, even as a child, I remember that the sentence, "Trusting on the justice and faith of peace-loving peoples, we have resolved to preserve our security and survival," somehow did not fit." However, changing it would require a constitutional amendment, even if only one letter.
I remember the exchange with Mr. Ishihara, and I want to watch them again on the video posting site "YouTube."
This article continues.
