I learned not only about his greatness as a person but also about the depth of America's generosity.

WiLL, one of the best monthly magazines in the world, comes out tomorrow.
I have a three-year subscription. It arrived at my home today.
The following is from Hiroshi Yuasa's column that opens the magazine.
This article is a must-read not only for the Japanese people but for people worldwide.

Never Despair.　
If we had to choose one person in the United States, our ally, who has impacted Japan's path forward, it would not be a consequential president or an entrepreneur who has made a fortune on the Internet.
In fact, I secretly believe it would be James E. Auer, Professor Emeritus at Vanderbilt University.　
So was the fact that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a visit from his old friend Auer in November 2007, two months after the first Abe administration left office.
On this occasion, he handed Abe a book.
It was "Never Dispair," a biography of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.　
Since then, Abe has been holding the book in his hands as he secretly strives for a comeback.
He returned to the prime minister's office in December 2012 and remained the longest-serving prime minister in constitutional history until September 2020.　
During this time, Abe will push for the approval of the exercise of the right of collective self-defense and lead an Indo-Pacific strategy to deter China and involve the United States.
When Auer became the first foreigner to win the Sankei Shimbun's Shoronetsu Award in 2015, Abe quickly congratulated him.
In his congratulatory speech, he thanked Auer for inspiring him with that one Churchill book and said he would "never forget" it.
Auer's thoughts on the book were based on his judgment that no other politician has tried to secure the U.S.-Japan alliance with a more strategic view than Abe.
He hoped that, like Churchill, he would rise again and lead Japan and the world.　
Churchill was a great leader who led the Allies to victory in World War II against Germany.
Through his eloquence, he seized power, led the war, and united the British people.
Clearly, Auer expected Churchill's fortitude and strong leadership skills from Abe.
Abe lived up to those expectations in his second administration.　
Auer died of complications from Parkinson's disease on May 16.
He was 82 years old.
Auer, a U.S. Navy officer, eventually supported the "Ron Yas" relationship between President Reagan and Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, which, in practical terms, won the Cold War against the Soviet Union as Director of the Japan Department of the Pentagon.　
Without his presence, the design of the Japan-U.S. "division of duties and roles" that would serve as the basis for strengthening the alliance would be inconceivable.
It contained not only the traditional mere "division of responsibilities" but also clear guidelines for operating a flexible interpretation of the Constitution for joint Japan-U.S. action and allowing the use of the right of collective self-defense.
 Upon his retirement, Auer became the director of the Center for US-Japan Studies and Cooperation at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. There, he hosted more than a hundred Japanese scholars who later went on to important positions as Japanese politicians, bureaucrats, and journalists.　
In my interactions with Auer, I felt these ties of US-Japan relations and a deep sense of family ties and human dignity.　
 The Tennessean, a local Tennessee newspaper that reported Auer's obituary, mentioned that "James is survived by three children," musician Teiichiro, educator and caregiver Helen, and US Marine Corps Major John Ed, and their five grandchildren.　
We were told that all three of their children were adopted and that they were also home-schooled.
In the U.S., where the spirit of independence is respected, home education is an option in some states.
In the U.S., where independence is highly valued, parents can educate their children at home, rejecting schooling with a different educational policy.　
The couple's first Japanese adopted child was named "Francis Teiichiro Auer."
His middle Japanese name was taken from the name of a Japanese admiral.
Next came a six-month-old girl from Korea, followed by a Caucasian boy from the United States.
Auer thought he could have no more than two, but Mrs. Auer persuaded him that "this was a gift from God," and they became parents of three.　
When Francis asked him, "What is a Japanese?" Auer immediately answered, "Its meaning is high quality."
Francis then started saying "I am high quality" to his friends.
Auer laughed, "My children are the U.S.-Japan-South Korea Triad.　
When the author met them, the children were around nine years old and growing, but now, as the Tennessean reported, they are forging their own path.
Auer's words revealed a confidence in his family ties that made me think about the meaning of human dignity.　
Through Auer, I learned not only about his greatness as a person but also about the depth of America's generosity.
And the spirit of never despairing.


2023/6/10 in Osaka