Current location:World Wanderer news portal > entertainment
VOX POPULI: Kishida’s gift of cherry seedlings to the U.S. raises uneasy feeling
World Wanderer news portal2024-04-30 10:58:25【entertainment】2People have gathered around
IntroductionIn 1912, the final year of the Meiji Era that began in 1868, it is said that vehement opposition was
In 1912, the final year of the Meiji Era that began in 1868, it is said that vehement opposition was raised when statesman Yukio “Gakudo” Ozaki (1858-1954) gifted the United States 3,000 ornamental cherry seedlings that had been grafted from cherry trees on the banks of the Arakawa river in Tokyo.
Ozaki’s deed was condemned as “an inexcusable outrage” because the sakura was “the national flower that must never be taken out of the country.”
Ozaki was only trying to show his gratitude to Washington for its labors during the post-Russo-Japanese War peace negotiations.
But many Japanese hadn’t been apprised of this background and “few felt indebted to the Americans,” according to Ozaki’s daughter, Yukika Soma (1912-2008).
In return, Washington sent a gift of dogwood trees to Japan. But they were taken down during World War II.
Those days are long past, and a Japan-U.S. summit took place on April 10 in the U.S. capital.
Among the gifts brought by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were 250 cherry seedlings, and I am sure nobody minds that today.
But seeing him grinning with delight, I cannot help feeling uneasy.
Japan’s national security is becoming increasingly integrated with that of the United States.
But the prime minister just would not explain to the public how dangerous that is, or what disadvantages Japan must expect from the bolstered alliance with the United States.
I think Japanese diplomacy has become quite unstable, like a baseball player with a “flamingo batting style.”
While the United States, Australia and European nations are proceeding with summit diplomacy with China, Japan keeps muddling along.
So long as Tokyo’s understanding of diplomacy is just making sure not to upset Washington, the nation remains at great risk.
The Arakawa riverbank today is graced by goshikizakura (five-color cherry trees) that came home from the United States after World War II. When I went to see them on April 11, the blossoms of the ukonzakura variety were starting to fall.
The pale green petals danced in the air and the young leaves fluttered in the spring breeze.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 12
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Address of this article:http://congorepublicofthe.cezaryphotography.com/content-32a199965.html
Very good!(76)
Related articles
- 1 military horse under observation, another to recover fully, British Army says
- Xinjiang forward Abdusalam wins CBA MVP award
- Warships engage in comprehensive training
- Moment Meghan Markle asks woman not to pose next to Prince Harry for Polo prizegiving photo
- Oracle bone script art exhibition unveiled in South Africa
- Greenhouses boost agricultural production efficiency in NE China
- Canada announces 15 participants in NATO defence innovation hub
- Soldiers engage in reconnaissance training
- Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
- Qionghai's villages in Hainan showcase rural revitalization with global appeal
Popular articles
Recommended
Iconic former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica says he has esophageal cancer
Xinjiang forward Abdusalam wins CBA MVP award
LeBron James becomes first player to score 40000 points
Guangdong rally by Fujian, Sichuan lose 12th in a row
UN Chinese Language Day celebrated in Tunisia
Sullinger leads Shenzhen past Beijing in CBA playoffs
Kipyegon and Duplantis set to star in Xiamen
Raptors hand Wizards franchise
Links
- Bernd Hölzenbein, World Cup winner with West Germany in 1974, dies at 78
- 'Love in Nanning' concert unites singles for a romantic evening
- PLA garrison in Hong Kong organizes joint patrol
- Teresa Giudice rocks pink
- China's first homegrown polar icebreaker Xuelong 2 to visit HKSAR in April
- Chinese railways gear up for travel rush during Qingming festival
- China's top anti
- China to further boost employment
- St. Petersburg tightens security measures after Moscow terrorist attack
- Palestinian death toll in Gaza exceeds 33,000