My opinion of this week(522)
It was such a big tragedy. A Korean student killed 32 people by gun including students and teaching stuff at Virginia Technical Collge. I was surprised with the news a little bit when I read the news in Maiinichi Newspaper.
The article said and I quote:"The inspecting agency is trying to find out the motives for the accident. They are investigating how the criminal could get guns he used for mass murder."
"What are you talking about? It is quite easy for American citizens to get guns in US different from any other countries". I mumbled myself.
I remember the shock when I saw various kind of guns were put on shelves of gun sale counter at one of a big super market in Berkeley when I lived there in 1963. Such huge super market store itself was an big surprise for me. It was just about the time when Daiei, the first Japanese super market chain in Japan started their business in Kansai district.
The shop sold all sort of goods which were so abundant in quantity. But my biggest surprise was that various kind of guns were sold at the shop together with all sort of real bullets. Any people could buy those guns just by showing some kind of identifification cards.
I understand that various kinds of restrictions have been done as to the purchase of guns guns even in US since then. But such restrictions differ from states to states. It is easier to buy guns in some states.
Virginia may be one of such states where people can buy guns without so much checks for security.
According to the ABC news in internet, gun stores were making sales campaigns to sell guns. Sales leaflets says:
・No child safe lock necessary
・No safety lock necessary
・No investigation about the motive to buy guns
・No fingerprint registration necessary to buy guns
The criminal Korean student could have bought some number of guns without any difficulty at a gun shop in the town. Many other people in many other states can buy guns in US, while a number of other American citizen are against such cicumstace and insist to put some stronger restriction to buy guns.
Nevertheless, people and Government authorities are in general still very generous about gun control. I don't understand about it.
I remember one big tragedy happened for Hattori, a Japanese high student who visited US in 1992. He was killed by a shot gun when he visited to the house of American for Halloween routine practice.
The owner of the house warned him to stop approaching to his house any further. The boy could not understand the word when the owner of the house appealed to stop him. The boy was killed by the gun.
The owner of the house was arrested and sent to the law court.But he was released without any serious sentence. The case is typical example about how Americans in general make judgment as to the use of guns. They are very generous about it.
Criticisms about such very loose gun control in US have been raised from various countries of the world including Japan. I just wonder why Americans are so generous as far as gun control is concerned.
I just ask myself if US is really civilized as a cultural country in
that respect.
2007/4/21
Tadashi HAYASE
Friday, April 20, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Irrelevant criticism against NHK by Finance Minister Omi
My opinion of this week(520):
Many people in Japan and in US must have felt relieved to see the result of Matuzaka's debut game at Major Baseball League yesterday. I was in the bath yesterday morning when many math media including NHK reported Matuzaka's victory pitching over Royals. So I did not see so much about it in the morning TV news.
I missed again the good time to watch NHK and other news of TV station at noon time but watched enough some good scene on Matuzaka's pitch in many net news later on in the evening. I was quite excited about it, of course.
I happened to watch NTV's TV news show at noon which reported how Japanese rofessional baseball is now very popular in Korea. Many baseball funs in Korea were exiting about game of Yomiuri Giants at public bars. I never expect that happened in Korea and I was very surprised about it. The reason for that phenomenon is obvious. Koreans famous ball player, SeungYuop Lee, is now playing very well in Yomiuri Giants. So Gaiants is now very popular in Korea. It is good to know that fact although I am not a fun of Yomiuri Giants at all.
I read so many net news last evening about Matuzaka's debut game at Kansas which were interesting for they were reported from various point of views. I understood how mass media in Japan and in US have been paying so much attention this news.
Among many of such interesting articles, I found one very strange article in Mainichi Newspaper. Finance Minister Koji Omi criticized NHK's coverage of Daisuke Matsuzaka , saying that such public broadcaster NHK should not devote too much time
to the Boston Red Sox star.
Omi said, "Considering the overall news balance, there's a problem with taking up issues like this every morning on NHK's 7 o'clock news." He continued saying , "It's very good that people are becoming global, just like economy, and that good people are discovering new spheres." However, he raised criticism about the time NHK spent on Matuzaka issue.
He said there many more important world wide issues which should be reported in good balance by such public mass media like NHK. NHK lacks the balance to spend time to report such important events.
My first reaction to hear what Omi said is how hard the head of Japanese politicians are. The head of the Finance Minister is one typical one as such.
What is happening now in MLB is one typical phenomenon of globalization as Omi personally admits. As a matter of fact, the phenomenon is not only limited on baseball. The reason why Red Sox have invested so much money on Matura may be various. They must have expected many other economic effects which are good for Red Sox management and local community like Boston itself.
According to various net news, many new Japanese restraints have been opened in Boston expecting many visitors from Japan to this city. There are many other social and cultural effects in addition to economic effects when it comes to Matuzaka's effects. It would provide some big impact both Japan and US in various fields. It was my intention to point out the same effects exist between Japan and Korea when I mention the the case SeungYuop Lee as above.
Matuzaka's effects is one typical example of globalization. It is not the first time that we see this kind of phenomenon. Nomo was the first starter and Ichirou and Matui followed. Matuzaka is just another big case of globalization.
There is no problem for NHK to spend so much time to report on Matuzaka's case. I even think it important work for NHK as public broadcasting corporation. It is neither only on Matuzaka nor on Red Sox. It is the issue of two different cultures such as Japan and US.
2007/4/7
Tadashi HAYASE
Many people in Japan and in US must have felt relieved to see the result of Matuzaka's debut game at Major Baseball League yesterday. I was in the bath yesterday morning when many math media including NHK reported Matuzaka's victory pitching over Royals. So I did not see so much about it in the morning TV news.
I missed again the good time to watch NHK and other news of TV station at noon time but watched enough some good scene on Matuzaka's pitch in many net news later on in the evening. I was quite excited about it, of course.
I happened to watch NTV's TV news show at noon which reported how Japanese rofessional baseball is now very popular in Korea. Many baseball funs in Korea were exiting about game of Yomiuri Giants at public bars. I never expect that happened in Korea and I was very surprised about it. The reason for that phenomenon is obvious. Koreans famous ball player, SeungYuop Lee, is now playing very well in Yomiuri Giants. So Gaiants is now very popular in Korea. It is good to know that fact although I am not a fun of Yomiuri Giants at all.
I read so many net news last evening about Matuzaka's debut game at Kansas which were interesting for they were reported from various point of views. I understood how mass media in Japan and in US have been paying so much attention this news.
Among many of such interesting articles, I found one very strange article in Mainichi Newspaper. Finance Minister Koji Omi criticized NHK's coverage of Daisuke Matsuzaka , saying that such public broadcaster NHK should not devote too much time
to the Boston Red Sox star.
Omi said, "Considering the overall news balance, there's a problem with taking up issues like this every morning on NHK's 7 o'clock news." He continued saying , "It's very good that people are becoming global, just like economy, and that good people are discovering new spheres." However, he raised criticism about the time NHK spent on Matuzaka issue.
He said there many more important world wide issues which should be reported in good balance by such public mass media like NHK. NHK lacks the balance to spend time to report such important events.
My first reaction to hear what Omi said is how hard the head of Japanese politicians are. The head of the Finance Minister is one typical one as such.
What is happening now in MLB is one typical phenomenon of globalization as Omi personally admits. As a matter of fact, the phenomenon is not only limited on baseball. The reason why Red Sox have invested so much money on Matura may be various. They must have expected many other economic effects which are good for Red Sox management and local community like Boston itself.
According to various net news, many new Japanese restraints have been opened in Boston expecting many visitors from Japan to this city. There are many other social and cultural effects in addition to economic effects when it comes to Matuzaka's effects. It would provide some big impact both Japan and US in various fields. It was my intention to point out the same effects exist between Japan and Korea when I mention the the case SeungYuop Lee as above.
Matuzaka's effects is one typical example of globalization. It is not the first time that we see this kind of phenomenon. Nomo was the first starter and Ichirou and Matui followed. Matuzaka is just another big case of globalization.
There is no problem for NHK to spend so much time to report on Matuzaka's case. I even think it important work for NHK as public broadcasting corporation. It is neither only on Matuzaka nor on Red Sox. It is the issue of two different cultures such as Japan and US.
2007/4/7
Tadashi HAYASE
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