Current location:travel >>
VOX POPULI: Kishida’s gift of cherry seedlings to the U.S. raises uneasy feeling
travel6People 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.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Planet Perspective news portal”。http://capeverde.brittasbay.org/content-77a099916.html
Related articles
Amir Khan's £11.5m luxury wedding venue finally hosts its first marriage: Bride arrives on horse
travelAmir Khan's £11.5million luxury wedding venue has finally hosted its first marriage after a series o ...
【travel】
Read moreHong Kong waste levy to come into effect next April
travelThe Hong Kong government will begin charging residents for rubbish disposal in April next year, mont ...
【travel】
Read moreBullying rife at Buller High School, students say
travelBuller High School (file image). Photo: Supplied / Google Maps ...
【travel】
Read more
Popular articles
- California congressman urges closer consultation with tribes on offshore wind
- VOX POPULI: Celebrating the arrival of spring the same way as in ‘Tale of Genji’
- Shi Fu Miz 2023: Hong Kong music & art festival returns to Cheung Chau farm, expands to 3 days
- HKFP Lens: Hong Kong photographers document their last moments in the city
- What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky
- Gay Games Hong Kong unfazed by potential censorship, organiser says
Latest articles
Yvette Fielding says her Most Haunted co
VOX POPULI: Unlike Taylor Swift, few stars in Japan speak out about politics
VOX POPULI: The war in Ukraine enters its 3rd year with no end in sight
US China updates: Beijing sanctions Lockheed Martin, Raytheon for Taiwan sales
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
Concorde makes journey along New York's Hudson River
LINKS
- Childcare vs pay: The salary you need to make being a working parent profitable
- 7 postal workers charged with mail theft from Rhode Island distribution hub
- North Carolina revenue decline means alternate sources for voucher spending considered
- West Virginia GOP Senate president, doctor who opposed drawing back vaccine laws ousted in election
- North Carolina revenue decline means alternate sources for voucher spending considered
- Kervin Arriaga scores for the second straight game and Minnesota United ties the LA Galaxy 2
- Former Mar
- Revealed: The most and least common four
- Former Mar
- Facemasks haven't stopped people getting Covid since February 2022, research shows