Kurt – Page 21

June 26, 2006June 26, 2006

Talking and eating out of both sides of the mouth

Japanese schoolkids in front of whale sculpture, Ueno Park (2002)

This past week there were two big meat-related stories of big importance in Japan, and elsewhere, related to whaling and the resumption of US beef imports. As someone who doesn’t eat beef nor whale meat, it would seem that neither of these stories would hold much interest to me, but of course there’s a lot more than meats the eye here.

Last week, employing a bribery strategy, Japan was able to buy enough votes to pass a “declaration” that said that the International Whaling Commission’s whaling moratorium was “no longer necessary.” It was a symbolic victory, having no immediate effect other than to perhaps soothe the wounds of a country that likes to view itself as the victim of a Western environmental bias that has no respect for Japanese cultural traditions. That’s the way the story is spun, at any rate. But as there is no real popular wellspring of sentiment to bring back whaling, or to eat whale meat, save for a few “whaling communities”, you have to wonder why Japan is spending so much energy — and money — bribing countries and turning oneself into a pariah of the international community that in another breath it so desperately wants to be a part of.

Also last week, Japan agreed to resume the import of US beef after effectively banning the product for the last two-and-a-half years. With greater success than it has been able to accomplish with the whaling issue, the goverment has managed to create an environment of fear related to to US beef and BSE to such an extent that even with the ban being lifted, it will be a long while before consumers feel comfortable buying it at supermarket shelves. (Yoshinoya, on the other hand, will probably enjoy booming business for its “beef bowl.”)

But as with the whaling issue, one can’t help but feel the ruling Liberal Democratic party is being disingenuous, if not downright cynical. In point of fact, Japan had it’s own BSE problem a few years ago. In Septemer of 2001, the government announced that a dairy cow in Chiba had tested positive for BSE. However, at first they took pains to cover up the story. They then launched a campaign insisting that domestic beef was safe, before yet another cow tested postive for BSE. By this point, the domestic industry — as well as beef imports from the US and Australia — had taken a hit. The government eventually came (somewhat) clean and implemented nationwide testing, though doubts remain about how thorough they followed through on that. The government instituted beef-buyback programs in order to get domestic beef off the shelves, which also led several companies in 2002 — Nippon Meat Packers being the most prominent — to try to pass off imported beef as domestic, rather ironic given what happened a year later.

In December of 2003, the Japan government was in effect gifted the discovery of BSE in a U.S. herd in a cow imported from Canada. Japan immediately imposed a ban on US beef imports, and was able to effectively shift the public’s focus away from the safety of domestic beef. The US did itself no favors though, in refusing to implement full-scale testing. Following up on its refusal to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol, to say nothing of its imperious foreign policy in Afghanistan and Iraq, it made the perfect bad guy to let Japan off the consumer-safety hook, alleviate concerns about domestic beef, and shore up Prime Minister Koizumi’s support among rural voters (eg. folks living in places where cattle is kept and rice is grown), always the key element in ensuring the LDP’s grip on power. And it allowed Koizumi to pretend — even as he was bowing to US pressure by sending Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq — to be standing up to Japan’s big brother. Both domestic and foreign media, for their part, have bought wholesale Japan’s stance as arising solely from health-safety concerns, obliging the government’s need to paint itself as altruistic in the matter.

But now, with Koizumi more interested in a smooth exit from the Prime Minister’s office (he is stepping down in September) and a visit to Graceland with his pal Bush next week, the goverment is acquiescing to US pressure and signaling the return of US beef imports. Given the context of the US-Japan relationship in general, and Bush and Koizumi’s relationship in particular, only the naive would assume it was a coincidence that just as Japan was agreeing to resume US beef imports, Koizumi was announcing his decision to recall the ground SDF troops back from Iraq.

Although Japan has a long history of hunting whales, whale meat wasn’t really popular until the post-World War II era when it was a vital source of protein during harsh economic times. But this popularity has steadily declined over time, while the price has steadily risen (no doubt due in part to the IWC moratorium). Indications are that the general public — especially middle-aged Japanese and younger — are indifferent about whale meat. (According to the Independent, less than 1% of the population eat it regularly). And yet, consistently the government has tried to create the impression that eating whale meat is a sacrosanct part of Japanese culinary tradition.

What whale meat eating really is is a pawn in a larger nationalistic trend the LDP is only too happy to stoke (and pay for, especially to poor Caribbean countries). America and their minions in the IWC are the “culinary imperialists” trying to impinge on Japan’s sovereign right to hunt whales. There is a palpable air of don’t-tell-us-what-to-do that is not unlike how the Yasukuni Shrine problem plays out with South Korea and China. Meanwhile, like the “Koizumi is visiting the Shrine as a private citizen” loophole, Japan continues to catch hundreds of whales each year in the name of “scientific research,” which many maintain is a thinly veiled attempt to continue the supply of whale meat to high-end restaurants and supermarkets.

In both the row with America over beef, and with the continuing fight against the anti-whaling countries of the IWC, the purpose, once one gets past the rhetoric, seems the same: fostering for domestic consumption not steak or whale sashimi but rather the image of a tiny Japan not afraid to stand up to the big boys, especially the US. It’s a slightly pathetic effort, given that on just about every major issue, Japan does nothing but kowtow to its de facto protector. But biting the hand that feeds it — or at least appearing to — plays well to the masses, keeps the focus away from domestic concerns, and helps the LDP maintain its stranglehold on political power.

Cheering on the Americans, for chrissakes

It’s almost 6 a.m. here and I really should be in bed — especially given I only had 3 hours of sleep last night — but the adrenalin is still pumping after two very exciting World Cup matches tonight (technically this morning).

First, Ghana completely outplayed the highly touted Czech Republic, winning 2-0 although really the low margin of victory was due two Czech’s goalie Cech and no one else. It wasn’t exactly the mastery that Argentina showed the night before in their 6-0 demolishment of Serbia and Montenegro, but it was still great stuff. Particularly pleasing was that the Black Stars didn’t play, after going ahead 1-0 in the first minute, 89 minutes of hold-out defensive soccer, but kept on attacking, all night.

There is invariably one of these sorts of upsets each World Cup, and in recent years it has been invariably one of the African sides. This time it was Ghana to come through, but based on their play tonight, and that of Cote d’Ivoire and Angola the night before, I can’t imagine it’ll be long before the African countries are feared (and patronized, it must be said) not for their “x-factor”-ness but feared simply because they’re damn good.

The next game I was going to record and watch tomorrow (well, it is tomorrow but you know what I mean) but I got so pumped up watching the Ghana-Czech game that there was no way I was going to fall asleep that soon, so I figured I’d watch the Americans get humiliated by the Italians. And indeed, as they showed the pre-game congregating of players in the locker room tunnels, the US players, especially Reyna, their captain, looking so wound up and tense that surely there would be no way to hold off the laughing, carefree Italians who seemed as loose as the Americans seemed tight.

But lo and behold, the Americans, and if you saw them get thrashed by Czech earlier this week you would know it was out of nowhere, were actually taking it to the Italians (granted, it is a bit of the Italian style to play defensively and then make the most of scoring opportunities). But when the Italians went up 1-0 after the 21st minute (off a free kick resulting from the predictable Italian flop by surprise, surprise Totti), I though the rout was on, for sure. However, not 5 minutes later, the Italians scored again, only they put the ball in the wrong net: an own goal by the Italians had just tied the game at 1-all.

Now, I wrote before that I could care a less for the US team, and in general that remains true. I have no country allegiance when it comes to the World Cup, I just want to see good, exciting matches. And I will root for the underdog, every time (except for perhaps Brazil matches, it depends on the mood I’m in). And oh yeah, I will generally smile very broadly if the Italians lose. No offense to anyone, but their football team — and indeed their whole professional soccer institutions — seems built around cheating. It’s no surprise that their is a huge scandal in Italy about match-fixing and referree-buying going on right now in the country. What is surprising is that some folks have finally said enough is enough, for this nonsense has been going on for years. On the field, as I’ve written before, they’re about the worst (and they do have stiff competition, mind you) when it comes to diving and flopping, and histrionics after getting love-taps on their Azzurri ankles and shins.

The own goal seemed somehow poetically justified, and I couldn’t help laughing my face off at the Italians, suffering the horror of actually letting the Americans (they actually play soccer in America? I can imagine some of those Italians thinking) equalize. Indeed, not a minute later, no doubt in frustration and some amount of shame and humiliation, the ugliest deed and in a rather ugly match — penalties and play both — occurred when the Italian thug De Rossi threw a vicious elbow to the American McBride’s face, like he was in a Sopranos episode and not a World Cup match (I stole that reference from the Guardian, I admit). De Rossi was red-carded and sent off, but before the half, in a questionable call, the ref apparently thought he ought to be fair and he red-carded the American Mastroeni, both sides now playing 10 vs. 10.

After that it was basically a war of attrition, another American got sent off (I thought for sure they would be goners then), and 9 US players basically did their best Rocky impersonation and slugged it out with the 10 Italians. It was, as I said, ugly — helped in no small part by the horrible referee, who does have some skeletons in his closet — but for me, thinking there would be no way to hold off the Italians, terribly nail-biting. I doubted the Italians would lose, but I sure as hell didn’t want them to win. And in the end, the Americans were able to hold off the Italians to save the draw and claim their first points of the World Cup. Because of the earlier Ghana upset, nothing in this Group E is decided, although the Italians are still one point clear at the top. As other pundits have noted, this is indeed now the “group of death.”

You’ll never ever catch me chanting “USA, USA” or waving a flag, but not since probably the Miracle on Ice way back when have I been so glad to see an American team win something. Good on them for denying those flopping cheats the win, and seeing how good Ghana was tonight, I guess I’m going to have to root for the underdog Americans again when they face off against the Black Stars next week. Alright, time for bed!

June 11, 2006August 9, 2006

Pulling for English (but not England)

Let me vent for a little bit. It seems increasingly clear — albeit only 4 games into the World Cup (I just finished watching Trinidad & Tobago hold Sweden to a 0-0 draw, which was fantastic) — that there won’t be any “second audio channel” English at all during the World Cup broadcasts. In fact, there’s no SAP at all, be it German or Portugese or Stadium Noise. I keep checking the SAP button on the remote in the vain hope that somehow it will magically appear, but no.

Now mind you, I’m eternally grateful that NHK (Japan’s BBC if I can be forgiven a very threadbare comparison) is showing the games, all 64 of them, LIVE. And all games in 16:9 widescreen to boot. And we are in Japan after all, so I realize it is probably a bit rich to grouse about not getting an English-language commentary with which to ice this cake.

However, in my defense, on any given day, I can watch the Mariners, White Sox, or Yankees of Major League Baseball on NHK and tune in to the English language, I watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals with Hubie Brown the other day, Game 1 of the NHL Hockey Finals in English for chrissakes, not to mention I can watch the Bundesliga (German soccer league) with English commentary, the Copa Libertadores championship (South American soccer championship) with English on SAP, and Barca TV (the TV station for the FC Barcelona Spanish soccer team) in English as well — though admittedly that bloke’s commentary is some of the worst English commentary you can possibly hear.

But perhaps what’s even more inexplicable, and therefore makes this all the more grating, is that during the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, all the games had English on the sub-channel.

To be fair, because NHK is clearly using an “international feed” (the lineups and other graphics are in English, though NHK will occassionally overlay a Japanese graphic of the score), it may well be that the “international feed” comes with no sub-channel of any kind. Or, knowing FIFA, perhaps there’s an extra charge for it that goes beyond what NHK can justify. Who knows?

If there’s a silver lining (beyond seeing the games, which is of course most important), my Japanese is good enough to understand the commentary when I need to (and seriously, one doesn’t really need commentary, does one?), but not good enough to judge the quality of it. And at the very least, NHK doesn’t stoop to nearly the commercial pandering levels that the main networks here do. Besides, one has to be careful what one whinges for. They could slap on some ill-informed, God-forsaken, American soccer coverage on there: I’m told the inept American commentators referered to one “Mike Beckham” during the England – Paraguay game.

P.S. In other news, I’m 4 for 4 so far in my attempt to see all 64 games of the World Cup. Granted, it’s very early in the proceedings.

UPDATE (June 19): Just to follow up, I’ve resigned myself to the Japanese coverage and really it ain’t all that bad, as long as the game doesn’t feature the Japan national team. And in kind of a “if you can’t beat them, join them” outlook, I’ve decided to use the games to boost my Japanese vocabulary. Some color commentators talk too much, but overall it seems the quality is no worse than average, and that’s okay with me.

However, when Japan is playing, as they did tonight, then well, you can throw quality commentary out the window. On the other hand, the Japanese is painfully easy to understand. Basically, if Japan are attacking, it’s ã„ã„ã§ã™ã‚ˆã€ã„ã„ã§ã™ã‚ˆï¼(ii desu yo, ii desu yo!, or “this is good, this is good!”), and if Japan are defending, it’s å±ãªã„ã‚ˆï¼ (abunai yo!, or “look out/watch out”). Seriously, that’s all the Japanese you need to know.

Another thing that has eased my rue is the realization that more than likely, my pining for some English (specifically British English) commentary is more due to some “it just sounds right” mental collocation on my part rather than it being quality commentating. Indeed, based on various reports and I’ve been reading, both the BBC and ITV broadcasts haven’t been anything special, and indeed when England was playing Trinidad and Tobago, the broadcast was exceedingly partisan toward England and patronizing towards T&T.