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Japan: Support for Tibet
17 Mar 2008 09:47:08 GMT
Written by: Global Voices
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
GlobalVoices
As fires rage on in the streets of Lhasa, bloggers in another part of the world have been anxiously following developments in Tibet with open eyes and open ears. Over the weekend, as mainstream media [ja] in Japan presented what many criticized as toned-down coverage of ongoing events in Lhasa, the word “Tibet” climbed to number one on Japanese blog search engines with thousands of entries largely in support of the uprising. Meanwhile on the streets, groups of the Tibet Support Network Japan (TSNJ), members of the Tibetan community and other supporters hit the streets on March 8th to celebrate the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising in March, 1959, and a week later on March 16th to demonstrate at Tokyo's Yoyogi park.

As events in Tibet have escalated over the past few days, these and other groups have come together to bring out the message. The TSNJ has put together a blog where they post news updates and messages in Japanese and English. Well-known podcaster [ja], DJ and blogger Morley Robertson has brought attention to Tibet with his project Tibetronica, and over the last few days his listeners have been getting involved through a project called Rave Tibet. [ja] One of the contributions is an embeddable “Tibet Clock” [ja] which, in addition to telling the time, also streams video content about Tibet. Another listener yayoi sent in the following map of China:


Free Tibet Free Turkistan - by Yayoi

Listener 筮竹 submitted this skateboard:


Tibet skateboard

Elsewhere in blogs, many were critical of politicians and the mass media for not drawing enough attention to the uprising in Tibet. Blogger yula22 writes:

æ-¥é ƒã€Œäººæ¨©ã€ã‚'叫ぶæ"¿æ²»å®¶ã€ãƒžã‚¹ã‚³ãƒŸã€å„種組ç¹"・団ä½"に言いたいです。

チベット人に対する中共の、ã"れほどの人権弾圧ã‚'黙って見過ã"ã-ているなら、

その人たちは紛れもない『偽』人権派でã-ょう。

This is what I want to say to the politicians, mass media, and every kind of organization and group who cry every day for “human rights”.

These people, who shut up and let the human rights oppression against Tibetans go on, what these people are [talking about] is nothing but “imitation” human rights.

Blogger é…"夢ing Voice points the finger squarely at the Japanese media:

世界中でチベットのæŠ-議活動とæ"¯é‚£ã®å¼¾åœ§ãŒå¤§ããªãƒ‹ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ã‚¹ã«ãªã£ã¦ã„るのに、æ-¥æœ¬ã§ã¯ï¼®ï¼¨ï¼«ãŒæ-©æœã®ãƒ‹ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ã‚¹ã§ç"³ã-訳程度に最低限の情報ã‚'伝えただã'。新聞はwebで報じているが、速報性が身上のテレãƒ"は惨々たるもので、テレãƒ"å ±é"の劣化がè'-ã-い。ã-かも、ＮＨＫのã"のニュースは新華社が名指ã-ã-てダライ・ラマ14世ã‚'非難する謀略報é"ã‚'伝える一方、ダライラマ14世がæ"¯é‚£ã‚'è­¦å'Šã™ã‚‹ãƒªãƒªãƒ¼ã‚¹ã¯å ±é"ã-ていない。一見、æ"¯é‚£å´ã‚'非難する報é"に見えながら、巧みにチベット人やダライラマ側の情報ã‚'éš è"½ã-ているのである。6;€ä½Žé™ã®æƒ…å ±ã‚'伝えただã'。新聞はwebで報じているが、速報性が身上のテレãƒ"は惨々たるもので、テレãƒ"å ±é"の劣化がè'-ã-い。ã-かも、ＮＨＫのã"のニュースは新華社が名指ã-ã-てダライ・ラマ14世ã‚'非難する謀略報é"ã‚'伝える一方、ダライラマ14世がæ"¯é‚£ã‚'è­¦å'Šã™ã‚‹ãƒªãƒªãƒ¼ã‚¹ã¯å ±é"ã-ていない。一見、æ"¯é‚£å´ã‚'非難する報é"に見えながら、巧みにチベット人やダライラマ側の情報ã‚'éš è"½ã-ているのである。129;ＮＨＫのã"のニュースは新華社が名指ã-ã-てダライ・ラマ14世ã‚'非難する謀略報é"ã‚'伝える一方、ダライラマ14世がæ"¯é‚£ã‚'è­¦å'Šã™ã‚‹ãƒªãƒªãƒ¼ã‚¹ã¯å ±é"ã-ていない。一見、æ"¯é‚£å´ã‚'非難する報é"に見えながら、巧みにチベット人やダライラマ側の情報ã‚'éš è"½ã-ているのである。;ースは報é"ã-ていない。一見、æ"¯é‚£å´ã‚'非難する報é"に見えながら、巧みにチベット人やダライラマ側の情報ã‚'éš è"½ã-ているのである。#227;‚‹ã€‚

While in Shina [China] the Tibetan protests and Chinese oppression are big news, in Japan on NHK's early morning news there is only a token bare minimum of information being transmitted. Newspapers are transmitting [the information] on the web, but TV news, whose speed is essential, has been terrible on this — it is remarkable how much TV coverage has deteriorated. On top of this, while NHK news is transmitting propaganda from Xinhua that directly criticizes the 14th Dalai Lama, they have not reported the statement of the 14th Dalai Lama cautioning China. It seems like, while coverage is critical of Shina [China], at the same time it is also cleverly concealing information about the Tibetan people and the Dalai Lama.

(Note: The word “Shina” (æ"¯é‚£) is a derogatory term meaning “China”.)

Blogger and former journalist Hara Junjirou meanwhile considers the nature of the demonstration and questions how long the Chinese government can hold on to Tibet:

　暴動の映像では中国系土ç"£ç‰©åº-やホテルが襲æ'ƒã®å¯¾è±¡ã«ãªã£ã¦ã„る。歴史も文化も違う国ã‚'中国の版図に組み入れるã"と自ä½"に無理がある。チベットは庇護すべきå°'æ•°æ°'æ-ã§ã¯ãªã„。ウズベキスタン、カザフスタン、キルギスタン。いずれもロシアから独立ã-た。中国æ"¿åºœã‚‚そろそろæ°-づくべき時だ。2;¡ç†ãŒã‚る。チベットは庇護すべきå°'æ•°æ°'æ-ã§ã¯ãªã„。ウズベキスタン、カザフスタン、キルギスタン。いずれもロシアから独立ã-た。中国æ"¿åºœã‚‚そろそろæ°-づくべき時だ。;-た。中国æ"¿åºœã‚‚そろそろæ°-づくべき時だ。

In images of the uprising, it is the souvenir stores and hotels of Chinese that have become the target of attack. Incorporating a country with a different history and culture into China's territory is really impossible. Tibetans are not a minority people that need to be given sanctuary. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, they all declared independence from Russia. It is time now for the Chinese government to also recognize this.
In the way that the Chinese government is treating the demonstration, blogger warabidaniyuukoku sees similarities with the Japanese government:

今回のチベット人デモの中にも中共æ"¿åºœã®ã‚¹ãƒ'イが大量に送り込まれていた。

彼らが自作自æ¼"ã-てé¨'ぎ出ã-、待ちå-ã'ていた武装警官隊がデモ隊ã‚'虐殺ã-たのである。æ-¥æœ¬è»ã®æˆ¦æ³•ã‚'真似ã-たのだろうか？

A large number of spies from the Chinese Communist party were sent to this Tibetan demonstration.
These guys put on a performance and made a disturbance, and the riot police were waiting to slaughter the demonstrators. Copying the tactics of the Japanese army, perhaps?
Many bloggers connected events in Tibet with the independence movement in Taiwan. Blogger para1002n wonders what the effect will be on upcoming Taiwanese elections:

今月22æ-¥ã«å°æ¹¾ç·çµ±é¸æŒ™ãŒè¡Œã‚ã‚Œã‚‹ã€‚やがてチベット暴動の話と、ã"の選挙が結びついて表面化すると思う。台湾が独立ã-ようとすればã"ã‚"な目に遭うぞという脅ã-のようなものだ。チベットの自治ã‚'訴える勢力が直接台湾選挙ã‚'æ"¯æ´ã-ているわã'ではないが、底流で結びつくように仕å'ã'られてã-まう。;™ã‚Œã°ã"ã‚"な目に遭うぞという脅ã-のようなものだ。チベットの自治ã‚'訴える勢力が直接台湾選挙ã‚'æ"¯æ´ã-ているわã'ではないが、底流で結びつくように仕å'ã'られてã-まう。#149;流で結びつくように仕å'ã'られてã-まう。

On the 22nd of this month, presidential elections will take place in Taiwan. The uprising in Tibet and the elections in Taiwan will soon join together and come to a head. It is like a threat: if Taiwan tries to declare independence, this is the kind of thing that they will go through. Although the force of the appeal for self-government in Tibet is not directly supporting the elections in Taiwan, through a [common] undercurrent they are induced to join together.
Others proposed a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Blogger shibaken2 describes the boycott:

独裁共ç"£å›½å®¶ã§ã®ã‚ªãƒªãƒ³ãƒ"ックに参加するã"とã‚'反対ã-ます。

そã-て中国製å"ã‚'買うã"とも控えまã-ょう。

奴隷のように働かされている子供・女é"が作ったã"とã‚'思うと購入ã‚'躊躇ã-ます。

なぜそのような国に他の国は群がるのでã-ょう？

I am against participating in Olympics that are in a country that is a communist dictatorship.
Also let's not buy any goods that are manufactured in China.
I hesitate to buy things when I think that children and women were worked like slaves to make them.
Why do other countries flock around this kind of country?
Blogger romery-chan considers the idea but doesn't think it's feasible:

まじボイコットã-たくなる人たちのæ°-持ちわかります。

でもね、人é–"が十億人以上もいる国で、世界各国の企業がãƒ"ジネスチャンス到来と胸に期待ã‚'ふくらませてる以上、ボイコットは無理っすよ。

#175;無理っすよ。

台湾の人たちは、どう思ってるã‚"だろう…？

I seriously understand people who want to boycott.
But in a country with more than a billion people, and corporations across the world inflating expectations of an influx of business opportunities, a boycott is impossible.

I wonder, what do people from Taiwan think about this…?

Blogger asu-he wonders about the Olympics as well:

今æ-¥ã¯å¤©æ°-も良く暖かいです、私は元æ°-です。

春らã-いなぁと感じますね、穏やかな時é–"の流れはいいものです。

なのに「中国のチベット暴動」なã‚"て新聞に出ています。

オリンãƒ"ックも開催されるというのに大丈夫なã‚"でã-ょうか・・・

It's warm today and the weather is nice. I feel good.
It feels like it's spring, and it's nice to have some peaceful time.
But then, the newspapers are talking about the “Tibetan uprising in China”.
I wonder, will they really be able to host the Olympics?
Blogger nakahitosi goes as far as to compare the Beijing Olympics to the Berlin Olympics under Hitler:

åŒ-京オリンãƒ"ックは、ãƒ'トラーæ"¿æ¨©ä¸‹ã§ã®ãƒ™ãƒ«ãƒªãƒ³ã‚ªãƒªãƒ³ãƒ"ックとはæ¯"べられないほど、多くの人の血で真っ赤にæŸ"まった、血å¡-られたオリンãƒ"ックなのである。227;‚ŒãŸã‚ªãƒªãƒ³ãƒ"ックなのである。

The Beijing Olympics, more so even than the Berlin Olympics under the Hitler administration, are smeared deep red with the blood of many many people.

Others responded to the blocking of YouTube by the Chinese government. Blogger blue_k_i comments:

「安全上の懸念」でないã"とは明らかです。

現地の情報が海外へ流出するã"とã‚'防ぐ為の措置でã-ょう。

そã-て、目の届かない所で弾圧が行われる。

It's clear that it's not about “worries over safety”.
It's a measure to block on-the-scene information from flowing overseas.
Then they can crackdown [on people] without being watched.
Finally, one blogger pointed the finger at Japanese peace groups, who they claim do not criticize China enough for human rights abuses:

æ-¥æœ¬ã®å¹³å'Œå›£ä½"は、æ-¥æœ¬ãƒ»ã‚¢ãƒ¡ãƒªã‚«ã¯æ‰¹åˆ¤ã-ますが中国は一切批判ã-ませã‚"。

その証拠に、平å'Œå›£ä½"ホームページでは一切、チベット虐殺・弾圧問題には触れられていないã"とがわかりますね。

中国æ"¿åºœãŒãƒãƒ™ãƒƒãƒˆè™æ®ºãƒ»å¼¾åœ§å•é¡Œã‚'「人æ°'戦争」と表現ã-、チベット王国・チベット亡å'½æ"¿åºœã«å®£æˆ¦å¸ƒå'Šã-てますが、知らないã‚"でã-ょうか？#129;§ã-ょうか？

Japanese peace groups criticize Japan and America, but they don't criticize China at all.
For proof just go to the homepage of peace groups, there is nothing about the massacres and oppression in Tibet.
The Chinese government calls the massacres and oppression the “people's war”, and they have declared war against the Tibetan kingdom and against the Tibetan exile government — do these peace groups not know this?
For more Japanese views: hienkouhou comments on Bjork [ja], negaigoto writes about their experience meeting the Dalai Lama [ja], and blogger Fukushima Kaori (福島香ç¹") gets lots of comments on a piece about why the Olympics should not take place in Beijing [ja].

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