Divine Comedy 2007 (IV)
1. Boeing 787 Roll-Out
New York Times did not make it out into the open that Mitsubishi, a Japanese manufacturing company, accounts for 35% in production work of the new passenger jet Boeing 787 (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/09/business/09cnd-boeing.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin).
The ratio, 35%, is almost equal to the one for Boeing itself in their share of work in producing Boeing 787.
This sort of omission could, I am afraid, lead to some serious misunderstanding among Americans on Japan and Japanese.
For example, once Mr. Rubin said, "Why did Japan succeed while South America failed (There must be immoral cheating)." Mr. Wolfowitz once said, "Japan has never contributed to American security (So, we cannot help but neglect Japan's huge monetary contribution to the Gulf War in 1991)." Mr. Kissinger once said, "Japan might sometimes soon be armed with nuclear weapons (So then, let China hold North Korea)."
I mean that in order to cope with Airbus, Boeing needed and still needs Mitsubishi's help; So, congratulations on the roll-out!
2. Money, Money, and More Money as We are Americans
I do not especially recommend "The Xenophobe's Guide to the Americans" by Ms. Stephanie Faul (http://www.ovalbooks.com/xeno/Americans.html); however the book was translated and published in Japan in 1999.
The significance of her self-observation book is in that Americans talk about money, money, and money, since they are Americans.
But, to be honest, why do they talk about only money?
Indeed, to get much money, you have to be physically strong, good looking, smart in dealing, technically advanced, and aware of market information; in addition, you have to forget about everything except money.
But, to be honest, why do they talk about only money?
Without knowing why their ancestor could not succeed in their home countries, how much they owe to the world history and civilizations, and in how many things they are not No.1 in the world, they do not even realize that their vast land and natural resources are not what they created but once belonged to native Americans, Spanish, French, English, the Dutch, Russians, and Hawaiians!
Now the current balance of the U.S. is 700 billion dollars in red, corresponding to 6% of its GDP which is 12 trillion dollars, meaning it may not be sustainable until the world oil reserves are depleted in 40 years.
If 10% of 700 billion dollars the U.S. owe to other countries is spent for development of society in poor countries, such as Mexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Afghanistan, the God should be more pleased.
In this context, the God must love Japan more than the U.S. and Israelites.
3. Nomo in 1995, Ichiro in 2001, and Matsuzaka in 2007?
Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox was beaten today by Gary Sheffield and Carlos Guillen of the Detroit Tigers. ("Matsu" means a pine tree and "Zaka (Saka, originally)" means a slope, just F.Y.I.)
Gary Sheffield was once a colleague of Hideki Matsui in the New York Yankees. Carlos Guillen was once a colleague of Ichiro Suzuki in the Seattle Mariners.
Hideo Nomo, a samurai pitcher, was a true hero in 1995 as he helped Japanese keep up its morale while Japan was suffering from a great earthquake around Kobe City that claimed more than 5,000 lives and the sarin gas terror in Tokyo that claimed more than 5,000 casualties. He also boosted up the MLB having suffered from the aftermath of major players' walkouts.
However, Ichiro Suzuki is more symbolic. It is 2001 that he first played in America. Over the terror on September 11, he delivered more than 200 hits to be the leading hitter of the American League and contributed to Mariners' 116 wins, the record-tying most wins in a season in the MLB history.
Japanese shocked by the 9/11 terror were really helped get out of a spell of the terror by watching baseball-hero Ichiro fighting his way up to his own glory of sportsmanship.
In this sense, the year 2001, especially due to tight days around September 11, was truly a testing year for Ichiro.
Now, in what sense will the year 2007 be a testing year for Matsuzaka, a good-natured super-pitcher from Japan to the Major League Baseball, though September is yet to come?
(Tonight, NHK TV in Ms. Hiroko Kuniya's program has focused on Hideki Okajima who has been chosen as a pitcher for the MLB All-Star Game with Ichiro and Takashi Saito, which is truly a big surprise for Japanese baseball (Yakyu) fans, though Okajima was reportedly crucially assisted by a Red Sox's coach.
Still, I really want to see a heroine from Japan this year even in a different field, since I am afraid that Ms. Paula Radcliffe, a super Anglo Saxon marathon runner who was however beaten by a Japanese runner in Athens, may be trying hard to be the blessed one in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
In addition, though Ms. Segolene Royal failed this year against a son of Hungary-born parents in the French Presidential Election, the U.S. still has a chance in 2008 to present the greatest heroine in the Western history since Queen Victoria!)
"WHO WILL WANT TO COMFORT HER?"