VOX POPULI: Soichi Yamashita knew the value farmers provided even decades ago
The perfect time to face this crucial question head-on would have been when rice disappeared from practically all stores from last year through this year—a phenomenon that came to be dubbed 'Reiwa no Kome Sodo' or 'Reiwa rice shortage.'
The crisis seems to have been somewhat allayed since the government began releasing stockpiled rice, but that's nothing more than a temporary fix, really.
Unfortunately, the timeless and universal adage of 'the danger past and God forgotten' is apparently firmly ingrained in human nature.
Once rice prices began coming down, it appears that people lost interest.
I wonder what farmer-writer Soichi Yamashita would have said about this situation, were he alive today.
He died on July 10, 2022. He was 86.
I can almost hear him lament, 'Don't you get it yet? In times of emergency, you people are the ones who are going to starve.'
Yamashita consistently asserted that Japan's agricultural issues are not the problems of farmers, but the problems of consumers who have no means of production.
Born a farmer's son in Saga Prefecture in 1936, Yamashita inherited his family's terraced rice paddies and farmland.
He was in his 30s when the government's rice production curtailment policy came into effect. This forced him to switch to mikan farming, but the mikan market tanked due to the import liberalization of oranges.
Still, Yamashita resolved to remain a farmer.
'The land I'm working on has been entrusted to me by my ancestors,' he said. 'It's mine, but it's also not mine.'
I believe that is how many farmers feel. But they obviously have their limits.
In the last five years, the population of rice farmers decreased by as much as 30 percent and the average age of rice paddy owners reached 70.
The 'Koe' (letters to the editor) section of The Asahi Shimbun recently ran a comment by a man who sold his paddies when a person he had relied on for years to manage the paddies told him bluntly: 'Rice farming doesn't pay.'
This could hardly be an isolated case.
Yamashita once wrote that farmers keep people alive by growing farm produce. And he continued, 'It's really unbearable that in our era, those who are working to keep people alive are themselves unable to survive.'
Those words were written more than 30 years ago.
—The Asahi Shimbun, July 10
* * *
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.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
28-07-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Israel Begins Daily Pause in Fighting in 3 Gaza Areas to Allow ‘Minimal' Aid as Hunger Grows
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military Sunday began limited pauses in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of measures including airdrops as concerns grow over surging hunger and as Israel faces criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war. The military said the 'tactical pause' from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, all with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed Israel's decision to support a 'one-week scale-up of aid' and said 'some movement restrictions appear to have been eased.' But he said action needs to be sustained, vast and fast. 'Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Images of emaciated children have fanned criticism of Israel, including by allies who call for the war's end. Israel has restricted aid to Gaza's population of over 2 million because it says Hamas siphons it off to bolster its rule, without providing evidence. Much of the population, squeezed into ever-smaller patches of land, now relies on aid. As the military had warned, combat operations continued otherwise. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 41 Palestinians from late Saturday into Sunday, including 26 seeking aid. Aid for some, none for others 'I came to get flour for my children because they have not tasted flour for more than a week, and thank God, God provided me with a kilo of rice with difficulty,' said Sabreen Hassona, as other Palestinians trudged along a dusty road carrying sacks of food from the Zikim crossing. But aid came slowly for others, if at all. 'We saw the planes, but we didn't see what they dropped,' Samira Yahya said in Zawaida in central Gaza. 'They said trucks would pass, but we didn't see the trucks.' Some people feared going out and having a box of aid fall on their children, Ahmed al-Sumairi said. 'Every delay is measured by another funeral' Israel's military said 28 aid packages containing food were airdropped, and said it would put in place secure routes for aid delivery. It said the steps were made in coordination with the U.N. and other humanitarian groups. The U.N. World Food Program said it had enough food in, or on its way, to feed all of Gaza for nearly three months. It has said nearly half a million people were enduring famine-like conditions. Antoine Renard, WFP's country director for the occupied Palestinian territories, said around 80 WFP trucks entered Gaza, while another over 130 trucks arrived via Jordan, Ashdod and Egypt. He said other aid was moving through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. He stressed it was not enough to counter the 'current starvation.' Gaza saw 63 malnutrition-related deaths in July, including 24 children underage 5, the World Health Organization said. Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, Gaza Health Ministry's director-general, called for a flood of medical supplies to treat child malnutrition. 'This (humanitarian) truce will mean nothing if it doesn't turn into a real opportunity to save lives,' he said. 'Every delay is measured by another funeral.' Questions over ceasefire talks Ceasefire efforts appeared to be in doubt. Israel and the U.S. recalled negotiating teams from Qatar on Thursday, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering 'alternative options' to talks. Israel says it is prepared to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group has refused. Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' negotiating delegation, said the group had displayed 'maximum flexibility.' Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said Israel's change of approach on the humanitarian crisis amounted to an acknowledgment of Palestinians starving in Gaza, and asserted that it was meant to improve Israel's international standing and not save lives. Troubles with aid delivery After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies to Gaza for 2 ½ months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Fifty of them remain in Gaza, over half of them believed to be dead. Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, the average of 69 trucks a day has been far below the 500 to 600 trucks the U.N. says are needed. The U.N. says it has been unable to distribute much aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from trucks. In an attempt to divert aid delivery from U.N. control, Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four distribution centers. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those sites, the U.N. human rights office says. Israel asserts the U.N. system allows Hamas to steal aid. The U.N. denies it. 'Gaza is not a remote island. The infrastructure and resources exist to prevent starvation; we just need safe, sustained access,' Mercy Corps' vice president of global policy and advocacy, Kate Phillips-Barrasso, said in a statement. Killed while seeking aid Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Israeli forces killed at least 13 people, including four children and a woman, and wounded 101 as they headed toward a GHF aid distribution site in central Gaza. 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The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called the images of emaciated and malnourished children in Gaza 'terrible.'
Asahi Shimbun
24-07-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Hibakusha hope young people will carry on their campaign
Completed questionnaires for the nationwide survey of atomic bomb survivors conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, The Chugoku Shimbun and The Nagasaki Shimbun (Takuya Tanabe) Eighty years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many of the 3,564 survivors who responded to a survey expressed determination to pass down their experiences, despite the passage of time and the turbulent international situation. A 93-year-old woman who lives in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said she shared her experiences for the first time just two months ago. 'I saw no light and heard no sound. I was trapped under the station building at Koi Station (in Hiroshima) and crawled out. I saw something like cotton or clouds. Today, I spoke about the keloid scars on both my legs for the first time.' She was one of the respondents to the nationwide survey of hibakusha jointly conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, The Chugoku Shimbun, which is based in Hiroshima, and The Nagasaki Shimbun. Largely due to aging, illness or disability, 16.2 percent of the respondents had their children, grandchildren or others close to them write on their behalf. The Hatsukaichi woman's response was filled out by her former care manager. Those who could do so summoned the strength to write. Shaky handwriting was noted in many responses. 'I have never spoken about the atomic bomb with my family or classmates. I just can't,' a 95-year-old woman in the western Tokyo city of Machida wrote. 'Writing about it for the first time (for this survey) was painful. I am old, and I cannot write well.' NOBEL PRIZE BUOYS CONFIDENCE The three newspapers previously conducted their own hibakusha surveys and planned the joint survey to collect more testimonies on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Questionnaires were distributed to about 11,000 people starting at the end of January, with support from the Japan Federation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) and regional hibakusha groups. Valid responses were received from 3,564 people in 43 prefectures. The average age of the respondents was 85.46. The youngest was 78, who was exposed in utero, and the oldest 106. Of all respondents, 59.6 percent were exposed in Hiroshima and 39.7 percent in Nagasaki. Responses from those without the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate, which grants formal hibakusha status and government benefits, were still deemed valid. The government considers this group of survivors ineligible because they were outside the government-designated exposure zone in and around Nagasaki. Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the organization received the prize for 'its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.' 'I was overjoyed,' an 81-year-old woman in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, wrote. 'But I do not want to stop at joy. Without giving up hope, I want to keep walking toward a world without nuclear weapons or war.' Nihon Hidankyo winning the prize encouraged a hibakusha to start sharing her experiences. 'I had never told anyone that I am a hibakusha. But people around me changed after the award,' an 81-year-old woman in Gifu wrote. 'I spoke in front of 14 or 15 people, saying I am a hibakusha. They listened attentively.' 'I AM NOT HELPLESS' As the number of hibakusha able to recount their experiences declines, passing on their memories has become an urgent task. According to the health ministry, the average age of those holding the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate was 86.13 as of March. The number of certificate holders stood at 99,130, down from a peak of 372,264 in 1981. It fell below 100,000 for the first time since the issuance of the handbook began in 1957. Only a combined 48.9 percent of respondents think that the experiences and thoughts of hibakusha were being passed on to the next generation 'fully' or 'to some extent.' 'No matter how many times I speak, the horrors of the atomic bomb do not get through,' an 88-year-old woman in Hiroshima said in a response written by a welfare facility employee. A 79-year-old woman in Isa, Kagoshima Prefecture, wrote: 'I sometimes want to give up (speaking), but I must not. I may be powerless, but I am not helpless. I want to live while thinking about what I can do where I am.' Asked if they have ever shared their experiences with someone, 28.3 percent of respondents said they have never done so. The most common reason was vague or lost memories, picked by 24.8 percent. Others cited a lack of opportunities (13.2 percent), fears of discrimination or prejudice (9.2 percent), emotional pain of recalling experiences (7.7 percent) and despair of ever being understood (7 percent). 'I wish people would listen seriously, but I am worried that they may brush off (my account),' a 94-year-old woman in Nagasaki said in a response written by a welfare facility employee. While some elderly hibakusha try to avoid recalling painful memories, those who were exposed as children struggle to speak because they have faint recollections. 'I have no recollection myself, so it is difficult to pass anything on,' an 80-year-old woman in Hiroshima wrote. 'I do not know what to do.' IMPLORING THE YOUNG As they grow older, some hibakusha can no longer express themselves as they once did. 'There is so much I want to share, but I cannot even write anymore,' an 86-year-old woman in Tokyo's Kita Ward said in a response written by her daughter. 'I am sorry (that I cannot be of help) at this important opportunity.' A woman wrote on behalf of her 95-year-old mother who lives in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture, and is suffering from dementia. 'If only my mother were younger, she could have answered more,' the daughter wrote. Asked if they think nuclear weapons can be abolished, 36.9 percent of respondents said no, exceeding the 27.9 percent who said yes. War and nuclear threats persist, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 'It feels like lawlessness is going unchallenged globally,' an 81-year-old woman in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said in a response written by her daughter. 'Nuclear armament has been increasingly justified, and I worry that we are backing away from nuclear abolition.' A 79-year-old woman in Tokyo's Meguro Ward wrote: 'I am disheartened by the foolishness of politicians around the world. Not only politicians but also we citizens are irresponsible and self-centered.' Still, many respondents place their hopes on future generations. A 96-year-old man in Miki, Kagawa Prefecture, said he has a plea for young people. 'Please pass on the horrors of the atomic bomb, the tragedy of war and the preciousness of peace to as many people as possible,' he wrote. An 83-year-old man in Tottori said it is important to repeat and continue together even if each person's power is small. 'If we remain silent, the powers that be mistakenly believe that their views have been accepted,' he wrote. 'Let's keep speaking out, even in a small voice.' An 80-year-old woman in Mikasa, Hokkaido, said, 'Don't think you are not qualified to speak just because you were not exposed. I believe that learning and inheriting (hibakusha's experiences) together leads to world peace.' * * * Media resolved to document and pass on A-bomb survivors' stories By TAKAAKI TAMURA/ Staff Writer 'I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' So said J. Robert Oppenheimer, a U.S. theoretical physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb, upon witnessing its power in an experiment. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 claimed more than 200,000 lives by the end of that year. It was the worst act of indiscriminate slaughter in human history. Eighty years later, the average age of survivors exceeds 86, and their numbers have fallen below 100,000. The fading of memories over time is inevitable. Yet the threat of nuclear weapons remains a pressing issue globally. What can the media do? This year, The Asahi Shimbun partnered with The Chugoku Shimbun and The Nagasaki Shimbun, the newspapers based in the cities destroyed by the atomic bombings, which have continued to confront the reality of the catastrophe. We believe it is our duty to go beyond corporate boundaries and gather as many testimonies as possible. We received 3,564 responses, which contain shaky or blurred handwriting as well as densely written letters. Each and every one deserves to be preserved for future generations. We will publish articles based on these responses. We hope they inspire readers to reflect on what we can do to ensure no one ever suffers from atomic bombing again. * * * Takaaki Tamura heads The Asahi Shimbun's News and Analysis Center on Nuclear Issues.
Asahi Shimbun
18-07-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Steeped in time, umeboshi offer delicious gifts to the future
Ume plums dry in the sun under a blue sky on the morning of Aug. 7, 2019, in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) When Japanese writer Tsutomu Mizukami (1919–2004) was 9, he entered a Zen temple in Kyoto as a 'kozo'—a novice monk who had taken the first step into a monastic life but was not yet fully ordained. There, he learned how to heat water, build a fire, use a broom and prepare tea. Morning and evening, in the midst of these daily routines, he was taught the spirit of 'gyojitsu'—a Zen approach to practice that sees every moment of daily life, not just seated meditation (zazen), as part of spiritual training. Through mindful, deliberate action, this way of living cultivates inner discipline and can lead to sudden, spontaneous moments of 'satori,' or awakening. In 'Tsuchi wo Kurau Hibi' (Days of eating earth), Mizukami wrote that he also learned how to make umeboshi—pickled and salted ume plums—at the temple. After being bathed in the rains of the rainy season, the ume were carefully washed and then pickled in salt. When the summer 'doyo' period arrived—a transitional stretch of about 20 days before the start of autumn—they were laid out to dry under the summer sun. At night, they were left outside. 'Ume like the night dew,' the 'osho'—a trained and accomplished monk—who served as his mentor used to say. Many years passed, and by the time Mizukami was approaching 60, the monk had passed away. One day, Mizukami had the opportunity to reunite with the monk's daughter. As they reminisced about the past, she offered him some umeboshi, saying they were from a batch that had been in her family for decades. In fact, the fruits had been pickled the year her parents were married—53 years earlier. 'I silently and respectfully accepted them, overcome with emotion,' he wrote. Late that night, at home, he placed one in his mouth. At first, the taste was bitter and sharp. But gradually, it softened—spreading gently across his tongue and transforming into a sweetness like nectar. He shed tears for that umeboshi, which had endured for 53 years. Umeboshi endure. Their long life gives rise to memories—and perhaps even stir thoughts of a distant future. One day, someone will taste ume pickled this year and wince at the sharp sourness. The thought alone brings a quiet sense of joy. July 19 marks 'Doyo no Ushi no Hi,' the midsummer Day of the Ox during the doyo period. With the return of the summer heat, we may once again see the familiar sight of ume drying under the sun. Haiku poet Teijo Nakamura (1900–1988) captured the essence of this season in a single verse: 'Ume drying in the sun/ while people hide in the shade.' With the blazing sunlight arrives the season of umeboshi making. —The Asahi Shimbun, July 18 * * * 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.
