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Asahi Shimbun
8 hours ago
- Health
- Asahi Shimbun
INTERVIEW/ Shoki Matsuyama: On sleepless nights, embrace the feeling of being alive
Various theories exist about why counting sheep helps people fall asleep, including one that 'sheep' and 'sleep' sound similar. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) HIMEJI, Hyogo Prefecture—People who have trouble sleeping at night because of their many worries should take a different approach to problems in life, Shoki Matsuyama, a resident nun at Futetsuji temple here, said. First of all, Matsuyama told The Asahi Shimbun, people in general should not pressure themselves into thinking they must sleep. And they should also ponder whether the problems that are keeping them up at night are really of 'their' concern, the nun said. Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1962, Matsuyama was a college student when she got married and gave birth. She then got a divorce and became a single mother. After working as a nurse and caregiver, she became a nun at age 48. Matsuyama has served as the resident nun at Futetsuji temple, which dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1867), since 2016. She offers advice to followers and aims to make the temple a 'shelter for all women.' Excerpts of the interview follow: * * * Question: What are some of your own experiences with sleeping difficulties? Matsuyama: When I was working as an assistant nurse, I was taking care of my grandmother, who used to wander alone at 2 or 3 a.m. She went out no matter how hard I tried to stop her, so I followed her and let her walk for several hundred meters. I had to take the first train to go to work every day after dawn. Q: The older we get, the more worries and sleepless nights we seem to have, right? A: I think it is OK to feel content about remaining awake rather than focusing on being unable to sleep. You can feel you're awake, and that is proof you're alive. Of course, a lack of sleep due to overwork and other factors is another matter. When you are satisfied with one thing, you will want something else. I hope people make concessions in a positive sense instead of falling into this cycle. It is as if to say, 'I sleep less, but 'oh well.'' Q: Family members may find it difficult to watch their loved ones experience sleepless nights. What can they do? A: No matter how much you like someone, you can't sleep for them. But I don't want people to feel overly responsible or guilty about something they cannot help with. Why can't people help but criticize themselves? In many cases, people who seek my counseling are troubled about things connected to their early relationships with their parents. I think many people can't forgive themselves because they weren't approved of when they were children and failed to fulfill their need for recognition. Q: Even if you can approve of yourself, will there always be sources of concern? A: I tell people to prepare slightly large sheets of note paper and write down one of their problems on each sheet. After they finish, I ask them whether those are 'their' problems. For example, if it is about their grandchild who skips school, it's not their problem. Then I ask them to rip the paper with a loud noise and throw it away. As you abandon things that can only be solved by someone else or time, there should not be many things left for you to solve on your own. It is also good to change the way you breathe. In 'zazen' meditation, the emphasis is placed on breathing, but there is something you can do while you lie down. When you count sheep, saying, 'One sheep, two sheep,' you can breathe deeper by breathing out slowly and uttering the words much slower. It is said that deep breathing prompts the secretion of serotonin, which is referred to as a 'happiness hormone.' A: Still, are we increasingly worrying about the future of ourselves and our families at night? Q: After the deaths of my grandfather and my father whom I loved dearly, I developed an interest in death. And I also saw an elder pass away at a nursing home where I was working. When old people are about to leave their bodies, every single one of them returns to an innocent state of being as if they were just born. I think the moment you are born into the world and start breathing with your whole body and the moment you die are the same thing. That was clear to me when I learned about the teaching of 'Fushozen' preached by Bankei, a Buddhist priest from the Edo Period. There is a famous anecdote. A man said he had a short temper since birth, so a priest told him: 'That's interesting. Bring it out right here and I'll cure it.' When the man said he couldn't bring it out at the moment, the priest said: 'If you can't bring it out now, you don't have it in the first place.' This means everyone is born only with a merciful heart. There are no such things as temperaments and values with which you are born. Of course, we all have different views of life and death, but I think there should be more opportunities for 'death education' where we prepare and learn about death. At any rate, there is no one else like you. Although there is no end to worries, people should first embrace the fact that they are alive now, enjoy their incompleteness and use themselves up completely.
Asahi Shimbun
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
China blasts Hegseth, says U.S. sowing discord in Asia
Senior military officials from various countries talk in a cafe of the hotel where the Shangri-La Dialogue is held in Singapore on June 1. (Kazuhiro Nagashima) SINGAPORE—Beijing fiercely criticized U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for calling China a 'threat,' arguing that the U.S. government is the one undermining peace and security in Asia. 'Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat,'' China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released on June 1. 'The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.,' it said. Hegseth made the speech on May 31 at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian defense conference in Singapore that was organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and supported by The Asahi Shimbun and others. The conference closed on June 1. In his speech, the U.S. defense chief stressed the 'military threat' posed by China and frequently referred to the Chinese side as 'Communist China' to emphasize the difference in political systems. He asserted that China is trying to gain hegemony in Asia. Hegseth also said the United States does not want war with China, but that it will re-establish deterrence. China's statement countered: 'No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.' Hegseth's speech heightened concerns in Southeast Asia over the widening gap between the United States and China. A Chinese scholar familiar with U.S.-China relations said Hegseth's speech clearly emphasized the U.S. stance in the Indo-Pacific region but raised other questions. Hegseth called for countries in the region to believe in the United States and spend more on defense as Europeans countries do. 'But isn't U.S. credibility declining in Europe?' the scholar asked. Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, commended Hegseth's speech as reassuring but said the references to China were too confrontational. And while the contents of Hegseth's speech may have been acceptable in Washington, they were not necessarily supported in Southeast Asia, where the conference was held, Cooper said. Phumtham Wechayachai, deputy prime minister and defense minister of Thailand, took the stage at the conference on June 1 and called for an easing of tensions through dialogue and other means, saying: 'Thailand stands firm on neutrality. We are friends to all.' A major focus of the conference was the U.S.-China relationship concerning trade and security. But China did not dispatch its defense minister to the conference. An expected U.S.-China meeting did not take place, and opportunities for communication were very limited. (This article was written by Sotaro Hata, and correspondents Ryo Kiyomiya and Takashi Ishihara.)
Asahi Shimbun
a day ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Hegseth: Japan must spend and do more to deter China threat
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference on May 31 in Singapore. (Kazuhiro Nagashima) U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Japan must immediately bolster its defense spending to help counter China's 'unprecedented' military buildup and aggressive posture. 'Deterrence does not come cheap and every single one of our allies and partners must do more now, including Japan,' Hegseth said in written interview with The Asahi Shimbun on May 31. 'I cannot overstate the urgency of this challenge, of confronting the hard truth about the threat the United States and Japan face.' Hegseth described China as a 'pacing threat' and 'top priority' for the United States. 'Communist China is building up its military at an unprecedented pace and has a growing willingness to use force to dominate the Indo-Pacific region,' he wrote. Hegseth said he has shown clear support for European allies to heighten defense of their continent by increasing defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP. 'Our Asian allies and partners should look to European countries as an example in defense spending to meet the far more formidable threat from Communist China, not to mention North Korea,' he said. Hegseth visited Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian defense conference organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and supported by The Asahi Shimbun and others. In a May 31 speech there, Hegseth called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region to increase defense spending, although he did not name the countries. In the written interview, Hegseth said: 'I am supportive of the work Japan is doing to strengthen the Japan Self-Defense Forces and improve its indigenous capabilities, but more must be done, and it starts with ensuring our defense spending reflects the danger of the threats we face today.' He added, 'The United States and Japan must act with a sense of urgency to modernize our Alliance to deter those threats and respond to potential contingencies.' In March, Hegseth visited Japan and the Philippines on his first overseas trip to the Indo-Pacific region as U.S. defense chief. He met with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and announced that the United States had started the first phase of upgrading U.S. military command in Japan. 'The old command and control structure in Japan did not meet our modern threat environment,' he said in the written interview. He said the upgrade is about 'warfighting and deterrence, and common sense.' 'Developing joint warfighting capabilities and enhancing interoperability with Japan will greatly strengthen our deterrence posture in the Indo-Pacific region and ultimately allow the Alliance to effectively deter and, if necessary, prevail in conflict.' When asked how the United States plans to balance its deterrence against China with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Hegseth said Washington is not abandoning other theaters. 'We are using common sense by allocating resources more prudently and asking our allies and partners to do their fair share,' he said. He indicated the United States will seek an expanded security role for Japan and other countries in the region. 'Prioritizing deterring China requires us to make hard choices alongside our allies and partners,' Hegseth said. 'We are asking, and indeed insisting, that our allies do their part to be real force multipliers, so America can concentrate where it counts most.' Regarding the situation in the Middle East, he said the United States fully supports Israel's defense. 'We will continue to support the President (Donald Trump) and Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff's efforts to achieve peace through strength in the region,' he said. He added, 'There will be no forever wars in the Middle East in this Administration.'
Asahi Shimbun
3 days ago
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Dazzled by the enigmatic smile of an ancient sculpture
'Nyoirin Kannon,' or statue of Seated Bodhisattva with One Leg Pendent, from Chuguji temple on display at Nara National Museum in Nara on May 20 (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Wanting to see a particular enigmatic smile in person, I traveled to the ancient Japanese capital of Nara. My destination was the Nara National Museum, where the celebrated Asuka Period (592-710) 'Nyoirin Kannon,' or statue of Seated Bodhisattva with One Leg Pendent, was on display in a special feature exhibition titled 'Oh! Kokuho: Resplendent Treasures of Devotion and Heritage.' The statue went on display on May 20 when some of the exhibits were replaced. To see the famed smile, one had to first complete a tour of the exhibition and see all the national treasures the museum had to offer. Only then, could a visitor be led into a dazzling white room that made one feel as if they were stepping into an alternate universe. There, in the center, materialized the 'kannon bosatsu'--or the goddess of mercy in Japanese Buddhism. The plump middle finger of her right hand touched her chin. Her left foot was on a lotus flower. With her eyes lowered serenely, she seemed to be contemplating the salvation of humanity. I had been told before that her face changed noticeably depending on the angle of view. That proved to be true. Up close, she looked infinitely gentle. Scrutinized from afar, she gave the impression of being determined or intense. This sculpture is made of wood, but its ebony sheen could have misled anyone into thinking it was metal. Everything about this treasure simply mesmerized me. In fact, many people have been captivated by this Japanese version of 'The Thinker.' Philosopher Tetsuro Watsuji (1889-1960) extolled it as 'the crystallization, in the shape of a human body, of our deepest and commonest yearning for mercy.' Photographer Ken Domon (1909-1990) put it much more simply: 'This is Japan's Madonna.' Domon deemed this bosatsu as a woman, probably because it was the main object of worship at Chuguji temple, a nunnery in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture. Originally, the statue was said to have been painted in bright colors and had a pectoral ornament. I learned this only after I left the museum, but that certainly did not detract from my appreciation for this treasure in any way. A tanka poem by Yaichi Aizu (1881-1956) goes: 'Looking up a Buddha statue/ lost in a reverie/ then I heard the footsteps/ on the museum floor' I was so immersed in the experience that I must have forgotten the time. When I 'came to,' so to speak, there were far more visitors around me than when I started. I left the small white room with reluctance. --The Asahi Shimbun, May 31 * * * 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.
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Hyogo Governor Saito can't evade accountability with platitudes
Governor Motohiko Saito of Hyogo Prefecture attends a news conference on May 28 in Kobe's Chuo Ward. (Takuya Tanabe) One classic example of politico-talk is 'shinshi ni uketometai,' which translates as, 'I intend to take (this matter) with the utmost sincerity.' This was repeated about 30 times by Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito during his news conference on March 26. He continued uttering the phrase while rejecting the assessment of the prefecture's third-party committee that he had broken the law in his handling of a whistleblower. Saito effectively declared that he had no intention of abiding by the decision of the very committee he himself had formed. And yet, he reiterated that he was taking the situation with the utmost sincerity. The above passage is excerpted from the March 28 installment of the Vox Populi column, which examined Saito's dubious response to a whistleblowing case. As someone expected to choose words with care and sincerity, I recognize that reusing a passage from a previous column may seem disingenuous. Yet, that is precisely what Saito himself is doing—regardless of the question posed to him, his responses consistently sound like they've been copied and pasted. In his most recent news conference on May 28, his oft-repeated platitude about handling the matter 'with the utmost sincerity' appeared just eight times. Yet his stance remains unchanged. This time, a third-party committee—different from the one cited in the March 28 column—investigated the leak of private information concerning a now-deceased whistleblower who had alleged corruption and harassment at the highest levels of the prefectural government. Based on multiple testimonies, the panel concluded that sensitive personal information about the whistleblower—who had served as head of the prefectural office overseeing the Nishi-Harima region—was most likely leaked under the instruction of the governor and former deputy governor. This is no minor issue. Yet, Saito continues to reject the committee's findings, even as he reportedly expresses a wish to personally apologize to the bereaved family of the late bureau chief. What, exactly, does he intend to apologize for—and how? The prefectural assembly will likely question the future course of the administration. But Saito's conduct carries implications that extend well beyond the boundaries of a single local government. What is truly troubling is the risk that his evasive style of response could set a precedent—becoming a 'model' for others to emulate. Even in the face of criticism over his handling of the whistleblower case, Saito continues to insist that his response was 'appropriate.' In 'The Passionate State of Mind,' U.S. philosopher Eric Hoffer (1902–1983) wrote: 'The justification of a past crime is the planting and cultivation of future crimes.' —The Asahi Shimbun, May 30 * * * 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.
