As promised, here are some other kanji substitutes for country names. Note that the full (i.e. only) kanji versions are less common these days, with the katakana versions being preferred in most cases.  This is not, by any means, a complete list, but only a sampling of what you might be likely to run into.  Enjoy!

渡米 [とべい] – going to America

• 渡 [ト・わたる] – transit; cross
• 米 [ベイ・こめ] – rice; U.S.A.

For those who didn’t know, the character for rice (米) is often used by the Japanese to indicate “America.”  Why?  Glad you asked!

In the olden days, before the word “America” came to be written in katakana, it was written 亜米利加, with each character chosen for pronunciation.  Later, it was simplified to 米国 or “rice country.”  As far as I know, the name has little, if anything, to do with actual rice.  If anyone out there knows more about this than I do, please leave a comment!

Note that other countries are also abbreviated in this manner.  I’ll tackle that tomorrow.

戦略兵器削減条約 [せんりゃくへいきさくげんじょうやく] – Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

• 戦略 [せんりゃく] – strategy
• 兵器 [へいき] – weapons; arms
• 削減 [さくげん] – reduce
• 条約 [じょうやく] – treaty

イラン抗議広がる　改革派が追悼集会

イラン大統領選挙の結果に不満を強める改革派の抗議行動への支持が広がり始めた。都市部の若年層が中心だった集会にはここ数日、女性や高齢者も参加。抗議行動は地方にも広がっている。首都テヘランでは18日も改革派候補だったムサビ元首相の支持者が集会を開き、衝突で死亡した支持者を追悼した。改革派は抗議活動継続の構えを崩さず、政府は焦りを強めている。

同日夕にテヘラン市内の広場で開いた追悼集会にはムサビ氏の呼びかけに応じて弔意を示す黒い服を着た支持者が集結した。ロイター通信などによると参加者は数万人。イラン国営衛星テレビによるとムサビ氏本人も集会に姿を現し、演説した。イスラム教シーア派では死者を悼む集まりを40日ごとに開き、1979 年のイスラム革命の際にも反王制運動が拡大するきっかけになった。

ＡＰ通信によると、数万人規模が集まった17日の集会には伝統的なベール（チャドル）を着用した女性やタクシー運転手ら中間所得層が参加。富裕層の若者や学生が中心だった今週前半とは様相が変わり始めている。

Protests in Iran Spread – Reformers Gather to Mourn

Support for protests carried out by reformers, emphatically unhappy with the results of the Iranian presidential election, has recently begun increasing. Once, comprising mostly members of the young urban class, even women and the elderly have started to take part in recent days. Protests are even spreading geographically.

On the 18th, in the capital city of Teheran, the Reform Party candidate and former Prime Minister Mousavi gathered supporters to mourn the deaths of several supporters suffered in the conflict.

The Reform Party has not lost its will, and plans to continue its protest activities in the face of increasing government impatience.

Later that evening, in a Teheran plaza, protesters showed solidarity with Mousavi, wearing black garments as a sign of mourning.

Reuters and other news services reported the number of participants in the 10s of thousands. According to Iran’s state-run satellite television, Mousavi himself was present at the assembly and addressed the crowd. According to Islamic Shiia law, the period allowed for mourning a death is 40 days. This came about after the 1979 Islamic Revolution against the former Shah.

According to The Associated Press, of the 10s of thousands gathered on the 17th, many women wearing the traditional chador (چادر) and middle-class taxi drivers were also counted among the participants. The protests, once primarily driven by upper-class youth and students, had begun to change by week’s end.

今日の日本語

Today’s Japanese lesson is: 国連安保理 (こくれんあんぽり) – United Nations Security Council

Let’s take a look at how this breaks out into individual characters:

国 country
連 join, gang, clique
安 peaceful, safe
保 preserve, support
理 logic, arrangement

Now, let’s see the characters in compound form:

国連 – United Nations
安保理 – Security Council

ＮＡＴＯ＝北大西洋条約機構の首脳会議がルーマニアの首都ブカレストで始まりました。旧ソビエトのウクライナとグルジアの加盟問題をめぐる協議を行っていますが、各国の意見が一致せず、協議は難航しています。

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/2008/04/03/k20080403000034.html

加盟 [かめい] – participation, affiliation
協議 [きょうぎ] – negotiation, discussion
難航 [なんこう] – rough flight, running into trouble
北大西洋条約機構 [きたたいせいようじょうやくきこう] – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
首脳会議 [しゅのうかいぎ] – top-level summit, conference
首都 [しゅと] – capital city
始まりました [はじまりました] – (has) started
旧ソビエト – former Soviet
問題 [もんだい] – problem, issue
めぐる – to dispute
行っています [おこなっています] – is taking place
各国 [かっこく] – every nation
意見 [いけん] – opinion
一致（せず） [いっち] – (not) in agreement
難航しています – running into problems

A high-level NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) conference has started in Bulgaria’s capital city of Bucharest. In dispute is whether to admit former Soviet states Ukraine and Georgia. Because each country differs in opinion, the negotiations have run into rough waters.