• 投 [トウ・なげる] – to throw; to invest in
• 票 [ヒョウ] – ballot; ticket

Did you throw in your ballot yesterday?

• 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

靖 [セイ・やす]  – peaceful

国 [コク・くに] – country

神 [シン・かみ] – god(s)

社 [シャ・やしろ] – shrine

靖国神社 is a famous shrine in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (東京都千代田区) that is dedicated to the spirits of Japanese soldiers who have been martyred.  International controversy has resulted from visits by Japanese politicians to the shrine due to the presence of war criminals who have been enshrined there.

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.

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

麻生首相の「ＫＹ」は「漢字が読めない」の略

確かに漢字は難しい。私自身、初めて目にする地名など、漢字の読みが分からない場合が多々あるし、長年思い込んできた読みの間違いに気が付いて恥ずかしい思いをすることもある。だが、麻生首相の演説を聴いていると、平均的な日本人よりも漢字の読みを知らないのではないかと疑いたくなる。

ビデオニュースでも、麻生首相が「前場（ぜんば）」を「まえば」と言い、「有無（うむ）」を「ゆうむ」と読んだ話が失笑交じりに紹介されていた。私がテレビやネットの麻生演説で気が付いた誤読？だけでも、「詳細（しょうさい）」を「ようさい」、「踏襲（とうしゅう）」を「ふしゅう」と読んでいた。

麻生首相は新聞を読まないらしい。マンガばかり読んでいて、国際政治は「ゴルゴ１３」で勉強しているというジョークも聞いた。が、ひょっとすると、ジョークではないのかもしれない。クレー射撃でオリンピックに出場した経験を持つ麻生首相は、狙撃の名手ゴルゴ１３に自らの姿を投影していたりして。

「ＫＹ（空気を読まない）」と揶揄された首相もいたが、麻生首相の「ＫＹ」は、「漢字が読めない」の略のようだ。ビデオニュースによると、麻生首相の所信表明演説や「文藝春秋」の論文は、朝日の記者が書いたらしいが、漢字の読み方の誤りを教えてあげる人はいないのだろうか。「太郎ちゃん、マンガばかり読んでいないで、少しは勉強もしなさい」と。

http://www.news.janjan.jp/culture/0811/0811081029/1.php

白坂和彦

Vocab list coming (if I ever get around to it)

Prime Minister Aso’s “KY” is an abbreviation for “Kanji ga Yomenai” (cannot read kanji).

Without a doubt, kanji are difficult.  I, myself, run into situations where I cannot read  placenames, etc., the first time I see them.  And I am embarrassed when I realize that I have been misreading characters for a long time.  However, when listening to Prime Minister Aso’s speeches, one gets the idea that perhaps he understands how to read kanji even less than the average Japanese.

Even in televised news, PM Aso read “zenba” (morning trading session) as “maeba” and “umu” (existence) as “yuumu,” resulting in much laughter.  What mistakes did I notice while watching TV and surfing the net?  Everyone misreads “shousai” (details) as “yousai” and “toushuu” (following, as in footsteps) as “fushuu.”

It would seem that PM Aso cannot read a newspaper.  There’s even a joke going around that he only reads Manga, and that he studies international politics by reading “Golgo 13″ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golgo_13].  But a quick glance makes one wonder whether it really is a joke.  Aso, who has had the experience of competing in the Olympics in clay pigeon shooting, seems to be projecting himself onto the famous sniper “Golgo 13.”

There have been heads of state who have been ridiculed with “KY (kuuki ga yomenai)” [lit: 'can't take a hint']) , but Aso’s abbreviation KY would appear to mean “Kanji ga Yomenai” (can’t read Kanji).  Referring to Aso’s policy speeches and essays in Bungeishunju (a Japanese magazine), an Asahi reporter apparently wrote, “Isn’t there someone who will teach me my mistakes in reading kanji?”  “Tarou… stop reading only Manga and do some studying.”

Shirasaka Kazuhiko

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.