|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Almost, But Not Quite
- By:Terri Nii
- The UMJ Volume 3.3 Anniversary Special (Editorial)
|
When I told a friend that it looked like a non-Japanese was a candidate for a Diet seat in the recent election, she said, "He's run before....his name is something like "Manazuru" I think." "Manazuru" means "1,000 Cranes" and is a symbol of good fortune; strange name for a non-Japanese candidate, I thought. His campaign poster said: "Aoime wo shita kokkai giin wa ikaga desu ka?" I had seen the poster well in advance of hearing or seeing the actual candidate himself, so I must admit that questions about his own authenticity and that of his objectives crossed my mind. The front of the campaign pamphlet features a huge umeboshi in the middle of a box of rice next to which is a cup of green tea with the outline of an origami crane on it. The candidate himself is seated, leaning forward and looking into the camera with a smile. He holds chopsticks in his right hand and looks poised to have lunch. Circling his head is the above question, "How about a foreigner in the Diet?" and to the right is his katakana name written in red with what could have been a calligraphy brush. The image is rather busy and somewhat amusing, certainly attention getting, but one may be forgiven for wondering exactly what's going on. Tsurunen Martei (phonetic) was born in 1940 in Finland where he graduated from Social Welfare College (translated). From there, as a missionary, he went to the USA to study English and then to Japan where he has continued missionary work and taught English. He has lived in Japan for 30 years. Six years ago he was elected Assemblyman for his city of Yugawara and based on this experience and his belief that the voices of local citizens are not heard at the national level, he decided to run for national office. Three years ago in the Lower House election he received 340,000 votes and his campaign felt that he was just one step away from election, hence the recent candidacy. He was naturalized 19 years ago and compares himself to previous westerners who have become Japanese citizens: "Sort of like a Heisei-era Koizumi Yakumo." There were 12 candidates vying for 3 seats from Kanagawa Prefecture; 2 of them were incumbents and another 2, including Tsuruen, were Japanese nationals with non-Japanese ethnic backgrounds. The other candidate was Yo Shi En, a naturalized Japanese from Shanghai. (Besides these two candidates from Kanagawa Prefecture, an additional two candidates for other regions had non-Japanese ethic backgrounds.) We watched the candidates present their campaign statements on TV and learned that one thing that Tsurunen advocated was facilities to enable the elderly and disabled to more easily take public transportation. Elevators in train stations, rail lines that travel along city streets, and access ways that allow passage by wheelchair are some of the things he supports. From his speech I could understand his earnest desire to improve our society and I was relieved that his candidacy was not some kind of a joke. I happened to be in the Fujisawa station area the Sunday afternoon before the election. Tsurunen Martei was circulating while a spokesman discussed his candidacy. Watching the reaction to him in the station, I noticed that while they looked his direction, most people did not want to approach him. Perhaps that was because there was a TBS camera and reporter chasing after him, but the scene resembled one in which a giant Mickey Mouse character stands in the middle of a group of children who are variously fascinated and afraid. The public was sort of interested, sort of apprehensive; fundamentally unsure about whether it was safe to talk with him or better to avoid an encounter. It was quite different from the campaign appearances of other candidates where people strain to shake hands with them. Perhaps it is not unlike how foreigners are treated in general, but in Tsurunen*s case this insecurity is a liability in that it translates to indecision and therefore missed votes. I hope that Tsurunen attempts another seat for national office. If he decides to run again, I also hope that he will think strategically about ways to overcome the invisible barrier separating him from the voting public so that he gets a chance to implement some of the ideas he has for public welfare.
|
|
|
