APP-101-41: Newsletter #3 (Modules9-11) by

1st Takeaway in M9- A fear that has not ended ~Dangers hidden in peace~

saitoku1_2 — 2024-05-03 23:07:29 UTC

In M9, I learned about the Vietnam War and the Korean War. And America's role in Asia. Especially, I focused on the Korean War. The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea in order to achieve national reunification by force. Strictly speaking, the Korean War is not completely over yet. The Korean War made an armistice agreement between North and South Korea. This made it possible to temporarily eliminate hostilities and keep people safe. However, I still feel that there are dangers lurking in the Korean War. It is true that a ceasefire is conditional on not conducting acts of war, but on the other hand, the problem is that we do not know when the war will resume. Many people hope that the war will not resume and that they will be able to live a peaceful life, but unless a formal declaration of war is made, there will be tensions and a sense of crisis in North Korea, South Korea, and other countries. I think compromise is also necessary in conflict. To protect people's lives, I hope for a formal declaration of the end of the war as soon as possible.

Reference

1 Mason, C. (2014a). A short history of Asia. Palgrave MacMillan. Page 301-304

2nd Takeaway in M10- Relations between economic powers ~To be number 1~

saitoku1_2 — 2024-05-03 23:08:07 UTC

In M10, I learned protest about between China and Hong Kong, and the relationship between China and United States. Especially, I focused on the relationship between the United States and China. The United States and China are the world's largest economies. The influence of the two countries in many aspects, such as military power, manufacturing, and technology, is enormous. On the other hand, it is also true that there is a complicated relationship between the two countries. Sometimes the two countries sacrifice their relationship for the benefit of their own country. For example, since around 1980, China has achieved rapid economic growth triggered by its reform and opening-up policy and has now risen to become the world's second largest economy. However, there are many cases where China has been indicted by the US Department of Justice for stealing technology from the United States and trying to promote China's economic growth. All of this led to the formation of a complicated relationship between the two countries. The United States and China are the largest economies in the world. Instead, there is a lot of bargaining between the two countries to make their country the best. By understanding these situations, I was able to learn about the international community and future international relations.

Reference

1. Hung, H. (2022). Clash of empires from “Chimerical” to the “New Cold War.” Cambridge University Press. Page 3.2 US Corporate Lawsuits against Chinese Entities.

2. One China Policy, CNBC Feb 3, 2017. 0’43”/ 1’57”

3rd Takeaway in M11- The Weapon called Power ~Those who rule and those who are ruled~

saitoku1_2 — 2024-05-03 23:09:49 UTC

In M11, I learned about the relationship between the citizens and the government. Especially, I focused on the power and influence of the government, using the example of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, China. First of all, the Tiananmen Square Incident is an incident in which the Chinese military used force against demonstrators for democracy in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, causing many casualties. From this, we can see that there is a big difference between the government and citizens. It is understandable that armed groups or hostages will use force to protect the safety of the people when they call for democracy against the government. However, as in the case of the Tiananmen Square massacre, it is not permissible to use force to suppress people without giving an opportunity to dialogue with those who have come to express their wishes. If, as in the case of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the government is increasingly dealt with by force rather than dialogue, the overwhelming power of the government will be entrenched, and citizens will not be able to raise objections, but will force to listen to those who have power. To protect people's safety and rights, I learned that peaceful negotiating power through dialogue is required.

Reference

1. Kent, Arthur. May 16, 2019. Tiananmen Square Massacre: Black Night in June. YouTube 3’54”/ 5’03”/ 5’51”/ 6’39”/ 8’11”/ 9’34

2. Xi Jinping: China’s president and his quest for world power. ABC News In depth Mar 1, 2021. 0’59”/ 2’39”/ 9’16”/ 10’31”/ 17’17”/ 20’19”/ 24’06”

The question I want to discuss with you- Relief for the weak man ~How to create an equal world~

saitoku1_2 — 2024-05-03 23:10:25 UTC

In M11, I learned about the relationship between the government and citizens through the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. The Tiananmen Square massacre clearly shows that the government claims that it is the government that has power over the people. I would like to have a discussion with everyone about what kind of relationship the government and citizens would benefits for many people. I think the role of the government is to be transparent and to disclose information to the public appropriately. Laws, constitutions, taxes, and other things are decided by the mostly government. In order to understand the process and build trust in the government's actions, they need the right to accurate information. Otherwise, only those in the government or those close to them will benefit, and the rest of the population will be forced to act and will not be able to live freely. In order to avoid this, dialogue and cooperation are necessary. If the government unilaterally uses force without giving the demonstrators an opportunity to talk, as in the case of the Tiananmen Square incident, not only will there be casualties, but it will also result in a completely unequal society in which only those who have power and money and other things will survive, and the rest of the people will not even be able to live. A while ago, in Japan, there was a problem of back money by government. It is that the Liberal Democratic Party, a political party in Japan, understated or omitted the Political Fund Balance Report on political funding parties. The amount is said to be more than $50000. However, they have not been arrested. Therefore, there are many opinions that the punishment is too lenient because they are member of the government. From this, I think there is a big difference between the government and the citizens. As the saying goes, "The people are under the law," all citizens should be treated equally by the law. In general, in order to build a relationship between the government and the people, it is necessary to first establish opportunities for dialogue and listen to the opinions of the people. If the use of force is used, as in the case of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the credibility of the people will fall to the ground, and merciless lives will only be taken. All citizens must be treated the same under the same laws. Mutual respect and cooperation are necessary, especially in democratic societies. I hope that this will lead to a better and more equitable society.

Reference

1. Kent, Arthur. May 16, 2019. Tiananmen Square Massacre: Black Night in June. YouTube 3’54”/ 5’03”/ 5’51”/ 6’39”/ 8’11”/ 9’34

2. Xi Jinping: China’s president and his quest for world power. ABC News In depth Mar 1, 2021. 0’59”/ 2’39”/ 9’16”/ 10’31”/ 17’17”/ 20’19”/ 24’06”

Current News- Broken friendships ~Punishment for misusing trust~

saitoku1_2 — 2024-05-03 23:11:13 UTC

1. Summary of the news article.

In middle March, Ippei Mizuhara who serves as an interpreter for Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers in the United States, who attracted a lot of attention around the world, especially in the sports in, was fired by the Dodgers for illegal gambling and stealing about $16 million from Shohei Ohtani to raise the funds. In this article, in addition to the relationship between Otani and Mizuhara, it is written about how Mizuhara stole money from Otani.

2. Why did you pick this article.

There are several reasons why I chose this article. The first is that the reality that Otani, who is one of Japan's top athletes and is now attracting attention from all over the world, has stolen a large amount of money from someone he trusts, is too painful to accept. I wanted to know why Mizuhara was into illegal gambling and stole money from her loved ones. The second reason is that I focused on relationships in NL3. South Korea and North Korea after the Korean War. China and the United States. and the Chinese government and the Chinese citizens. I've talked about how dialogue is an important factor in building relationships. Otani and Mizuhara met in 2013. At the time, Ohtani was in his first season as a professional baseball player. On the other hand, Mizuhara was in charge of interpreting for foreign players belonging to the Nippon Ham Fighters, which Ohtani joined. After that, Ohtani selected Mizuhara as an interpreter when tried to the MLB. In other words, the two have been in a relationship for more than 10 years. To spend so much time together, you have to trust each other a lot. However, I believe that it is true that the relationship between the two people has been broken by this incident. Therefore, what did Mizuhara think of Otani? I also chose this article because I wanted to know what actions I should take to maintain a good relationship for many years.

3. What was the author’s purpose or point in writing this article?

The important point of this article is that Otani, who is currently active not only in Japan but also in the world, had a large amount of money stolen. Also, the person who stole it was the person Ohtani trusted the most. No matter how much trust you build, in order to spend more time in a good relationship, you need to be careful and flexible with the other person. This is what I want to convey the most. How was Mizuhara able to steal such a large sum of money from Otani in the first place. There are several reasons for this. One is that Otani was not fluent in English, so he had his interpreter, Mizuhara, take charge of personal affairs and financial management. In other words, he was able to illegally access the bank account to which Ohtani's salary was transferred. Therefore, he changed the settings of Ohtani’s bank account so that even if funds were withdrawn from the account, the usage statement would be sent to Mizuhara’s mobile phone instead of Otani's, and he would have stolen the money little by little over a long period of time. However, this means that Mizuhara abused his relationship of trust with Otani. I never think that I need to be suspicious of any opponent in order to protect myself. However, it is often the case that a person's consciousness can easily change due to slightest event, and as a result, the relationship deteriorates. As a result, even people who have spent a long time together, such as Otani and Mizuhara, have a bad relationship because of one incident. In order to prevent this from happening, it is important to continue to build relationships with people you trust carefully and flexibly. I think this is an important factor that can be read from this article.

4. What are some comments or ideas you might have after reading this article?

When I read this article, I was reminded that a relationship of trust can easily be broken by one thing, and that it can develop into a big problem. Like Ohtani, I am still learning English and can hardly speak it. Therefore, there is sympathy for Ohtani's actions. If a trusted person can speak English fluently, it is no wonder that you rely on him. Of course, I think it would be best if I could improve my abilities and solve all things by myself. However, it is also true that you must spend a lot of time to do so. Therefore, we rely on those who can do it. I was able to relate to that part of the situation as someone who was in a similar situation. I was also able to think again about how one thing like this can lead to a deterioration in relations between different countries. In this NL, I focused on the relationships between people. I think the language barrier is the biggest issue. Communication is the most important factor in building a relationship. If you don't understand what the other person is saying, you can't empathize with them, and the difference in perception can make a big difference. This can lead to a bad relationship. On the other hand, I believe that if the relationship is good, problems are less likely to occur, and even if problems occur, they can deal with promptly. In conclusion, conversation is what people need to build relationships, and even if they trust each other, they need to carefully. Also, a relationship can easily be broken by a slightest thing, and it can end in the worst way, as in this article. Through this article, I felt that I was able to learn more deeply about what kind of actions are important to build a relationship.

Citation

The New York Times. (2024, April 16). The surprising content of the complaint in which Ohtani was marked as “Victim A.” Toyo Keizai Online. https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/748157