Fall Term

For me, this fall term was great term. I've certainly improved my English, and thought toward "race."
In the first half of this term, we learned about culture. It included the problem of perception. It was the problem of perception that was most interesting in the first half of this term. Formerly, I was interested in the problems of perception of human beings. I've read some books about those problems.
However, I had ever thought those problems are related to the problems of culture. Before the classes, I had recognized perception of human beings just as philosophical problems. So, I was very surprised when I got to know the practical problems related to perception. Thanks to the classes, I came to be interested in the problems of perception more and I am going to read books about that in the fall vacation.
In the second half of this term, we learned many thoughts related to race. We have few chance to think deeply about race in our daily life. However, it is obvious that the problems related to race is important because that kind of problems cause many accidents in this modern world. Japan is not exception. Moreover, we are learning at ICU where a lot of people from different countries study together.
Honestly speaking, I couldn't find answer to the question: What is the "race" ?
However, I got many clues for seeking the answer to the question. Using this clue, I want to keep thinking about the question.
In addition to the reading of ELP reader, we have written one essay, and the topic was almost up to us, so we could choose the topics freely. I think that is why I could write my essay more smoothly than the spring one.
I chose "Japanese Government's Information Disclosure in Times of Disaster."
I think it was good timing for me to choose that topic because I was also investigating similar topic in my circle. That combination was another reason why I could write my essay more smoothly than spring.
Although I made a lot of mistakes in my essay, I could improve my skill of writing essay thanks to Mark. Your advices were always useful for me to compose my essay.
I want to improve that skill more and more through the rest of ELP.

Thank you Mark and my dear section BD mates :)

Revised Essay

The Japanese Information Disclosure in Times of Disaster

“It has no immediate impact on health” (The CNN Wire Staff). Many Japanese people must have heard this phrase many times in these past eight months. Since the miserable catastrophe in Tohoku district, Japanese citizens have been trying to revive their nation as much as they can. In addition to people going to disaster-stricken areas to work as volunteers, many scholars are also trying to make plans for revival of Japan.

However, there is one impediment that makes it difficult for tireless people to advance the actions for revival. The impediment is a lack of information. That makes the Japanese general citizens get antsy about the future and makes the scholars’ plans difficult to be enough ones. Recently, the Japanese government has been sending information about the earthquake and the accident of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as required through their website or press conferences. However, the quantity of the information that they have been sending is not enough for a lot of scholars to keep advanced researching. Moreover, the Japanese government is said to be concealing some information related to the accident, and because of it, they have become the focus of strong criticism from other countries’ media (Onishi and Fackler). In such an unprecedented circumstance of Japan, the present Japanese government’s attitude toward the policy of information disclosure in times of disaster must be changed.

Therefore, in times of disaster, the Japanese government should disclose all of the information they have because it offers three positive points for the Japanese citizens.

1) The Japanese citizens come to be able to take action independently and save their own safety by themselves.

2) Specialists come to be able to analyze accidents earlier than they do now and contribute to recovery of the situation.

3) The Japanese citizens and specialists come to be able to inherit the information of disasters to the next generations to convey how miserable the disasters were.

The problems of the present Japanese government’s attitude toward information disclosure in times of disaster are so serious, and they can be distinguished to two types by means of their features. First, the Japanese government sometimes makes some of the Japanese media unable to publish or broadcast about certain incidents or accidents compulsorily. In this case, the media cannot inform the news to the Japanese citizens correctly. For example, on March 18, ANI reported that 5 workers who worked for Fukushima daiichi nuclear plant died because of the accident (ANN). However, the Japanese media never reported such news. This reporting bias crucially shows the Japanese media had difficulties of reporting such news. Moreover, the Japanese government selected the media which can come to their press conferences about the accident in Fukushima (NISA). It means some media could not gain information from the government directly. It caused the unclearness of the information about the accident. Thus, such immoral actions of the Japanese government make it difficult for the Japanese citizens to acquire correct information from mass media. Second, the Japanese government sometimes delays the disclosure of information. Due to such delay, the beginning of researching about accidents is also delayed. Moreover, it causes the delays of revival from the miserable situations. For instance, though the Japanese government makes the children living in Fukushima get checkup of thyroiditis in March, the result was disclosed on August 17th, and it showed that 45% of the children’s thyroiditis were exposed to radiation (Hayashi and Ooiwa). It is clear that the result of the checkup had already been gotten before August. In spite of that, the Japanese government had not disclosed the result until August. The period from March to August is too long for the children to wait for the result of the checkup. Moreover, this delay endangered the health of the children who were turned out to have health problems. Indeed, this result was not to be expected, but the Japanese government should have disclosed it earlier to ensure the safety of the children. Thus, such delay of information disclosure is a crucial problem that the present Japanese government has.

As to these limitations of information, some scholars agree with them. They insist that such limitations of information disclosure in times of disaster are useful from the point of avoiding social panic. They seem to like to say that if general citizens get too much information in such situation, they will get into panic. However, this theory is not true. According to Rebecca Solnit who is the author of “A PARADISE BUILT IN HELL,” the theory that people get into panic because of flood of information is just a theory that is convenient for government officials (Solnit 175). She believes that in times of disaster the government officials get into panic because they have to consider a lot of different policy from present ones and they tend to regard the general citizens in the same light as themselves. Then, they misunderstand that the general citizens also get into panic. She also points out that when Three Mile Island Accident occurred, more than one hundred and fifteen thousand citizens took refuge independently and calmly(175). Therefore, the theory that general citizens get into panic in times of disaster if they are given too much information is untruth.

As shown above, concealment of information in times of disaster makes no senses. Then, the way that the Japanese government should take is to disclose whole information they have in times of disaster because it has three positive points for the Japanese citizens. First, if the Japanese citizens have whole information in such situation, they are able to choose the best way to avoid danger and they can take actions for it. For example, on 26th April 1986, Chernobyl Disaster occurred. It was so terrible accidents that the government of Soviet Union should have disclosed whole information to the general citizens immediately because the government must have known how dangerous being exposed to radiation. However, they did not inform the general citizens the fact immediately. Although one day after the accident the government directed the local people to leave their town, they were told that they could come back soon (Urabe). Due to such wrong information, some people might have misunderstood that the accident was not so dangerous. Thus, the general citizens in Soviet Union could not take appropriate actions because of the wrong information from the government. Therefore, for accurate judging of the general citizens, the government should disclose whole information in times of disaster.

Second, using whole information, specialists are able to carry out advanced researches. Nowadays many specialists are trying to make close investigation related to the accident in Fukushima on their fields of study. According to Iida who is the manager of ISEP, a lot of specialists are being confused because of lack of information about the accident in Fukushima, and if they can get much information, their analyses will precede more and more (Iida). His statement certainly shows that if the Japanese government disclose whole information, their researches will be improved and contribute to the earlier revival of Japan.

Third, abundant quantity of information in times of disaster enables general citizens and specialists to inherit the present circumstance to the next generations. Such inheritance is important because the societies of the next generations are able to avoid the same problems the past generations have faced by using the information that are inherited to them. Even the present Japanese people have succeeded to prevent accidents thanks to the lessons from past generations. For example, investigating committees about inheritances of past disasters are held by the Japanese government every year (Central Disaster Preventing Council). Of course, such efforts of the Japanese government should be applauded because these efforts enable the present Japanese citizens to understand how miserable the disasters were and the way to prevent such miserable results. However, if only a few part of the information is inherited, the societies of the next generations cannot have enough benefit from them. In order to inherit whole information to the societies of the next generations, it is necessary for the present Japanese government to disclose whole information in times of disaster. When such disclosure is accomplished, the effects of inheritance of information become maximum. Thus, there are three positive reasons suggesting that the Japanese government should disclose whole information they have in times of disaster.

So far, importance of whole information disclosure has been discussed. From here, the ways to improve present policy of the Japanese information disclosure in times of disaster are need to be discussed. In other word, it is necessary to find the ways to make the Japanese government disclose whole information they have in times of disaster. First, learning from other countries is one of the useful ways to improve present situation. For example, in the U.S., NARA plays an important role of information disclosure. It archives a lot of material of the U.S. and the general citizens are able to browse that for free (National Archives). Moreover, recently conversion to electronics of the material has begun, so it became easier for the general citizens to look for the information that they want to get. Indeed, Japan also has similar institution to NARA, which is called National Archives of Japan and it also let the general citizens browse the material they have for free. However, there is one fateful difference between NARA and National Archives of Japan. It is described that the U.S. government allows NARA to disclose material which has been erased from the list of governmental secrets while Japanese one does not do such thing (National Archives of Japan). Such flexible idea enables the general citizens in the U.S. to gain accurate information from the government. For accomplishing whole information disclosure, the Japanese government should adopt such idea to National Archives of Japan. Another way to improve this situation is to establish another sector related to information disclosure in times of disaster except for the present institutions of the Japanese government. It is clear that establishment of another sector of whole information disclosure is an effective solution for the present situation because the sector will be able to disclose information without immoral pressures from the Japanese government.

The present Japanese government has a lot of problems about information disclosure such as press restraints or delays of disclosing information. However, some solutions of these problems have been suggested. By using it, those problems will be solved smoothly. Moreover, fulfilling the solutions and accomplishing whole information disclosure in times of disaster will lead three positive effects for the Japanese citizens. These positives points must make the revival of Japan earlier and enable the Japanese people to avoid such miserable catastrophe anymore. (1781 words)

Works Cited

ANN. "Fukushima workers admit being on a "Suicide Mission". Yahoo News 18 Mar 2011.Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

Hayashi Yoshinori, and Yuri Ooiwa.Fukushima no Kodomo Hansu Chikaku ga Koujousen Hibaku Seihu Chousa de Hakkaku 17 Aug 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

Iida, Tetsunari. Interview by ICU UNESCO CLUB. 26 Sep 2011.

Japan. "Fukushima Genshiryoku Hatsudensho Jikotaisakutougouhonbu no Kyoudoukishakaiken no Jissi ni Tsuite." [About the Press Conference by Emergency Preparedness of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.]NISA, 23 Apr 2011. Web. 31 Oct 2011. <http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/oshirase/2011/files/230423-2-1.pdf>.

Onishi Norimitsu, and Martin Fackler. "Japanese Officials Ignored or Concealed Dangers."New York Times16 May 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

"Our Vision." National Archives of Japan. National Archives, Web. 31 Oct 2011.

"Saigai Kyoukun no Keishou ni Kansuru Senmonchosakai." Central Disaster Preventing Council. Cabinet Office, 2004. Web. 31 Oct 2011. <http://www.bousai.go.jp/jishin/chubou/kyoukun/index.html>.

Solnit, Rebecca. “A Paradise Built in a Hell.”<Saigai Yutopia.> Aki Shobou. Dec 2010. 175. Print.

The CNN Wire Staff. "Japanese officials will test food, seawater to determine health risks." CNN 22 Mar 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

Urabe, Masahiko. "Cherunobuiri no Kyoukun ni Manabe." asahi.com 24 Sep 2011.Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

"What is the National Archives?."National Archives.Web. 31 Oct 2011.

---Diamond---

Summary
Thorough whole parts of this text, Diamond tries to criticize the ambiguous thought toward race. He first denies the usual view toward race as "subjective." According to him, using this view, different elements or features make different classification of race. He expresses this situation as "the result of classification is not concordant." He   also points out  "hierarchy" of race. He criticizes that "hierarchy" is not useful because it is so vague in "race." Moreover, he shows the ideas of natural selection, sexual selection, no known function. In those, he recommends sexual selection. In conclusion, he states "snap judgment", quick and arbitrary judgment as dangerous action in modern world.

Reaction
Diamond seems to criticize a lot, but seldom suggests his own opinions. Indeed, at first look, his comments toward usual view are persuasive, but he does not state about sources he uses so much. This makes his text less persuasive. Moreover, his idea, sexual selection seems to be too subjective idea to me. How beautiful someone is can be changed depending on who, when, and how see them. If he wants to state that idea is useful, he should explain more.