"Haru's New Year" (Canada, 2018)

Viernes, 6 de marzo de 2026: 

 Last night, I watched the following movie in my Washitsu room.

 It was recorded on a USB-HDD (registration number 3) connected to a DIGA (2017 model). It aired on BS12 on January 31, 2026, at 8:40 PM. SATURDAY SHORT THEATER "Haru's New Year" (Canada, 2018, 19 minutes long, original language in English and Japanese, with Japanese subtitles for the English portion).

 We Japanese are not good at foreign languages. In Major League Baseball, the Olympics, and the Soccer World Cup, participants from countries other than Japan, young players and middle-aged and older staff, communicate normally with players, staff, and referees from various countries. 

 On the other hand, whenever I see Japanese people, they stick together only with other Japanese people and are unable to communicate with people from other countries. They turn their faces towards the ground or the feet of the other person (Japanese people cannot make eye contact with others), and only shake hands almost silently and expressionlessly. In interviews, coaches and athletes from other countries, even those from non-English speaking countries, routinely answer in English, but Japanese people speak in Japanese.

 Even on the international political stage, in Japan's case, even the Foreign Minister cannot speak English. At gatherings of world leaders such as the G7 and G20, Japanese politicians are always isolated, sitting alone with their heads bowed, or simply smiling and silently turning their faces away in greeting (which gives the impression of rudeness...).

 People of foreign descent born and raised in Japan (those with one or both parents having roots in countries other than Japan) also become typical "Japanese." Koreans, Chinese, North Koreans, and people from Southeast Asian countries often excel at foreign languages, displaying remarkable "foreign language talent" from a Japanese perspective. However, Koreans and Chinese residents in Japan, born and raised in Japan, become "ordinary Japanese." People of Indian, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, Filipino (many of whom marry into rural Japanese farming families), and Thai descent, when they are born and raised in Japan, become "ordinary Japanese." Even those who are Caucasian or Black in appearance, when born and raised in Japan, develop the same level of foreign language proficiency as "ordinary Japanese."

 This is a truly puzzling phenomenon. I am unable to provide a linguistic, cognitive, anthropological, sociological, or genetic analysis.

 Some believers in "linguistic nationalism" might say, "That's fine," but the fact remains that Japanese people stand out. Above all, the limited opportunities for them to utilize their talents (singers, actors, etc.) are a great waste.

 A long-standing historical analysis suggests that "because Japan has no history of colonial rule, Japanese people are poor at acquiring foreign languages." However, this theory has not yet been scientifically proven (based on historical and linguistic comparisons with countries that have experienced "colonial rule").

 There is no evidence that Russians or the various ethnic groups of Central Asia are proficient in Mongolian. Ordinary Filipinos do not speak Spanish. In the "foreign dynasties" where northern nomadic tribes ruled the Han Chinese, a "Sinicization policy" was almost always adopted (the ruling ethnic group "assimilated" the ruled ethnic group).

 While there is a connection between "colonial rule" under modern imperialism and linguistic "assimilation policies" (ethnic cleansing policies under the pretext of civilization), many cases cannot be explained solely by this.