Dear Peace lovers,

This is a translation of a transcript of "Super Hot Talk - Bill and Sen-ei" aired on Asahi NewStar on Thursday June 17, 2004 in Japan.

Mr. Bill Totten is a successful American businessman who has been living in Japan for 35 years, and Mr. Sen-ei Yo is a university professor, a naturalized Japanese, originally from China, who has now lived in Japan for 17 years.

I find many truth in Mr. Totten's comments. 9/11 has woken me up. It changed my view of the U.S. and of politicians back home in Japan. I have realized that not only Okinawa but the entire Japan is still occupied by the U.S. and those in power in the U.S., U.K, Australia and Japan are driving their citizens by sense of fear when they are supposed to be there to solve any disputes in peaceful manner instead.

At a rally we joined in Melbourne right after the U.S./U.K. leaders started this invasion to Iraq last March, when I was standing on the side of a road talking to a friend, a stranger - an Australian woman stopped by my side, knelt down and said to me calmly but firmly, "I am sorry that we dropped those bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki" and walked away.

I was left alone in a shock to know that there are people who think that way in the West, even in Australia, which probably didn't have that choice in its hand. Also at the same time, I felt horrible that we couldn't stop this invasion and the one to Afghanistan.

I still feel vexed and feel like apologizing all the Afghanis and Iraqis who have been killed, maimed, and still are suffering because of what I am partially responsible from being a citizen of the country which has supported this atrocity, as well as feel deeply for those soldiers of the "coalition of the killing," who are simply distinguished as "casualties" without appropriate compensation nor treatment.

Please read this talk which is sometimes funny yet very true all the way through, and please pass it on to others.

We the citizens of the world, have to get together, stop this nonsense and regain control on this planet somehow, and urgently.

Love, Peace and in Solidarity,

Chihaya


Transcribed in Japanese by Megumi Marinelli
Translation by Chihaya  kisshoten12@hotmail.com
Edited by Mr. Bill Totten.
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Super Hot Talk - Bill and Sen-ei
- Depth of News -
Asahi NewStar
 http://www.asahi-newstar.com/

Thursday June 17, 2004

Sen-ei(SY): When we both appeared on "Takeshi's TV Tackle"(a TV program) on TV Asahi the other day, we were asked to rate Prime Minister Koizumi. I gave him 50 points out of 100 but your rating was "0." Then you gave "-100" to President Bush. I'd like to ask you the reason for this rating.

Bill(BT): First of all, there are many people who believe that Bush is the worst president in American history. Mr. Koizumi should get "0" or "-100" as a prime minister of Japan. But he should get "100" as "the viceroy governing Japan as a colony of the United States."

SY: I thought that there haven't been any viceroys in Asia since the return of Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997.

BT: Japan has had one since 1945.

SY: Is Mr. Koizumi the best in history?

BT: I think they are all the same. After Kakuei Tanaka, except Uno, they are the same. Ryutaro Hashimoto once said, half jokingly, something to the effect that he would sell off the U.S. Treasury bonds that Japan had bought, but he shut his mouth a week later, when the U.S. leaked information about his girlfriend in China. So, unless you are very obedient, the boss will come and beat you down right away for sure. And obedient means governing everything in Japan to satisfy the needs of the U.S.

SY: But should a viceroy ridicule his own country? That would be too much.

BT: Sorry, but I think Mr. Koizumi is just grandstanding. I think he is using his position as Prime Minister merely to satisfy his own ego. It seems he simply wants to appear on TV everyday, say something cool, and play his role as a Prime Minister like an actor on a stage. He has forgotten about his responsibilities. Rather than using his position to help his country, he is using it merely to satisfy his own pride.

SY: What do you think of the upcoming U.S. presidential election?

BT: In a way, I actually hope Bush wins reelection. The policies, actions, and achievements of all recent presidents - Reagan, Bush Major, Clinton, and Bush Minor - have been almost identical, I mean as for their policies and what they achieved. Reagan's policies were horrible, but he was a nice guy. Clinton was the same. Papa Bush was not such a bad guy either. But in addition to horrible policies and actions, this Bush is so clumsy that he is making himself and the United States repugnant to other nations and to people throughout the world. If Kerry wins the election, his policies and actions will be nearly identical to those of Bush; but since Kerry is smoother, he would cause less revulsion than Bush. So I think it might be good for the world to have this clumsy Bush as President for another four years.

SY: I see. You mean, it will be easy for everybody to realize the evil of American hegemony if Bush continues to be your President.

BT: Yes. America is fundamentally bad. It's like a cancer cell. Anglo Saxons are bad. I myself am Anglo Saxon; I have Viking blood. The Vikings invaded France from Norway(thus "Normandy"), then England in 1066, later conquered Ireland and the rest of the British Isles, and then North America. Vikings spread like cancer cells. Asian and African countries didn't invade others. Neither did the native people of North and South America. Asians, Africans, and Native Americans are primarily farmers, people who cultivate their own gardens, growing and making the things they need or want. Vikings, Anglo Saxons, are primarily hunters, people who hunt and take the things they need or want. And the more they get, the more they want. The west coast of the American continent seemed the end of their journey after gold was discovered and California was conquered in the middle of the 19th century. But it was not. Lincoln's Secretary of Foreign Affairs(Secretary of State), William Seward said, "Now that we have reached the western shores of this continent, we next shall move on to China via Alaska and Siberia, then Japan via Hawaii and the Philippines." The United States has continued to carry out this strategy of attack and conquest which, for those who care to read, is described explicitly in that nation's official documents. The Vikings will continue spreading like cancer cells until someone or something arrests the spreading. We've got to control it. At this time, I view Bush as our most hopeful anti-cancer drug.

SY: I see. Since Bush is a cancer cell that is easy to detect, it will arouse an immunizing capability? Yesterday, Chief Secretary Abe met an American Democratic politician who might be nominated for Vice President if Kerry becomes President. Mr. Abe clearly said, "I am concerned that U.S. policy against North Korea might change if Kerry wins."

BT: I like the Japan of the Edo era and its high economic growth days. Japanese are so cheesy nowadays. Basically they flatter the strong and are arrogant to the weak. I think Japan's attitude towards North Korea is really cheesy. I believe North Korea is a very unfortunate country, and it's not harming Japan.

SY: But from the viewpoint of the Japanese public, North Korea kidnapped its citizens.

BT: How many?

SY: Currently about ten have been verified as having been abducted.

BT: Several decades ago, Japanese kidnapped six million people from the Korean Peninsula. I think they should repent for what they've done - their giant sin - before blaming somebody else for a much smaller sin.

SY: Last week, when I talked about that issue in this program, one viewer called me at my university and said, "Korea was part of Japan back then, so there was no problem no matter how many people Japan took from Korea."

BT: I see. Isn't that like saying that you can rape somebody else's wife after stealing her? After invading a country it's okay to kidnap its citizens? That invasion itself was a lot worse to begin with. It was the Japanese Government that kidnapped six million people from the Korean Peninsula. Was it the North Korean Government that kidnapped ten to fourteen Japanese? Do you have proof?

SY: Kim Jun Il has admitted that a part of his military did it, but I personally believe it was their Government, and that party of that country with that kind of establishment that must have done it.

BT: If ten Japanese were kidnapped by an American gang, Japan's government would use the legal system to deal with the problem. But Japan's government merely stirs public emotion against North Korea. And I've never seen any concrete evidence.

SY: You mean they should take legal procedures to seek a solution for this problem of North Korea kidnapping Japanese?

BT: In other words, it would make more sense to me if they use the same methods in dealing with a weaker nation as they do in dealing with a stronger one. It's just like a bully at school - to flatter the strong, and be arrogant to the weak. Japan's approach is so cheesy, and those who genuinely love Japan cannot be proud of it.

SY: I believe kidnapping is a crime we should strongly condemn. And I definitely oppose the system of North Korea because I experienced similar things in China. But I think the rest of the victims, if there are any left over there, should be rescued in the most efficient manner. Also, Japan should do things in order to make North Korea pose no military threat to Japan. In that respect, there are many factors I cannot agree with on Wide Shows(a variety program) on TV and especially what is called public opinion. Especially those TV commentators who claim, "I care about the victims' families the most." It is an important issue, but I believe there are many other critical issues.

Japanese guest(name unknown): Something bothers me about your comment, Mr. Totten. I don't remember the precise number of the Koreans who were taken to Japan from the colonized Korean Peninsula, but I think it was in the hundreds of thousands. Actually, it doesn't make any difference if it was hundreds of thousands or a million because it was bad anyway, but I don't think it was six million.

BT: I heard some hundreds of thousands were forced to be prostitutes for Japanese soldiers and six million were taken to Japan. Those figures could be incorrect.

Above Japanese: Yes, I think they are.

BT: The other thing is that murder is worse than kidnapping. From time to time, Japanese get killed by Americans. A high school student was killed in Louisiana some years ago, another one by a baseball bat in Colorado. But Japan doesn't blame the United States or the U.S. government. They deal with these as domestic crimes. In short, they don't get mad with the U.S. But with North Korea, they blame the nation and its government. They deal civilly with(when not toadying to) a stronger state, but bully weak ones. You cannot be proud of such behavior.

SY: Being an American, could you tell me your opinion about what the Bush Administration is doing in Iraq - their military attack and its occupation?

BT: Totally wrong. I believe what Bush is doing right now is quite similar to what Hitler did in Europe several decades ago. I started to dislike the U.S. government when I realized it was acting totally contrary to the American ideals I was taught by my parents and in school. Americans attacked Hitler for what he did, but now Bush is doing what Hitler did. We can assume Bush attacked Iraq to help Israel or to steal Iraq's oil, but we know that the reason he gave(about dreadful weapons) was a pure lie. Bush led Americans to believe that Saddam Hussein had a relationship with Al Qaeda, but that was also a lie. There was no honest reason to attack Iraq. In the past, the U.S. always denounced, and often attacked, any nation that did the same things it is doing now. The U.S. government now is acting exactly contrary to American ideology as conceived by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, other founding fathers, and earlier leaders; so Americans who revere American ideology abhor its current actions.

SY: Then, what do you think about the humanitarian mission of the Japanese SDF(Self Defence Force)?

BT: One who aids and abets a murderer or a rapist is as guilty of murder or rape as the murderer or rapist. The U.S. started this international conflict against Iraq and is using violence. In aiding and abetting the violence against Iraq, by providing transportation and other services to the U.S. attackers, Japan is as guilty of using violence or the threat of violence to solve international disputes as is the U.S. So Japan is flouting its own Constitution, which proscribes the use of violence or threat of violence to solve international disputes. Prime Minister Koizumi should be tried in a criminal court for defying and scorning Japan's Constitution.

SY: As a matter of fact, there are many Japanese citizens who think the way the U.S. is treating Iraq is shocking. There were no WMD(weapons of mass destruction). No relation with Al Qaeda. But Japan has to help the U.S. Why? Japan is under threat from North Korea nowadays, so in order to protect itself, it needs the help of the U.S. Thus Japan has to follow the U.S. And then, the U.S. will protect Japan.

BT: I'm sorry to say this but there are so many idiots around here. Something is not necessarily correct just because many people say so. The majority of Japanese never read the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. Many politicians haven't, nor citizens either. In this one A4 size sheet of agreement, there is no statement that guarantees that the U.S. will protect Japan. When the mass media tell the same lie repeatedly, people start to believe that lie. The Japan-U.S. Security Treaty says something like this: "The U.S. will take appropriate action according to the standards of the United Nations if Japan is invaded." That's all. But without knowing what the Treaty actually says, Japanese believe that the U.S. will protect Japan. Japan's leaders are building North Korea up as a villain to justify their meekly obeying orders from the United States. The Japanese Government and mass media are doing their best to convince Japanese citizens that "North Korea is a threat. North Korea is a threat. We have to do what the U.S. tells us to do, in order to protect us from North Korea." But that is not true. And it's not democracy to control people with lies. The same can be said about the States. Nowadays, what people think is "democracy" is in fact control of people with money and lies. Neither Japan nor the United States is democratic. Another thing is that a nation's constitution takes precedence over any of that nation's other laws. If you watch the politicians at the Diet on TV, it's obvious that the constitution must come first. But in Japan, whatever the Prime Minister promises the President of the United States always overrides the Constitution. Returning from the States, Mr. Koizumi says, "I promised this to the President of the United States, so Japan must do it." Thus, what the U.S. President is demanding Japan to do comes first. Asahi Newspaper used to be more vigilant and report critically. But nowadays, all the papers or TV stations are saying the same thing, Citizens do not have a choice. They can choose only when they have information on both sides of an issue, from left and right. And since the mass media simply parrot whatever the government says, most citizens don't realize how blatantly their government's actions flout Japan's Constitution and moral standards.

SY: I think Mr. Koizumi will be damaged severely if the Bush Administration falls. Japan is going to pay 550 billion yen for Iraq. And I was worrying that we wouldn't get any advantage out of it if Bush loses. But you're telling me that there is no significant benefit for Japan regardless of who wins, either Bush or Kerry. They won't protect Japan anyway.

BT: Well, yes, the U.S. will protect Japan. But under one condition - if there is some benefit to the U.S. to protect it. Some benefit in return for protecting Japan, for example, would be if Japan gives Toyota and Matsushita to the States. What I mean is that the U.S. will decide whether they will protect Japan or not. It's completely up to them.

SY: China has the second largest number of U.S. Government bonds in the world after Japan. As far as I know, they are currently holding 120 billion dollars.

BT: But recently they reduced the amount and are changing it to Euros.

SY: Yes. Is China holding them voluntarily or is it being made to hold them like Japan is? What do you think?

BT: I think China is more independent. Their economy is growing and they are targeting the U.S. market, so they are more businesslike. May I say something nasty? Those convicted as war criminals for starting World War II, the ones not executed, got thrown into Sugamo Prison after Japan lost the war. But when the Korean War began, the U.S. military occupiers released them. One of them, Kishi Nobusuke(grandfather of Chief Secretary Abe), formed what is now the Liberal Democratic Party(LDP), the right-wing political party that has dominated Japanese politics ever since. Another formed Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, which has been and still is the primary propaganda organ in Japan for both the LDP and the U.S. government. Japan's government since the war ended has been and still is essentially the same as the government that got Japan into that war. And the coalition of government, giant corporations, and mass media since the war, has been and still is the same as the coalition that got Japan into that war. The only difference between postwar and prewar that I can see is that Japan's prewar leaders aggressively pursued policies they believed to serve Japan's national interests while Japan's postwar leaders meekly obey dictates from the United States to govern Japan in ways that serve the national interests of the United States, not Japan. Postwar Japanese leaders understand that, to survive politically, they must betray their own nation and citizenry to serve U.S. interests; like traitors anywhere, they betray their nation and their compatriots to serve themselves. That is the fundamental difference between postwar Japan and postwar China. Chinese leaders may make mistakes, but they are acting for their nation, not betraying it to a colonial master.

SY: That's why Mr. Koizumi said in the election poster, "For Japan."

BT: But his real intention is for himself. He is exploiting Japan for Koizumi himself.

SY: You call Mr. Koizumi a viceroy. What do Japanese citizens look like from your point of view?

BT: Recently I think they are like a flock of sheep. I think Confucianism is the primary difference between Japan now and Japan in the Edo era. Leaders of the Edo era may have been dictators, but they obeyed Confucian or Bushido(samurai spirit) precepts to use their power for the benefit of the people they governed, not to use that power selfishly for themselves. Most Japanese leaders educated after 1945 have received no moral or ethical education - neither Confucian, nor Bushido, nor any other - so they use their power selfishly for themselves. There is no one like Hakuseki Arai(Confucian teacher and moral supervisor of leaders, 1657-1729) in Japan now to advise or constrain them. That's why most postwar Japanese "leaders" have clung to power by betraying their nation and compatriots to the United States; that's why the current prime minister uses his position to flatter his own ego instead of using it to serve his nation and compatriots.

SY: You viewers, who have been described as a flock of sheep by Mr. Totten, please send us mail or faxes about what you thought or any refutation you may have.