Diet Convenes for First Session of 2024
Yuichi Kurata
01/26/2024
The Diet opened an ordinary session on Wednesday. The primary focus of debate is on political reform including the role of the Prime Minister, which, although amendments have been proposed throughout the years, is not necessarily formalized under the constitution. With a clear majority in the Diet, some suspect that Sadazane Konishi may be able to push through such an amendment, however as of now no details with regards to what it might entail have been published. The House of Peers opened their plenary session at 10:00 AM local time by offering a silent prayer for the Imperial Family, which lost His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Eikō, on the 20th. The chairs of the chamber's standing committees were then appointed. At 1:00 PM, an opening ceremony was held with Emperor Eijirō attending, during which time he delivered a brief address to a joint session, after which he received the traditional
banzai salute seen at the end of such addresses.
Prime Minister Konishi then addressed the Diet, reporting on the previous year's budget, the nation's economy, news, and other key fields before setting his priorities and those of the Diet for the session. Among these priorities, he stressed the need for transparency by the government with regards to political funding, noting a recent scandal within the Yakumo provincial assembly wherein five members of the YFD failed to disclose funding for their campaigns on the part of DAIPEX. He further stressed that without this transparency, it would be difficult for the people to maintain their faith within the government, potentially risking its stability and the continued health of democracy within the country. Later on in his address, the Prime Minister alluded to his support for an amendment with regards to the office of Prime Minister, stating, quote, "...it has been 135 years since the Constitution was promulgated, and yet even today, the Head of the Government only fills that role through procedure and laws passed after the fact."
Yet while many observers see Konishi at the peak of his popularity, it cannot be said that he lacks any detractors. Though his response to the attack on Awara, which resulted in a return of Fusanese troops to Kalasin, did serve to quiet dissent for a time, recent actions along the Kalasinese-Kusanese border have called into question whether he is truly up to the task of protecting the nation
and ensuring a proper transition to democracy within the troubled region of the Union State. This, combined with what some see as an unsatisfactory resolution to the conflict over the Tokara Islands last year followed by attempts at rapprochement with the Rokkenjiman government, will likely continue to haunt the Konishi government for some time, however an insider within the administration seemed hopeful when he spoke about their prospects going ahead into the year.
Thursday saw the Diet vote to confirm Imperial Decree 14067, which requires that, from the 11th of February onwards, the government cease the use of the name "Daito" in all official business of state and that the name "Fusan" or, in its full form, the "Empire of Fusan", be the sole official name of the nation in international affairs. The vote on "House Resolution 2743", officially referred to as the "National Naming Conventions Act", passed the Diet 392 to 68, with five representatives voting present. The resolution then passed to the House of Peers, who voted 153 to 95 in favor, with Emperor Eijirō signing it into law early this morning. As per what was stipulated under Imperial Decree 14067, the act will go into effect on the 11th of February, 2024. The session is scheduled to last for 150 days through the 21st of June.
"Fortresses of Our Own": Yezo Work to Build a Sense of Community in Fusan
Haruhisa Mori
01/26/2024
The sound of
mukkuri resonates at the Yezo Thanksgiving Festival in 2023 in Akashi. The traditional Yezo musical instrument is made of bamboo and can mimic the sounds of nature, including wildlife. During the festival, dancers perform a
pororimse ring dance, which typically marks the end of Yezo feasts. These are common scenes across Fusan's north, but they are likely unfamiliar to most in a city like Akashi. The festival was organized by Etsuko Yoshida, the head of a group aligned with the larger
Utari Mosir that aims to increase awareness of Yezo culture in the Shinkyo region and to connect community members with their heritage through language and traditions.
Yoshida was born into a Yezo family in Hokuriku. At the age of 20, she moved to Toyokawa, a city near Shinkyo, to work for the Fusan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Yoshida recalls what it was like adjusting to urban life. "There are many Utari living in Hokuriku and many people there are quick to discriminate against us as Utari," she explains. "Here in the city, we are often seen as foreigners or as half-Fusanese, even in spite of claims by the government that such discrimination does not exist. Yet when I first experienced that, I thought maybe it's preferable in a strange way."
Yoshida quickly realized that this discrimination was rooted in an ignorance of Yezo culture. Someone told her people would say things to their Yezo acquaintances like, "What do you eat?" and "Why don't you go back to your own country?" Yoshida says such barbs have led many Yezo to conceal their heritage. Yoshida was no exception. She attempted to hide her Yezo identity whenever possible. She says that's so common in her community that some parents don't even tell their children they're Yezo. In fact, she tells us that she has friends who only learned about their true heritage later in life. Yoshida says only about 200-300 of the thousands of Yezo in the Shinkyo area are engaged in Yezo cultural activities or try to raise awareness about their heritage. In 2012, the Fusanese government expressed its intention to promote policies based on the recognition that the Yezo are an indigenous people. But lacking any legal bearing, the declaration failed to result in measures to enhance their status or increase awareness and respect among the larger population. Consequently, the issues faced by the Yezo remained unresolved and the struggle continued.
Early on in her new career as an indigenous rights activist, Yoshida drew inspiration from a region with a strong indigenous heritage—one which, though part of Fusan, is more than 4,500 kilometers away—Tsukishima. In 2012, the same year that the government issued its declaration with regards to the Yezo, she met Yi Sung-Nam, who throughout the 1970s and 80s, worked tirelessly to secure full recognition for the Dalseomin, relatives of the Paechonese and Kusanese, as an indigenous people within Fusan. She told him about the challenges faced by Yezo people and and how impressed she was with the way in which Dalseomin people have been able to assert their rights. She said she wanted to take young Yezo to Tsukishima in order to meet members of the Dalseomin community and learn from them. Yi responded by arranging a month-long exchange program.
"I think the discussion with Etsuko, and how she talked about the plight that Yezo people face, how she presented herself, moved us to say, 'We want to help you,'" he notes. "You've got to decolonize people's minds about their own culture and about who they are and what's happened to them. You have to tell them about their history because then people will move."
The following year, Yoshida travelled to Tsukishima alongside a group of young Yezo and visited
pildeu and
marae, traditional Dalseomin and Maori meeting houses. Though used by different cultures, these meeting houses are clearly descended from those used in what is now the Commonwealth of The Unified Iwi, with many scholars noting that it is likely that Paechonese settlers on the island likely adopted the idea behind them as part of their efforts to distinguish themselves from their homeland. These meeting houses are located across the island and are seen as gathering places for local communities. They host celebrations, rituals, discussions on current issues and, in some cases, serve as sporting venues or canteens. Among the indigenous Tsukishimans, whom it must be made clear are distinct from the Dalseomin even in spite of their intertwined history, these
marae are each named after an ancestor, creating a sort of emotional bridge to the past. This idea resonated with Yoshida, as did the role the meeting houses play in bringing the community together.
"When you are within a
pildeu or a
marae, you don't say anything bad about people," she explains. "These spaces are where you meet and talk openly about things. You can hold essential conversations about how to conduct yourselves and how to move forward," says Yoshida. "We Yezo need similar spaces." Yoshida named her organization
Casi An Kar, which means "Fortresses of Our Own" in Yezo.
The festival in Akashi is a step toward the creation of a space resembling the
pildeu and
marae in mainland Fusan. The main obstacle is cost, and the event—now in its tenth year—serves as a means to raise both awareness and funds. Last year, the celebration saw around 300 people attend. The three-hour celebration was a tribute to those who have worked to strengthen the sense of community among the Yezo and to increase awareness among the wider population. Yoshida gave a rendition of a Yezo-language song from the 1960s, written by a Yezo living in the Shinkyo area about struggling with city life.
"No matter how long the road is
No matter how hard life is
As a true human being
I want to walk with everyone
As a true human being"Some in the audience said that it was their first opportunity to experience a Yezo performance. For others, the festival was a chance to reconnect with old friends in the community. Afterwards, Yoshida said she always knew it would be a long struggle. But she added that she is determined to keep working to provide a richer experience of Yezo culture in the city for both members of the community and the wider population.
