YM COLUMN ARCHIVE

August 27, 2008

Lives passed on and lives bounded lively

Mr. Shuichiro Yamanouchi, the first President of JAXA, passed away. He looked so fine when I happened to come across with him in Marunouchi several months ago. He said he had been to the barbershop. I called to him, “You seemed to be in a good shape. You can make a comeback.” “Oh, no, no, if I come back to the old place, I’ll be ill again from the very next day. You know, I’m a timid man” he said and kindly asked me “You are about to make some NPO, aren’t you?” I said, “Yes, it’s to be set up on coming June 1st”, to which he said, “Send me an application form. I’ll join a membership.” Later day he honestly faxed an application to our office.

JAXA was the institution high-handedly organized by top-down control when it was established on October 1, 2003. It is easily imaginable that it must have been quite a tough job to lay out the framework of the new organization by solving various difficult problems. Later days after he retired he revealed his true feelings of complaining “sloppiness, helplessness and outrageousness” of his subordinates. It is quite embarrassing for me to know that I was among “sloppiness” because I was one of the executive officers, but I think his self-appraisal of “timid man” was his honest feeling. “I wanted to determine the new direction to go but somehow couldn’t because of various difficulties around me” was his murmuring words long remained in my mind. I now say here, “Thank you very much for your hard work.”

The Olympics is over. The athletes went back to each country they belong to after having performed “uplifting lives”. It may be naturally understood that politicians may want to politically use the explosive power of attractive and glorious lives shown in Olympics to their own benefit, but people’s minds will not be purified unless International Olympic Committee is entitled, like ancient Greece, with authority to say, “Stop all wars during Olympics”. Behind the back of Olympics were seen regrettable scenes in many regions on earth including China.

Despite my busy schedule, I kept tirelessly watching TV deep into midnight as far as my physical strength and schedule allowed. It was such two weeks as to let me sigh, “Why I like sports so much.” The most emotionally exciting moment came right after the winning of the Japanese women’s softball final game. Pitcher Ueno who went the full distance nearly almost breaking her arm said after the victory, “I just concentrated myself to put out the opponent batters, but as a result I now recall only troubled situation saved out by all team power. Softball is really wonderful.” These words squeezed out of her mouth made me cried.

I welcome your opinions on this column to the following E-mail address.
matogawa@planetary.or.jp