“Nobody speaks any language perfectly,” said Mr. Domingo L. Siason, the
Philippine ambassador to Japan. But his Japanese was near perfect. The graduate of the Tokyo University of
Education presented us with an incisive analysis and keen observations on the
Japanese economy, society and history, sprinkled with witty comments.
Q: First of all, how long have you been here in Japan?
A: This time? This time, it’s from Sept. 5, 2001 It is January now, so... one year and five months.
Q: How many times have you visited Japan?
A: First,
as a student, from 1959 to ‘64. Then,
from ‘64 to ’68, working in the embassy.
And then, as the ambassador to
Q: So,
A:
Q: Could
you tell us what impressions you have of
A: I
have gone through three phases of
The first phase was when I was here as a
student in ‘59. It was
But
it was a different
The cut-off point came in 1964. The Olympics ejected
Then,
you have the 1990s, the Bubble. This was
the very confident
And now everyone is so pessimistic. I said to a Japanese, hey, you are not really that bad, you know, why have you lost your faith? He said, 10 years of deflation and everything is going down.
Yet, if you look at the young Japanese, they don’t seem to mind. They don’t care. They are spending a lot of money, especially the young girls. And, according to my friends, they don’t seem to be as eager to study as the older generation.
So,
it’s a different
But
I would say, why worry? Your national
economy is four times that of
I
hope
Q: How about your impressions of the Japanese people?
A: One thing is certain. Japanese society is becoming more open than it used to be. Not fast enough, though. If you look at the number of refugees being accepted here, it is unbelievable.
Also, I think, with respect to the rights of women, a lot of things could be done to improve the situation.
Q: May
I ask what do you think the charms of the
A: Generally,
the Philippine people are very friendly.
It’s a very open society. And I
guess, despite the modernization, we still have a lot of beautiful islands,
beautiful beaches, where you can swim and you see...do you know
parrotfish? It’s like the colors of
parrots. You can put your hand in the
water and probably pat one in
It’s
a country with an Asian face, but culturally very influenced by Western
culture. They say our history is 300
years in a Spanish monastery and 50 years in
Q: Before I came here, I checked the geographical features of your country; I never knew that your country, an archipelago, has 7,000 islands.
A: Maybe during high tides, less than that.
Q:
A: Well,
of course, we are worried about global warming.
First of all, because of its impact on the environment of marine life,
but also because some of our islands may probably sink. You know,
But essentially, it is the industrialized countries that have a higher use of energy per capita. So, unless they try to change their lifestyle, or source of energy, global warming will continue.
Q: Recently,
I read an article that says the
A: Well, we looked at your demography. We looked at ours. You have a very fast-aging population. In 20 years, you will have one 65-year-old and two younger people supporting him or her through working. Now, statistically, the situation is unattainable. Tottemo Muri-desuyo.
We,
the
So
we thought that if
So, I am quite optimistic. The Japanese are very practical people. When the problem becomes really intolerable or unbearable, then, they will probably ask for caregivers.
Reflections on this Interview ●
His Excellency Siason has lived in
He has a keen interest for the
I believe His Excellency will continue to
play an active part in improving and developing the relationship between the
(Interviewer: Keitaro Oshima)
港区に国際交流協会があります。大変、活発な活動をしています。日本語講座の開設、講演会の実施、各国大使へのインタビューなどです。
港区には60以上の各国大使館があるので、その環境が協会の活発な活動の基盤となっています。
港区に住所のない方も、会員になって、活動されています。
同協会にご興味のある方はこちらをご覧になってください。
筆者も東京におりました頃、会員となり、いくつかのイベントに参加したことがあります。
その中でも印象的だったのは、フィリッピン大使へインタビューしたことです。もう2年以上前になります。
フィリッピンが、看護婦さんの「輸出」、つまり、今後の日本の高齢化社会に向けて、フィリッピンの看護婦さんを日本で働けるようにして欲しいと要望していることを、私は前から知っていました。その話が、一つのポイントになっています。
大使ご自身は、容貌、日本人と区別がつきません。ご本人もジョークで、「私はしばしば、フィリピン人と間違えられるのですよ。」と言っておられました。また、奥様が日本人であることもあって、日本語も大変達者なようです。それでも、読者の手前(「インタビュー」内容は、協会の機関誌「汽笛一声」に掲載されるのです。)、英語でインタビューを敢行しました。港区国際交流協会の了解をいただき、その内容をこのHPで紹介させていただきます。
港区国際交流協会