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歴史を書き換える
歴史を書き換える
沖縄で8月上旬に発覚した
新平和祈念資料館の展示内容見直し問題で
県は歴史をゆがめようとしたのではないかという
疑惑が持たれている。
筆者は県のやり方を見て
ジョージ・オーウェルの小説を思い出した。
Down the Memory Hole
By DOUGLAS LUMMIS
In George Orwell's novel "1984," the job of the protagonist, Winston Smith, is to rewrite history. He works for the
government's Ministry of Truth, and his specialty is lying. It is the policy of his government that history must
contain nothing that might be used to criticize the ruling party's policy.
For example, if Oceania (Winston's fictional country), after a long war, makes peace with Eastasia, history must be
rewritten to show that Oceania and Eastasia have always been at peace. All historical records that show that the two
countries were ever at war are put down the Memory Hole — that is, the incinerator — and replaced by new ones.
Moreover, since the government exercises perfect mind control over the people, the people's memory of the war is also
erased. With both the records and the memories gone, the history itself disappears. It is the same as if it had never
happened.
One is reminded of Orwell's novel by the recent news coming out of Okinawa. The prefecture's newly elected Liberal
Democratic government has apparently been caught in a badly blundered attempt to rewrite Okinawan history to fit
the policies of the ruling party in Tokyo.
The scandal centers on the prefecture's New Peace Museum, which is scheduled to open in March next year and which
is intended to preserve the memory of the terrible Battle of Okinawa. According to The Okinawa Times, the planners of
the museum were called into the governor's office, told to take no notes and make no recordings, and then told to make
some 20 changes in the museum's planned displays.
Most controversial was a model of figures of Japanese Imperial Army soldiers and Okinawan civilians hiding in a
cave. In the original plan, a soldier is shown pointing a rifle at a civilian, driving the civilian out of the cave.
The governor's office demanded that the soldier be shown unarmed, "persuading" the civilian to leave.
Other changes included replacing the words "mass death" with "people were victimized," "massacre" with
"victims," and "root-and-branch mobilization" with "mobilization of prefectural people." The displays
"Korean comfort women" and "Those who spoke [Okinawan] dialect were considered spies" were to be cut altogether.
The governor was quoted as saying that it would be inappropriate to include displays that are critical of national policy.
Quite naturally, when The Okinawa Times revealed these things, there was great public outrage. The governor's office is
learning that it is not so easy to erase historical memory in Okinawa, as it is (for example) in some departments at the
University of Tokyo.
Some three weeks after the scandal broke, the vice-governor held a press conference and denied everything. (The
Okinawa Times is sticking to its story , insisting that it is based on interviews with witnesses.)
At the same time, the prefectural government is announcing that at least some of the proposed changes are being
canceled. One is reminded of the thief who protested his innocence by saying, "I never stole anything — and anyway, I
gave it back."
In George Orwell's novel "1984," the job of the protagonist, Winston Smith, is to rewrite history. He works for the
government's Ministry of Truth, and his specialty is lying. It is the policy of his government that history must
contain nothing that might be used to criticize the ruling party's policy.
For example, if Oceania (Winston's fictional country), after a long war, makes peace with Eastasia, history must be
rewritten to show that Oceania and Eastasia have always been at peace. All historical records that show that the two
countries were ever at war are put down the Memory Hole — that is, the incinerator — and replaced by new ones.
Moreover, since the government exercises perfect mind control over the people, the people's memory of the war is also
erased. With both the records and the memories gone, the history itself disappears. It is the same as if it had never
happened.
One is reminded of Orwell's novel by the recent news coming out of Okinawa. The prefecture's newly elected Liberal
Democratic government has apparently been caught in a badly blundered attempt to rewrite Okinawan history to fit
the policies of the ruling party in Tokyo.
The scandal centers on the prefecture's New Peace Museum, which is scheduled to open in March next year and which
is intended to preserve the memory of the terrible Battle of Okinawa. According to The Okinawa Times, the planners of
the museum were called into the governor's office, told to take no notes and make no recordings, and then told to make
some 20 changes in the museum's planned displays.
Most controversial was a model of figures of Japanese Imperial Army soldiers and Okinawan civilians hiding in a
cave. In the original plan, a soldier is shown pointing a rifle at a civilian, driving the civilian out of the cave.
The governor's office demanded that the soldier be shown unarmed, "persuading" the civilian to leave.
Other changes included replacing the words "mass death" with "people were victimized," "massacre" with
"victims," and "root-and-branch mobilization" with "mobilization of prefectural people." The displays
"Korean comfort women" and "Those who spoke [Okinawan] dialect were considered spies" were to be cut altogether.
The governor was quoted as saying that it would be inappropriate to include displays that are critical of national policy.
Quite naturally, when The Okinawa Times revealed these things, there was great public outrage. The governor's office is
learning that it is not so easy to erase historical memory in Okinawa, as it is (for example) in some departments at the
University of Tokyo.
Some three weeks after the scandal broke, the vice-governor held a press conference and denied everything. (The
Okinawa Times is sticking to its story , insisting that it is based on interviews with witnesses.)
At the same time, the prefectural government is announcing that at least some of the proposed changes are being
canceled. One is reminded of the thief who protested his innocence by saying, "I never stole anything — and anyway, I
gave it back."
Shukan ST: Oct. 1, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- protagonist
- 主人公
- Ministry of Truth
- 真理省
- specialty
- 専門
- ruling party
- 与党
- fictional
- 架空の
- historical records
- 歴史の記録
- incinerator
- 焼却炉
- is erased
- 消される
- is reminded of 〜
- 〜 を思い出す
- prefecture's newly elected Liberal Democratic government
- 新しく選ばれた自民党の県政
- (has)been caught in 〜
- 〜 したことを明らかにされた
- badly blundered attempt to 〜
- 大失敗に終わった、 〜 しようという試み
- fit
- 合わせる
- centers on 〜
- 〜 が中心になっている
- New Peace Museum
- 新平和祈念資料館
- is intended to preserve 〜
- 〜 を風化させないように作られた
- Battle of Okinawa
- 沖縄戦
- governor's office
- 知事室
- Most controversial
- 最も議論を呼んだもの
- model of 〜
- 〜 の復元模型
- figures
- 人形
- Japanese Imperial Army soldiers
- 日本軍兵士
- civilians
- 住民
- cave
- 壕 (ごう)
- driving 〜 out of 〜
- 〜 を 〜 から追い出す
- unarmed
- 武装していない
- "persuading"
- 「説得している」
- "mass death"
- 「集団死」
- "people were victimized"
- 「犠牲になった人たち」
- "massacre"
- 「虐殺」
- "victims"
- 「犠牲者」
- "root-and-branch mobilization"
- 「根こそぎ動員」
- "mobilization of prefectural people"
- 「県民の動員」
- "Korean comfort women"
- 朝鮮人従軍慰安婦
- dialect
- 方言
- was quoted as saying 〜
- 〜 と言ったと伝えられた
- it would be inappropriate to include displays that are critical of national policy
- 「国策を批判するようなことはいかがなものか」
- outrage
- 怒り
- as it is(for example)in some departments at the University of Tokyo
- 東大で(日本の戦争責任について見直そうという)自由主義史観が唱えられていることを指す
- vice-governor
- 副知事
- press conference
- 記者会見
- is sticking to 〜 , insisting that 〜
- 〜 だと主張し、 〜 から離れずにいる
- witnesses
- 目撃者
- proposed
- 提案された
- protested his innocense
- 無罪を断言した
- gave it back
- 返した