From: trent@vms.macc.wisc.edu (SCOTT TRENT)
Newsgroups: sci.lang.japan
Subject: no to ieru nihon
Date: 9 Apr 92 06:15:59 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Wisconsin Academic Computing Center

I recently ftp'ed the English text of "No to ieru nihon" (The Japan that can
say no), and was stunned at the mistakes in the translation.  Simply shocked.
I only have the first page of the original Japanese, which I will type in.

[ Japanese ]
$B8=BeF|K\?M$N0U<12~3W$3$=$,I,MW$@!<!<@P86(J

$BF,$G$C$+$A$K$J$C$?F|K\?M(J
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
$B!!7n$K0lEY7nNc7P:QJs9p3UN=2q5D$H$$$&$N$,$"$j$^$9!#;d$OAa5/$-$,6l<j$G3U5D$NA0$K$d(J
                                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
$B$k$b$N$G$9$+$i!"9q2q3+2qCf$,6e;~!"$5$i$KA`$j>e$2$FH,;~$H$$$&$H$+$J$j$D$i$$!#L2$$(J
                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
$BL\$r$3$9$C$F9T$-$^$9$H!"$=$3$G7P:Q4k2hD#$N6ID9$HF|6d$NAm:[$,Js9p$r$9$k$o$1$G$9!#(J
$BKh7n!"Kh7n$[$H$s$IF1$8Js9p$G$"$j!"$?$$$,$$$NBg?C$O?2$F$$$^$9!#;d$O!"$3$s$J2q5D$O(J
$B9T3W$N;~Be$G$d$a$?$i$I$&$@$H41K<D941$K8@$$$^$7$?$i!";d$b$=$&;W$o$J$$$G$b$J$$$1$l(J
                                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
$B$I$b!"$3$l$K$7$+=P$F$3$J$$E^B&$N44It$b$$$k$+$i4i$r$D$V$9$o$1$K$$$+$J$$$N$@$H!#(J
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
$B!!$=$3$GKh7nKh7n$[$H$s$IF1$8Js9p$,7+$jJV$5$l$k!#(J

[ Romaji ]
Gendai nihonjin no ishiki kaikaku koso ga hitsuyoo da -- Ishihara

Atamadekkachi ni natta nihonjin

Tsuki ni ichido getsurei keizai hookoku kakuryoo kaigi to iu no ga arimasu.
Watashi wa hayaoki ga nigate de kakugi no mae ni yaru mono desu kara kokkai
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                                      ^^^^^^
kaikaichuu ga kuji, sarani kuriagete hachiji to iu to kanari tsurai.  Nemui me
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
wo kosutte ikimasu to, soko de keizai kikakuchoo no kyokuchoo to nichigin no
soosai ga hookoku wo suru wake desu.  Maitsuki, maitsuki hotondo onaji hookoku
de ari, taigai no daijin wa nete imasu.  Watashi wa, konna kaigi wa gyookaku no
jidai de yametara doo da to kanboochookan ni iimashitara, watashi mo soo
                                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
omowanai demo nai keredomo, kore ni shika dete konai toogawa no kanbu mo iru
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
kara kao wo tsubusu wake ni ikanai no da to.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Soko de maitsuki maitsuki hotondo onaji hookoku ga kurikaesareru.


[ circulating English Translation - lots of mistakes ]
1.0 THE NECESSITY FOR PRESENT DAY JAPANESE TO REFORM THEIR CONSCIOUSNESS
(Ishihara)
1.1 Japanese People Have Become Top Heavy
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Each month, there is the Cabinet meeting for the ecomomic report.  I am one of
                                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^
those kinds of guys who gets up early and goes before the cabinet meeting,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
which winds up by 9 a.m., or 8 at the earliest.  While rubbing my sleepy eyes,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I go over the reports by the Bureau Chief of the Ecomomic Planning Agency and
by the Director of the Bank of Japan.  Each month, the reports are almost
identical.  Generally, the Cabinet ministers sleep through it.  When I
suggested to the Chief Cabinet Secretary that in this age of governmental
administrative reform, why not give up these meetings, the response, not
                                                                     ^^^
entirely unexpected on my part, was that these were absolutely necessary,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
even if there were some Party executives who did not attend.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thus, each month, there is a repetition of a nearly identical report.


[ A better slightly liberal translation - thanks to Frank Baldwin ]

Every month the Cabinet and senior officials of the Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP) receive a joint ecomomic briefing by a division chief from the Economic
Planning Agency (EPA) and the governor of the Bank of Japan.  The session is
held before a Cabinet meeting, which, when the Diet (parliament) is in
session, start at 9 a.m., or sometimes even at 8 a.m. I hate to get up early,
but rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I always went.  The briefings were
almost identical every time; most of the ministers dozed off.

It seemed like a meaningless ritual to me.  After all, in the early 1980s the
government had championed sweeping administrative reforms to deregulate the
economy and streamline administration.  So I suggested to Chief Cabinet
Secretary Obuchi Keizo that the briefings were a waste of time and should be
discontinued.  He tended to agree, he said, but added that they were the only
chance for LDP officials to participate in a Cabinet-level meeting.  To abolish
the sessionswould be a slight to them.

[ my comments ]
Please note that the highlighted areas point out some of the major mistakes in
the translation which is currently circulating around.  This is only the FIRST
PAGE!  Its rather disturbing to think that the leaders of our country are
making decicions based on a document as flawed as this.

DISCLAIMER:  I do not represent anyone!  And this was all reproduced without
permission.