質問: 2006年のエッセーで少し古いのですが、 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% As I write these words, Shinzo Abe has just been named Japan's 90th prime minister. As his election had been widely expected, both Japanese and English media reports have featured him lately. Unfortunately, many liberal writers have unnecessarily cranked up their panic machines over Abe's conservative views. Words like "nationalist" and "hawkish," for example, are used frequently in a Sept. 19 article in the Washington Post. Likewise, Michael Zielenziger writes in the LA Times on Sept. 25 that Abe's election "raises fears that [Japan's] long-repressed well of virulent nationalism, buried just beneath the surface, could again rise up." What has Abe done to spur these horrible worries? According to Mr. Zielenziger, the fact that Abe "envisions Japan as a 'country that can be proud of its history and culture,'" which he goes on to warn is "a nod to the virulent strains of nationalism still frighteningly potent within Japanese society." Methinks Mr. Zielenziger has a problem distinguishing between healthy patriotism and "virulent nationalism." Abe has suggested that he would visit Yasukuni Shrine as prime minister. The "obvious" message in this action, if we are to believe Mr. Douglas Lummis in his Sept. 15 essay here, is that ("if [this logic is] carried to its conclusion...,") the prime minister believes Japan's war criminals were heroes, he rejects the judgment of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, and he thinks that Japan is no longer bound by the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty. Those are some hard-to-swallow conclusions, given that Abe (and Koizumi before him) has stressed repeatedly in speeches that Japan's relations with the United States are the cornerstone of the nation's foreign policy. I also find it remarkable that many leftists, Korea and China continue to harp about Yasukuni visits, claiming they are a celebration of Japan's military past, or the class-A war criminals. This is despite the fact that the latter makes up a mere 0.00057 percent of the 2.5 million souls enshrined at Yasukuni, and that Koizumi himself has made clear, ad nauseam, that he only visits the shrine to pray for peace. Apparently those opposed believe they are capable of reading the prime minister's mind. I'm surprised that Abe's politics even show up on the radar of the left, given the condition of the United States under George W. Bush. The nationalism and hawkishness that permeate present-day U.S. foreign policy completely surpasses anything coming out of Japan. Compared to Bush, Abe is positively middle-of-the-road. Somehow I don't see him rewriting the Constitution to permit the invasion of a nation in the Middle East in a misguided attempt to promote democracy. There's a fine line between patriotism and nationalism. One dictionary defines nationalism as "excessive patriotism, marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries." If Abe does, in fact, feel Japan is superior, he's got good reason: The country's low crime, high longevity, superb infrastructure, near-100 percent literacy, spectacular high-technology and world-leading medical care are all justifiable sources of pride (and part of why I've made But let's give the man some time to get to work and show his true colors before we start plastering him with questionable labels. We're still a very long way from the days of his grandfather. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 上記の第三段落の the fact that Abe "envisions Japan as a 'country that can be proud of its history and culture,'" which he goes on to warn is "a nod to the virulent strains of nationalism still frighteningly potent within Japanese society." この部分の構文が分かりません。the fact がどこにかかるのか、the fact とwhich は同格なのか、which は何を指してどこにかかるのか? また最後の We're still a very long way from the days of his grandfather. ですが、 安倍首相の祖父の岸信介氏の安保闘争の時代ですから60年前ですね。その60年が長いと言ってるのでしょうが、still が入って意味が分かりにくくなってしまいました。この文は何を言いたいのでしょうか? 宜しく。
回答: 以下のとおりお答えします。 >the fact that Abe "envisions Japan as a 'country that can be proud of its history and culture,'" which he goes on to warn is "a nod to the virulent strains of nationalism still frighteningly potent within Japanese society." >この部分の構文が分かりません。the fact がどこにかかるのか、the fact とwhich は同格なのか、which は何を指してどこにかかるのか? ⇒このthe fact は、is a nod to ~につながると思います。 《その事実は、彼(安倍首相)の~に対する肯定・賛成である/それにつながる》 といったニュアンスでしょう。 また、whichは関係代名詞で、先行詞は直前の節全体と見られます。 すなわち、それは、 Japan as a 'country that can be proud of its history and culture 《日本はその歴史と文化を誇りにできる国である(と安倍首相は捉えて)》 の部分です。 そして、これをwhich で受けて、 which he goes on to warn 《彼はそのこと(which)を警告する/訴えたり押しつけたりする》 と続くわけですね。 >また最後のWe're still a very long way from the days of his grandfather. ですが、 >安倍首相の祖父の岸信介氏の安保闘争の時代ですから60年前ですね。その60年が長いと言ってるのでしょうが、still が入って意味が分かりにくくなってしまいました。この文は何を言いたいのでしょうか? ⇒この部分を訳せば、 《我々はまだ、彼の祖父の時代から長い道のりの途上にある》 といった感じになります。 その意味することはこういうことでしょう。まず、前段で、Zielenziger氏が、 《安倍首相の祖父の時代も「健全な愛国心」からはほど遠い「凶悪なナショナリズム」に固執していたが、今安倍首相もそれと同じである》と考えるわけですね。 このくだりはそれに続いて、 《彼安倍首相が「健全な愛国心」に目覚めるまでにはまだ長い時間がかかりそうだなあ》という筆者の感慨がこういう表現になったのだと思います。