The sins of pseudo-moralists across the world, just like those of Japan’s own pseudo-moralists led by the Asahi Shimbun, are deeper than the ocean.
April 1, 2016

The following is a slightly annotated version of an essay I originally wrote and published in November 2014.
As my readers know, I have been following figure skating for many years, and there are clear reasons for that. Naturally, I’ve also been watching this season’s Grand Prix Series from the opening match.

What came to me this morning, as I woke up, was a realization—a mystery suddenly resolved in my mind—and it is something the whole world ought to know.
It came to me because something I saw on last night’s sports news had shocked me.
In the ongoing Women’s World Curling Championship, South Korea was leading the tournament undefeated.
Wait—was Korea always this strong? Ah, that’s right—they’ve launched a full-scale, state-supported training and development program in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

I previously wrote that the strength and sheer number of Korean women professional golfers is, paradoxically, a reflection of the gender discrimination that still exists in Korea.
Why does South Korea—a country with a population of 50 million, less than half of Japan’s 126 million—win more Olympic gold medals than Japan?
Because in South Korea, athletes who win Olympic gold are essentially “state amateurs,” much like those in former communist states.
Gold medalists are not only guaranteed lifelong pensions and support from the state but are also showered with enormous rewards.
In South Korea—a country extremely difficult to live in—this status is truly exceptional.
That’s why athletes fight with their entire lives on the line.

In contrast, Japanese athletes—who live in one of the world’s most intellectually and politically free nations, alongside the United States—receive no such treatment.
Especially not the kind their Korean counterparts enjoy.
What I came to understand from this is a truth that people around the world in the 21st century should come to know.

The other day, I was watching the Cup of China with a friend.
When practice began for the group that included Hanyu, I was reading a book.
Suddenly, my friend made a startled noise. I hadn’t been watching the screen, but I instantly knew what had happened.
Why? Because the day before, during the short program practice session, I had noticed something strange.
The same Chinese skater who would later collide with Hanyu had already approached him the previous day.
At the time, Hanyu—facing forward—simply veered right and avoided him, but I felt it was extremely dangerous.
Something about it struck me as unnatural.
I sensed intentionality in the act.

And sure enough, the incident occurred the very next day.
Why?
Russia, under global criticism over the Ukraine issue, had drawn closer to China.
History shows that single-party communist regimes last around 70 years—if so, the Chinese Communist Party is nearing its end.
This doomed, dictatorial government is now attempting the unthinkable: global domination.
For the Chinese Communist Party, Russia was the perfect guest to entertain.

The Russian skater who “benefited” from Hanyu’s major mistake in the short program suddenly found himself in first place.
Was this meant to ensure that he would take gold?
Yet that motive seems too weak. Why would Russia go so far to help a skater unknown to most of the world?

Then, suddenly this morning, I realized something.
South Korea was to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Of course, they would also be training athletes for a gold medal in men’s figure skating.
But as long as Yuzuru Hanyu exists, that dream would be impossible.

It is already a historical fact that anti-Japanese organizations in South Korea and China are working in unison—not only in the U.S. but globally—to damage Japan’s international standing.
In that case, this kind of incident becomes conceivable.
Still, some might ask, “If they really did such a thing, wouldn’t that be outright madness?”
And the answer is: Yes. It is madness.

For 70 years since the end of World War II, South Korea has carried out fascist-style education under the guise of “anti-Japanese education.”
The world must now recognize this madness, made clear by the actions of Korean expatriates in the U.S.

And just like the pseudo-moralists of the world, the pseudo-moralists of Japan—led by the Asahi Shimbun—bear sins deeper than the ocean.