On March 13, 2011, the author urged political leaders to prevent secondary disasters by closing the Tokyo Stock Exchange and banning short selling. He criticized the government’s incompetence, the media’s failure, and called for full mobilization of the Self-Defense Forces and true journalism.

A blog post written on March 13, 2011, providing a critical perspective on Japan’s political and economic response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. The author harshly criticizes the government’s handling of the disaster, including the lack of prompt economic measures and the delayed initial rescue efforts. The post advocates for closing the stock market and banning short selling to prevent a secondary disaster. It also contrasts the roles of traditional media and the internet during the crisis, questioning the nature of true leadership and journalism in a time of national emergency.

Monday, the Tokyo Stock Exchange should be closed. Even if it opens, short selling must be completely banned for the time being.
That is the only measure politicians can take to prevent secondary disasters.

Just now, Kurikinton-san called me and said, “For example, what if a newlywed couple’s house has been destroyed… what will they do?”
I replied, “There’s no choice but to issue a debt moratorium… banks are making plenty of profits.”

Yesterday I wrote that what politicians must prevent—what only politicians can prevent—are secondary disasters, for example, by shutting down the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday.
Now I am convinced.
When the greatest global upheaval in centuries has occurred, this is no time to say, “Leave the market to the market.” There is no need for such reasoning.
It is completely unnatural… When extraordinary events occur, the logic that “the market must remain natural” does not apply.
If the exchange is to open, it must open under a complete ban on short selling. The reason should be obvious.
There is no way such an unprecedented catastrophe can be a short-term plus for the economy.
There is no such logic as “only the market should remain natural.”

…
Mother, the name of your birthplace just appeared on television…
It was in the explanation of tomorrow’s planned blackout areas.
Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture, your hometown. Please be strong.
I am praying that you are among the fifty people safe there.

I dare to write this…
(The parts marked ○ will eventually be in my newsletter.)

Even in Osaka I could tell… that was no ordinary tremor.

A true commander would have built the maximum possible response system in that very moment—including deploying the entire Self-Defense Forces, as I wrote in the previous chapter.

But those who turned someone unworthy into a “commander”… and those who served them as lackeys… Why? Because if we had had a real commander, there would not still be isolated survivors, unreached after three days.

If the entire Self-Defense Forces and all helicopters nationwide had been mobilized, everyone would already have been rescued.
How many lives could have been saved with just one of the helicopters that a certain someone used under the pretense of an “inspection”?
Was he imitating Obama? Obama had inspected the offshore oil spill.

Even from an office building in Osaka, I felt that eerie, abnormally long tremor. It could only mean catastrophe.
Yet those who lack even the imagination to realize what it meant—who failed to sense that this was a danger to all humanity—such people were made the leadership of our country.

I know this because I use Twitter.
From the very moment people realized this was extraordinary, the internet was filled with one thing: the desire to help in any way possible.
Those who caught tweets from the disaster sites—skilled with cell phones and PCs—were spreading messages like: “Someone is trapped here, please help.”
It is the truth that everyone who picked up such cries shared them with others.

Not a single person was doing something foolish with “chain mail.”
While a nuclear meltdown was unfolding, officials spoke of chain mail—irrelevant, outdated nonsense—simply to cover their own incompetence.
They shifted blame to unknown, insignificant targets.

And in the end…
This was not the time to keep airing brainless shows with foolish celebrities and comedians.
This was the time for journalism to awaken, for every station to head into the field, to devote all their airtime to reporting facts—the truth—to the nation.

Yet certain people scolded reporters for entering restricted zones, saying, “You mustn’t go in there.” Such foolishness beyond belief.

They proved themselves to be exactly what I have long said: people who can only think through the lens of a senile television culture.
They lack even the knowledge that true journalists risk their lives when facts that must be reported exist.
Graduating from some prestigious school has nothing to do with possessing true intelligence.

They think television exists only to broadcast what is convenient for themselves, or to show stupid celebrities spreading vulgar laughter.

All of these photos will be published untitled.

2011/3/13
Our company’s managing director said, “That would be better,” and accompanied me, so as planned last week we left around noon for Kyoto.
On the rapid train I read the morning edition of the Asahi. The managing director, a naturally devout person, suggested Chion-in Temple might be more appropriate.
I considered it, but when I stopped at the restroom in Kyoto Station, I decided to stick with my original plan and go to Nijō Castle.

All of these photos will be published untitled.

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