美国国家公共电台 NPR--Most Japanese opposed the state funeral for ex-Prime Minister Abe, polls show

Most Japanese opposed the state funeral for ex-Prime Minister Abe, polls show

Transcript¹

A costly² state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated³ in July, prompted protests in Japan.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In Japan, a rare state funeral to mourn the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: Abe was assassinated while campaigning on July 8. Tokyo was under heavy security for the service today. There were all kinds of foreign dignitaries in attendance, including Vice⁴ President Kamala Harris. There were also protests because, as polls show, most Japanese oppose this state funeral. NPR's Anthony Kuhn joins us from Tokyo. Hi, Anthony.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE⁵: Hi, Rachel.

MARTIN: You were just outside the event, I understand. Describe the scene.

KUHN: Yeah. This event was held at the Nippon Budokan Hall, which is used for sports and concerts. It began with Shinzo Abe's widow Akie bringing in her husband's ashes, and they were placed on an altar. And then politicians gave speeches. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praised Abe's vision of what he called a free and open Indo-Pacific and a stronger alliance with the U.S. Outside the hall, thousands of people lined up to offer flowers to Abe. But in a sign of how divisive an issue this funeral was, down the street, scuffling broke out between protesters, Abe supporters and police.

MARTIN: Why? I mean, why are so many people opposed to the state funeral?

KUHN: Well, one poll shows that about 60% of Japanese oppose the state funeral, while 30% support it. Some critics argue that in Japan, the prime minister is the head of the government, and the emperor is the head of the state, so only the emperor should get a state funeral. Also, Abe's death opened a kind of can of worms with revelations about deep ties between Abe, his party and the Unification Church, sometimes known as the Moonies. Many Japanese felt the government didn't really come clean about that, and some just opposed his nationalistic and conservative policies.

MARTIN: So in light of all that, was the decision to hold the state funeral kind of a mistake?

KUHN: Well, I think the government didn't anticipate the intensity⁶ of public opposition⁷. And in the nearly three months since Abe was killed, the Unification Church revelations started to really snowball. I spoke⁸ to Jeffrey Hall, an expert on Japanese politics at Kanda University of International Studies outside Tokyo. Here's how he described it.

JEFFREY HALL: This was meant to be a way of bringing attention to the success of Abe and then carrying on that success by enacting⁹ similar policies in the same direction. But because the scandal has consumed all of the attention of the people now, it's having the opposite effect.

MARTIN: Is this going to be politically damaging for the current prime minister?

KUHN: Well, some polls show that his popularity has plunged¹⁰ to under 30%. And if Kishida becomes a liability to his party, they could theoretically dump him. But Japan's opposition parties are really too weak to challenge him, and Kishida doesn't have to face voters in elections for another two years. Now, Shinzo Abe had a huge influence on Kishida. Kishida has been spending much of his administration trying to walk out from under Abe's shadow. And now that Abe is gone from the scene, this could theoretically free him up to deal with some of Japan's daunting¹¹ political and economic challenges, security risks and many of the difficulties it faces now.

MARTIN: NPR's Anthony Kuhn joining us from Tokyo, reporting on the state funeral of the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Thank you, Anthony.

KUHN: Thanks, Rachel.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 enacting   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之，这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外，介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。

10 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

11 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。