Conveying the Emperor’s View
At a regular Imperial Household Agency press conference on June 24, 2021, Nishimura Yasuhiko, the grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency, responded to a question about the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics by saying: “It is my conjecture that the emperor is concerned that the holding of the Olympics, for which he will serve as the honorary president, might lead to the spread of COVID-19 infections. Since he will be the honorary president, I hope that the Organizing Committee and other organizations involved will work together to take all possible measures to prevent the spread of infection during the Olympics.”
By using the word “conjecture” (haisatsu) to describe the view of the emperor, Nishimura was basing his comment on feelings he had “from firsthand experience of talking with His Majesty on a daily basis,” leading him to feel that “this was probably what the emperor was thinking.” But he added the explanation that he had “never heard such words directly from the emperor.”
The term haisatsu, a humble form of the noun “conjecture,” is unfamiliar to many people, but it is used by the grand chamberlain and the grand steward when inferring the emperor’s thoughts from his behavior.
[...]
Clues to the Imperial Perspective
Why, then, did the Imperial Household Agency issue this “conjecture” just one month before the Olympics?
On June 22, two days before the press conference, Prime Minister Suga delivered a confidential report on national politics and other matters to the emperor. [...]
The key to understanding lies in the comments made by the emperor at the June 30 award ceremony for the Japan Academy Prize in Tokyo, which he attended together with the empress.
[...]
The closing passage of Naruhito’s remarks at the ceremony, touching on COVID-19, began as follows: “Today, Japan and the rest of the world face a great challenge in the form of the growing number of novel coronavirus infections. To overcome this challenge, it is crucial for everyone, regardless of country, to work together with an even greater sense of unity.”
He went on to say: “The pandemic is not merely a medical problem. It has also presented us with challenges to our economy and society. It is academic endeavor that constantly gives us the ability to forge new futures for ourselves. Precisely at a time like this, when the entire world faces these challenges, it is important to mobilize the wisdom from various academic disciplines—medicine, the natural sciences, the humanities—and to lend one another our strength across national borders. I believe that in so doing we can overcome this difficult period to build a future that is full of hope.”
The most noteworthy part of this statement, I believe, was the emperor’s stress on the need for “everyone . . . to work together with an even greater sense of unity.” The fact that he used the expression “even greater” implies that Japanese citizens do not yet have that necessary sense of unity.
[...]
It seems to me that the emperor’s message was that to unite the nation, the government should do more to explain to the public the reasons for holding the Olympics and to gain their understanding. The top priority must be to prevent the spread of infections. The people, too, need to be reduce the risk of infection while Japan welcomes athletes from around the world. To avoid canceling the event amid a sudden rise in infections, everyone needs to be united.
Reflecting on the Emperor’s Feelings
It may seem unusual that to convey the feelings of the emperor through the grand steward’s conjecture. However, I welcome that the emperor’s message could be conveyed to the people. In 2020, amid the pandemic, the emperor did not make an official statement for the six-month period from his birthday in February up to the remarks he made at the ceremony for victims of World War II in August. Some magazines published articles on the “silence of the emperor,” which they contrasted with the active role played by royal families in Europe in encouraging citizens during the health crisis.
Similarly, in 2021, the emperor had no opportunity to address the public during the period following his February press conference, despite the fact that Japan was soon to host the world’s largest international sporting event.
[...]
