#MeToo in Japan: The woman speaking out against rape
[anchor]
In 2015, she was a journalism intern looking her big break. She went to a restaurant to discuss a job opportunity with her boss from the Tokyo Broadcasting System. But she claims that he then drugged and raped her. Our perspective guest today is the women’s rights campaigner, Shiori Ito, who joins us now live from London.
[anchor]
Thank you very much for being with us here on France 24. First of all, this must clearly have been a very brave decision to make three years ago to come out and accuse such a high-profile biographer/journalist, but you were adamant that this story had to be told.
[Shiori]
Yes, because I think no one wants to share such a private and horrific experience of rape, and I didn’t want to, but what I wanted to do is to change what I experienced afterwards in Japan.
② I didn’t want to
これ、私だったら I don’t want toにしてたかも。
本来ならこんなことしたくなかった、っていうニュアンスは日本語でも同じはずなのに、英語だとこういう時制の使い方忘れちゃうな〜
③afterwards (=afterward)
意味：at a later or future time.
日本語の辞書では「(すでに言及した出来事の)あとで[に]; 〖文頭で〗その後」と出てきました。 私の記憶にある限りこの単語を使って文章作った覚えはないぞ。
あと文頭でしか見ない単語かも。
これ私だったら what I experienced after the accidents in Japan. とか言いそう。
便利な単語やね、afterwards。
[Shiori] There is so little help that we have in Japan socially and legally… and that is the main reason why I spoke out.
④There is so little
There is no〜とかThere is nothing to〜とかよく聞くけどlittleはそういえば自分ではあまり使ってなかったな、と気づきの意味でマーク。
fewと同じように使えますが、a very fewとは言えてもa very littleとは言えません。 とは、辞書より。
語法 ①a few(↑1)とfew(↓2)のどちらを用いるかは, 明確な基準があるわけではなく話者の心理による. 同じ数量であっても, 肯定的に「少しはある」「ないよりまし」ととらえればa fewを, 否定的に「ほとんどない」「少ししかない」ととらえればfewを用いる. ②U名詞には(a) fewの代わりに(a) littleを用いる ▸ a little [little] money少しの[わずかしかない]お金. ③複数形代名詞を修飾する場合はofを伴う ▸ a few of us(!╳a few usとしない; ↓代名詞1, 2) . ④a fewはa littleと違って(→little 8語法), 強意のためveryを伴うことがある ▸ We have a very few weeks to go before the exam. 試験まで本当にあと数週間だ
[anchor]
When you decided to come forward, you were met with somewhat of barrage of negativity of hate mail and public criticism. How do you explain that negative reaction to your ordeal?
[Shiori]
Well, culturally rape is quite (a) taboo topic and also it has strong stigma against rape victims. So, I was aware what sort of reaction I’d get after speaking up, but I would say it was much more than I expected. I got threats for my life, backlash, online violence and in the end I had to move to London away from my family. So, it wasn’t easy things to do.
⑤strong stigma
意味：a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
ここで私がほほう！と思ったのには2つ理由があって、
1. stigmaを強調するのにはstrongとの相性が良い（bigとかlargeじゃないんだね、ということ）
2. 日本語だとdisgraceも「汚名」を意味するけど、stigmaはより社会的というか、状況に即している感じ。
*disgrace 意味：loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonourable action.
「スティグマ」という単語自体は小難しい論文とか高校の現代文とかでたまに見かけるけど、単なる「汚名」というより根深い意味を内包しているんだなと思った次第です。
⑥I was aware what sort of reaction I’d get after speaking up,
「想像に難くない」「予期していた」「わかってたけど」みたいに言いたい時にはawareを使えばええんや！ という発見。
私ならI could have imagined what kind of reaction I would get after speaking upって言ってたと思う。長いな。
そういえばkind of とsort ofってどう使い分ければいいんだろう？ と思ったらここにまとまってました。Sort of X and kind of X can be analysed as simple Noun Phrases in examples like this:
– It’s a sort of toy.
– It’s a kind of instrument.
Here we have the nouns sort and kind taking preposition phrases: of X, where X is a noun. The meaning in each case is almost exactly the same. It just indicates that the subject of the sentence is a variety of X, a type of X. In the examples above, a type of toy, or a type of instrument.
Sort of is less useful with biological things:
– It’s a sort of elephant. (awkward)
– It’s a kind of elephant.要は、だいたい同じでどちらも「○○の一種」みたいな意味だけど、生物にsort of を使うのはなんかおかしい。 またスピーチなど、フォーマルな場合もkind ofを使ったほうが良いらしい。
⑦I would say
これまじで日本語で説明するの複雑なんですが、私はこれ「強いて言うなら」とか「言おうじゃないか」みたいなニュアンスで読んでます。
なんでって、
but it was much more than I expected. （私の想像以上でした）でもなく、
but I can say it was much more than I expected（私の想像以上だったと断言できます）でもなく
but I would say it was much more than I expected. というところがミソかなと思って。
[anchor]
Your attacker… just talk about him very briefly. Your attacker continues to deny all wrongdoings in this whole affair but have your claims, given that he’s so high-profile, have your claims changed people’s perceptions of him in Japan?
⑧as well
これは普通に読めるけど、私だとtooとかalso使ってしのぎそう。 ボキャ貧だから。 って意味でマーク。 こんな風にas well使いたいね。
What I wanted to do to speak out is to be able to create the space to be able to talk about such a sensitive topic, and It’s been quite taboo topic to talk about even in Japanese media, and media is one of the male dominated industry we have in Japan. But I think it’s slowly is changing.
[Shiori]
Umm, I’m not sure what he has received. I haven’t been communicated things with him. But I believe so but this entire reality and what I spoke out is I didn’t do this to accuse him. Of course, he should this is not my work to do. It should have been if our social and legal system was working properly, I didn’t have to do anything. So why the reason why I’m speaking out is to ask Japan and Japanese society what we’re missing.
[anchor]
You have of course been campaigning as you’ve been saying, for the actual terminology about the the word rape or sexual assault in criminal law in Japan to be changed. Talk us through and explain to us why that terminology is currently so confusing?
[Shiori]
Umm, so well we used to have since last year we had hundred-ten years of rape law, so before if you rape someone, you would go to jail 3 years and if you steal something, you would go to jail 5 years so, you know, object were more worse than women. So it has changed. it is making a progress but it’s just culturally socially it’s quite taboo topic for woman to speak up about sexual violence.
[anchor]
But has in you view anything changed in Japan since the Harvey Weinstein scandal? Is it now more easy for women to come forward and say, you know what, I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused?
[Shiori]
I haven’t yet heard a big #MeToo movement when it comes to rape, but there was one very brave female reporter who talked about her sexual harassment anonymously.
The reason why we have to cover our identity is because we’ve been often targeted and I have to say #MeToo movement to say me too is quite dangerous in Japan. So we came up to say “We too” so no one can target me, or individual.
⑨quite
意味1 : to the utmost or most absolute extent or degree; absolutely; completely.
意味2 : to a certain or fairly significant extent or degree; fairly.
quite a few（かなり多くの）というフレーズでしか使ったことないな。 quite。
使い分けを理解できていないなーということでググってみました。Pretty, fairly, really, very, and quite サクッとまとめると、強意の度合いが強いのがReally, very, and extremely そうでもないのがQuite むしろ弱めるのがFairly, pretty, and somewhat Quiteの例をあげると、
The entertainment was quite good. (=the entertainment was noticeably good, perhaps better than expected)
Blue jays are quite common in this area. (=blue jays are noticeably common, more common than you might expect.)
そのショーは目立って良かったけんども、印象としては「思っていたより良かった」程度。 ブルージェイはかなり一般的に見られるが、印象としては「思っていたより一般的」という感じ。
⑩we came up to say”We too”
とうとうここまできたか！ みたいな文章を英語に訳せって言われたら多分私無理。
と思ってたけどcome up to使えばいいんだな！ という学び。
合ってるか不安だけど。笑
[anchor]
Okay, Shiori Ito in London, thank you very much.
