Friday, January 08, 2010

Yet Another Sign That He Is Getting The Hang Of This...

..and that the media is not.

Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio had a conversation yesterday with astronaut Noguchi So'ichi, who is on a six months-long mission aboard the International Space Station. The PM took a moment to make a small joke regarding his nickname.

"They call me 'the man from outer space' (uchujin) but I have never ever been in space. I envy you."

Self-deprecating humor is a sign the Prime Minister is feeling more comfortable in his own skin. He even indulged in a bit of risky wistful idealism with Noguchi:

PM - "If all the people of all the world could ride in the ISS and view our planet, then would not all wars end? That's the dream I have."

Noguchi - "Me too. When I look down upon our beautiful Earth, it is unbelievable to me that it is a zone of conflict."

Of course the editors of the Asahi Shimbun could not resist taking a swipe at the PM, entitling its report on the conversation "So he is a space man after all? 'I envy you,' the PM tells ISS resident Noguchi" -- (Yahari uchujin? ISS no Noguchi-san ni shusho "urayamashii") -- even though such a title contradicts what the PM actually said.

What is it with the Asahi? Are its editors unaware that being cynical about everything does not constitute an intellectual stance?

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