Japanese → English transcript

Ms. Mizuhu Uemura I am not asking whether you are aware of it.

So, um, Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Emerita During

their reign, to this extent,

in thinking about the people and our country, they clearly showed us how

deeply they care,

and yet do we have to meekly accept the forceful opinions being pushed on us?

Among our country’s people as well,

there are surely those who, if possible, wish to return to the earth,

who wish to return to Japan’s soil and would prefer burial. However, since we value

harmony above all,

and we place importance on public health,

I believe that is why we actually choose cremation.

Our country is a nation of“ When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

That is something that really needs to be stated clearly.

And of course, there are those who reside here legally and work diligently, who,

as members of Japanese society, contribute to our country— I am,

of course, fully aware that there are many Muslim people like that.

But naturally, in terms of values, culture, and ideas of justice,

there are aspects that differ from the general sensibilities of us Japanese.

Precisely for that reason, when accepting them into society,

we must properly recognize that there will be positive influences and also

those that are not.

With that in mind,

we need to draw clear lines about“ this is OK, that is not OK,”

and I want to say that if the political side does not do this properly,

local communities will also end up in difficulty.

As for these issues between Muslim people and our existing society,

I think we must learn from what is happening right now in Europe and America.

If you are going to end your life in Japan, it will be cremation, or,

with a large personal expense,

you will have to arrange transport of the body internationally and have the funeral

in your home country— I really want people to understand that,

as I mentioned earlier.

And we, the members of the National Diet, we on the political side,

must show our stance on this through legislation.

Um, this question here, actually, I, uh,

did not give prior notice of it, but… Lastly, could we have just one more word from

the minister? Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Ueno Yes,

um, well, speaking from the standpoint of being in charge of this law,

Uh, as I have been saying from earlier, this is, after all,

a matter of autonomous local administration, since that is how it has been defined.

Taking local circumstances into account,

I would like to ask each local government to consider this on their own. Ms.

Mizuho Umemura We

do not need any more burial grounds for earth burials than we have now.

With that, I will conclude my questions, by asking for politics that put the

Japanese people first. Thank you very much.