Japanese → English transcript

I am not asking whether Ms. Mizuhō Uemura is aware of this or not.

You see, when Their Majesties the Emperor

Emeritus and Empress Emerita were on the throne,

the fact that they were thinking this deeply about the people, about our coun… …

try was clearly shown,

and yet, are we supposed to just gulp down these forcefully asserted opinions

one after another?

I believe there are people in our country who, if possible,

would like to return to the earth,

who want to be buried in Japanese soil and therefore wish for burial.

However, because we regard harmony as precious,

and because we also place importance on public hygiene,

is it not the case that we are choosing cremation in practice?

We have to clearly state that our country is one where, when in Rome,

you do as the Romans do. And of course,

I am fully aware that there are many Muslim people who reside here legally,

work diligently, and contribute to our country as members of Japanese society… …

as a matter of course.

Nevertheless, when it comes to values, culture, and ideas of justice, there are

naturally aspects that differ from the general sensibilities of us Japanese.

That is precisely why,

when accepting them into society, we must properly recognize

that there will be positive influences and also those that are not, and draw clear…

… lines as to“ this is OK and this is not OK,”

otherwise I wish to say that local communities

will end up in difficulty if the political side does not do this properly.

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

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

I believe we must learn from that.

If you are going to end your life in Japan,

it must either be by cremation, or, with a high personal expense,

by international transport of the remains and burial in… …

your home country— this is something I said earlier that I really want

people to understand, and I believe that we, the members of the Diet,

we on the political side… … need to show our stance on this through the law.

This question is a bit,

well, I did not give prior notice, but could I ask the Minister

for one last comment?

Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Takemi:

Yes, well, speaking from the standpoint of being in charge of the law,

as I have been saying for some time now, it is, after all,

categorized as an autonomous local function, so,

as it has been classified in that way, I would like each municipality to consider

this while taking into account local circumstances, and, if possible,

to proceed with it. Mizuhō Uemura:

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

With that, I conclude my questions by respectfully asking for politics that puts

Japanese people first. Thank you very much.