New Japan PM could be good for China?

[mDumb]

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PM Yukio Hatoyama is forced to resign because he faltered over broken campaign pledges to remove an American base from Okinawa. It proves once again Japan is submissive to the US military (what can Japan do as an occupied country?).

His successor could be veterans Naoto Kan, the finance minister.

What's so interesting about this guy's last name is that it's single syllable. As far as I know Japanese last names are usually multi-syllables. So, I suspect his last name is a Chinese last name.

His last name in Chinese character is 菅. If my suspicion is correct then his foreign policy might be more soothing to China.

Question:
Those who understand Chinese characters, what is the pin yin for this character? I think in Cantonese this character is pronounced it Kwan and Kwan is definitely a Chinese last name.

[below_freezing]

PM Yukio Hatoyama is forced to resign because he faltered over broken campaign pledges to remove an American base from Okinawa. It proves once again Japan is submissive to the US military (what can Japan do as an occupied country?).

His successor could be veterans Naoto Kan, the finance minister.

What's so interesting about this guy's last name is that it's single syllable. As far as I know Japanese last names are usually multi-syllables. So, I suspect his last name is a Chinese last name.

His last name in Chinese character is 菅. If my suspicion is correct then his foreign policy might be more soothing to China.

Question:
Those who understand Chinese characters, what is the pin yin for this character? I think in Cantonese this character is pronounced it Kwan and Kwan is definitely a Chinese last name.

it'll surprise me if he changes anything. foreign policy is never decided by one person anywhere.

but mr. 鸠山 already said: the japan-US alliance is not permanent. in 50 years, he says "japan would no longer rely on the US for military aid". once japan attains its independence who knows what the consequences for the US would be?

[no_name]

Prime Ministers in Japan changes more often than a fashion show, yet the politics remain the same

[mDumb]

<It's pronounced Guan3>

But according to this person it could also be pronounced Chiang.

<but mr. 鸠山 already said: the japan-US alliance is not permanent. in 50 years, he says "japan would no longer rely on the US for military aid".>

Seriously, Japan doesn't need military sh*t from the US. What Japan needs to do is to expel the US military out from Japan completely.

<Prime Ministers in Japan changes more often than a fashion show>

Yes, but this time is different. It proves the US military runs Japan.

[no_name]

It proves that PM is not even that important a job in Japan

[mDumb]

<It proves that PM is not even that important a job in Japan>

Oh well, $343,000/year goes to the sh*t hole.

**** what would I do with that load of money? Be submissive to the US military or government, I guess.

[mDumb]

<But according to this person it could also be pronounced Chiang.>

Oops sorry it's Jian1 (菅). What's the difference?

[Sanchez]

<But according to this person it could also be pronounced Chiang.>

Oops sorry it's Jian1 (菅). What's the difference?

Jian1 is standard Mandarin. Gan is Cantonese or Southern. Kan is Japanese. Chiang is wrong.

It's the name of a type of wild grass.

[T-Faz]

I wait for the day when Japan frees itself from the US and join hands with China to make Asia the powerhouse of the world.

I think that China and Japan should be staunch allies, both are great nations with a lot of discipline and excellent ethics. There history and cultures are truly unique, cooperation is required.

[Speeder 2]

There are many Japanese with surname as Kan, which comes from 2 origins mainly:

1. from authority(e.g.ancient titles): in japanese it's also pronunced as suga/sugawara I surppose

2. from people: who with surname as Kan.

Most people named Kan live originally in the Northeast part of Japan. There's no obvious link btw Kan to Chinese. Around Tan Dynasty of China, there was a PM-alike high level official in Japan also named as Kan.

But most Japanese have Han Chinese DNA anyway.

[SinoIndusFriendship]

I wait for the day when Japan frees itself from the US and joins hand with China to make Asia the powerhouse of the world.

I think that China and Japan should be staunch allies, both are great nations with a lot of discipline and excellent ethics. There history and cultures are truly unique, cooperation is required.

Well said brother!

[Sanchez]

But most Japanese have Han Chinese DNA anyway.

This is not true. Japanese genetics is more similar to Tibetan than Han. Max 20&#37; male in Japan has a Y-connection to Han, while 35% to Korean, 30% to Tibetan. Variations may differ from study to study but Japanese Y-chromosome DNA is definitely not mostly related to Han.

[Speeder 2]

This is not true. Japanese genetics is more similar to Tibetan than Han. Max 20&#37; male in Japan has a Y-connection to Han, while 35% to Korean, 30% to Tibetan. Variations may differ from study to study but Japanese Y-chromosome DNA is definitely not mostly related to Han.

True, but you've only told a part of the story and have drawn a wrong conclusion because of that IMO.

A Japanese institution has done a detailed research on what's mitochondrial DNA sequence relationships between Japanese and their mainland counterparts: Koreans and Chinese. The result is surprising ( or not that surprising in my intution which I shall explain later):

Japanese are indeed a mixed race of 5 or 6 major ethnic groups:

- Only 4.8% of Japanese genetic DNA sequence are unique;

- Less than 25% of Japanese DNA come from their indigenious Yayoi and Jomon people, who are also a mix of diverse minor ethnic groups;

- 24.2% of Japanese DNA come from Koreans;

- 25.2% of Japanese DNA come from Han Chinese.

- the rest come from other minor ethnic groups of the Pacific.


That is to say, Japanese are mainly mixed people of Han Chinese, Koreans together with indigenious people of Japanese islands.


That said, of course your remark is also right in the sense indeed that Japanese could share some DNA sequence with Koreans which are absent in Han Chinese's DNA. The same can also be said to a Korean or a Han Chinese vis-a-via a Japanese.


However, like it or not, it doesn't change the fact that from perspective of a Japanese, his/her closest "blood brother" is a Han Chinese. (see about 25.2%).


By the way, the same study indicates that in contrast with only 4.8% unique DNA sequence of Japanese, Koreans have 40% unique DNA compared with Japanese and Han; while Han Chinese have stunning 60% unique DNA sequence compared to Japanese and Koreans. Now you see how you made a wrong conclusion?


From my intuitive point of view, given a mixed group of random Han, Japanese and Koreans, I ( or many/most Han Chinese I believe) can easily pick Koreans out from facial identification only, with probably 7 out 10 accuracy. But I'll find it very difficult to seperate Japanese from Chinese. This execise shows that somehow Japanese are probably more related to Han Chinese, than Koreans are to Han Chinese. Above study proves that this common intuition is right.

[mDumb]

I am always fascinated on knowing where the Japanese come from. I know it's not what the Japanese would like the world to think.

Here is what the Japanese think they are from:
Until 1946, Japanese schools taught a myth of history based on the earliest recorded Japanese chronicles, which were written in the eighth century. They describe how the sun goddess Amaterasu, born from the left eye of the creator god Izanagi, sent her grandson Ninigi to Earth on the Japanese island of Kyushu to wed an earthly deity. Ninigi’s great-grandson Jimmu, aided by a dazzling sacred bird that rendered his enemies helpless, became the first emperor of Japan in 660 b.c. To fill the gap between 660 b.c. and the earliest historically documented Japanese monarchs, the chronicles invented 13 other equally fictitious emperors. Before the end of World War II, when Emperor Hirohito finally announced that he was not of divine descent,

And I know this is ******* BS!!!!

<From my intuitive point of view, given a mixed group of random Han, Japanese and Koreans, I ( or many/most Han Chinese I believe) can easily pick Koreans out from facial identification only, with probably 7 out 10 accuracy. But I'll find it very difficult to seperate Japanese from Chinese. This execise shows that somehow Japanese are probably more related to Han Chinese, than Koreans are to Han Chinese. Above study proves that this common intuition is right.>

Japanese and Korean languages are both classified by linguists as Altaic languages, along with Mongolic, Tungusic and Turkic, among others. Nevertheless, Japanese is so distant from Mongolic and Turkic than the similarities are hardly more evident than those with Indonesian or even Tamil.

Korean language, however, is much closer to Japanese. The grammar is very similar, and both have imported about half of their vocabulary from Chinese, which makes these three languages almost mutually understable in the written form, thanks to Chinese characters (rarely used in Korea nowadays, except in place names). Native Korean and Japanese words are often related when comparing Old Korean and Old Japanese, but few of them are really obvious to modern speakers.

Mindset and values in Japan and South Korea are deeply intertwined, thanks to the strong influence of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism in both countries. This is obvious from the corporate culture (e.g. discipline, seniority system), the strict politeness system, or the Taoist/Buddhist value of simplicity and humility. These cultural aspects all ultimately stem from China. That's why Japan and Korea are considered branches of the Chinese civilisation.

The Japanese colonisation of Korea (1895-1945) has left of a lot of resentment on the Korean side and a sense of superiority mixed with repressed shame and denial on the Japanese side. This is why both Koreans and Japanese are often reluctant to admit their similitudes. However, thanks to natural affinities in sensitivities and tastes, South Korea and Japan appear to be culturally closer as ever nowadays.

[SinoIndusFriendship]

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I am always fascinated on knowing where the Japanese come from. I know it's not what the Japanese would like the world to think.

Here is what the Japanese think they are from:
Until 1946, Japanese schools taught a myth of history based on the earliest recorded Japanese chronicles, which were written in the eighth century. They describe how the sun goddess Amaterasu, born from the left eye of the creator god Izanagi, sent her grandson Ninigi to Earth on the Japanese island of Kyushu to wed an earthly deity. Ninigi’s great-grandson Jimmu, aided by a dazzling sacred bird that rendered his enemies helpless, became the first emperor of Japan in 660 b.c. To fill the gap between 660 b.c. and the earliest historically documented Japanese monarchs, the chronicles invented 13 other equally fictitious emperors. Before the end of World War II, when Emperor Hirohito finally announced that he was not of divine descent,

And I know this is ******* BS!!!!

<From my intuitive point of view, given a mixed group of random Han, Japanese and Koreans, I ( or many/most Han Chinese I believe) can easily pick Koreans out from facial identification only, with probably 7 out 10 accuracy. But I'll find it very difficult to seperate Japanese from Chinese. This execise shows that somehow Japanese are probably more related to Han Chinese, than Koreans are to Han Chinese. Above study proves that this common intuition is right.>

Japanese and Korean languages are both classified by linguists as Altaic languages, along with Mongolic, Tungusic and Turkic, among others. Nevertheless, Japanese is so distant from Mongolic and Turkic than the similarities are hardly more evident than those with Indonesian or even Tamil.

Korean language, however, is much closer to Japanese. The grammar is very similar, and both have imported about half of their vocabulary from Chinese, which makes these three languages almost mutually understable in the written form, thanks to Chinese characters (rarely used in Korea nowadays, except in place names). Native Korean and Japanese words are often related when comparing Old Korean and Old Japanese, but few of them are really obvious to modern speakers.

Mindset and values in Japan and South Korea are deeply intertwined, thanks to the strong influence of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism in both countries. This is obvious from the corporate culture (e.g. discipline, seniority system), the strict politeness system, or the Taoist/Buddhist value of simplicity and humility. These cultural aspects all ultimately stem from China. That's why Japan and Korea are considered branches of the Chinese civilisation.

The Japanese colonisation of Korea (1895-1945) has left of a lot of resentment on the Korean side and a sense of superiority mixed with repressed shame and denial on the Japanese side. This is why both Koreans and Japanese are often reluctant to admit their similitudes. However, thanks to natural affinities in sensitivities and tastes, South Korea and Japan appear to be culturally closer as ever nowadays.

But on a serious note: Vietnamese have a similar story of "Ao Gu' (sorry bad spelling) which is similar to Chinese myth. In other words, 1000+ years ago Japan + Korea + Vietnam was part of China, which explains WHY & HOW their ancient history is the same as Chinese.

For example, Koreans claimed to have 'invented' Chinese language --- from their historical point of view this is TRUE. Why you ask?! Let me explain: Koreans are believed to be MAINLY derived from a small community in central china that traveled and set up in modern-day Korea. This small community existed in a time of warring states, and it split up into 2 ===> One moved to Korea, and the other to Viet Nam. There may be some truth is this, as Koreans and Vietnamese share a characteristically similar flat face and large pronounced jaw-line.



Anyways, either way Japan-Korea-Vietnam are DIRECT DESCENDANTS from China. It doesn't really matter which "tribe" or "region" specific they come from.