美国国家公共电台 NPR--The legacy of ex-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot to death

The legacy¹ of ex-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot to death

Transcript²

The assassination³ of Japan's longest-serving prime minister has shocked the nation. Leila Fadel talks with Nancy Snow, an expert in international relations who has focused on Japan's modern evolution.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Japan's former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated⁴ today while speaking at a political rally. The gunman appeared to use a homemade weapon. He's in custody⁵. But right now the motive⁶ is still unclear. The killing⁷ of Japan's longest-serving prime minister has shocked the nation. With the slogan, Japan is back, Shinzo Abe played a key role in bringing Japan out of an era of economic stagnation⁸ and the lingering stigma⁹ of its defeat in World War II. Joining me now to talk about the legacy of Shinzo Abe is Nancy Snow, an expert in international relations who's focused on the evolution of modern Japan. Good morning, Nancy.

NANCY SNOW: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So, I mean, first of all, just how shocking is this assassination when you look at the history of political violence and gun violence in Japan?

SNOW: Well, I'm shaking. And I'm not presently in Tokyo, but Tokyo's my second home, and I can't imagine how my Japanese friends must be feeling. I'm hearing from them now. I think it's going to be a shock that will linger in the national psyche¹⁰. You've got to understand, we don't have a gun debate discussion over there. If you bring up guns, it is just visceral how people will react. That's not Japan.

FADEL: Yeah.

SNOW: And so to have this makeshift gun used, shot from behind, with video footage - this will take days, months, even years to really grapple with. So to talk about Abe's legacy, we now have to put it in the context of a political assassination.

FADEL: Right.

SNOW: I just can't even fathom¹¹ that. I'm working on a paper now on Japan's strategic communications and public diplomacy¹², and Abe was - is the centerpiece of that paper...

FADEL: Let's talk about his legacy.

SNOW: ...Because he defined Japan's image...

FADEL: Yeah.

SNOW: ...In this century.

FADEL: So let's talk about that legacy, defining Japan's image of the century. How important is he in Japan's postwar national identity?

SNOW: Well, he's a huge figure because, of course, he's part of a political legacy. His grandfather was prime minister at the time of the very contested passage of the U.S.-Japan security treaty. Of course, his father, Shintaro - who gave us the namesake Abe Fellows Program, of which I was part - he was for a time the longest-serving foreign minister until Kishida. But I think that Abe really understood the importance of being part of this family and giving back to society. He was a conservative, and politically, I had a lot of critique of Abe's policies but not of the man. I admired him greatly for raising the profile of Japan in the world. He had terrific people around him, too, who still are part of now the Kishida administration, who understand that Japan has to take on a larger leadership role.

The big issue for Abe was that - trying to look at the Japan's constitution and update it, and there was debate ongoing¹³. But he was out there on the stump¹⁴, advocating for his candidates. And you can see in the footage, of course, he was very vulnerable. There was some security. But I know from going to conferences that a lot of these leaders, they are accessible because we just don't think that this type of violent action will take place. Now we can never take that for granted again, which I believe will make Japan forever changed.

FADEL: Yeah. Nancy Snow, an expert in international relations who's focused on the evolution of modern Japan. Thank you so much for joining us.

SNOW: You're welcome, Leila.

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

4 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

9 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

10 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

11 fathom   

v.领悟，彻底了解

参考例句：

• I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
• What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。

12 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

14 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。