banal#2
日本の捕鯨について取り上げられております。記事によると，日本は捕鯨を文化的側面，研究面の観点から必要性を訴えていると指摘しております。しかし，大規模な捕鯨を開始したのは第二次世界大戦後であり，長年の文化的側面があるのかと反論しております。他にも研究的な目的で捕鯨しているという主張に対しても，10年間捕鯨研究を行ってきた日本人研究者の言葉を引用して反論しております。
記事の中で気になった単語は"banal"です。『Wisdom英和辞典第三版』（三省堂）によると「〘非難して〙陳腐な, ありふれた, つまらない」などという意味がありました。Oxford Dictionaries.comには"So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring"と定義されております。語源をOxford Dictionaries.comで確認すると"Mid 18th century (originally relating to feudal service in the sense 'compulsory', hence 'common to all')"と書かれておりました。命令通りに動くだけなら新しい物は生み出せないと思います。（Ume）
Japan and the whale
"There are some important political reasons why it is difficult to stop now." he said. He would say no more.
But Junko Sakuma thinks the answer lies in the fact that Japan's whaling is government-run, a large bureaucracy with research budgets, annual plans, promotions and pensions.
"If the number of staff in a bureaucrat's office decreases while they are in charge, they feel tremendous shame," she says.
"Which means most of the bureaucrats will fight to keep the whaling section in their ministry at all costs. And that is true with the politicians as well. If the issue is closely related to their constituency, they will promise to bring back commercial whaling. It is a way of keeping their seats."
It may seem incredibly banal. But Japan's determination to continue whaling may come down to a handful of MPs from whaling constituencies and a few hundred bureaucrats who don't want to see their budgets cut.
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