天皇退位的象徵 The symbolic of the abdication

天皇退位的象徵  The symbolic of the abdication

明仁天皇將於4月30日退位，德仁天皇翌日即位。去年，明仁發表最後一次生日公開記者會，講到兩處議題必然哽咽。一是戰爭的殘酷，二是平民皇后嫁入皇家的宮鬥辛酸。

Japanese Emperor Akihito abdicated on April 40, the new Emperor Naruhito took the throne the next day.  Emperor Akihito whimpered when he mentioned two things in his last press conference at last year end.  One was the cruelty of war, the other was the bullying his wife Michiko, the first ever Japanese civilian Empress, by the old fashioned imperial family members.

太平洋戰爭雖發生在昭和，但皇太子也被視為當事人。一如戰後受降典禮時，密蘇里號艦上飄揚著，是偷襲珍珠港當天白宮屋頂上的同一面美國國旗；遠東軍事法庭選在皇太子明仁生日那天，處決A級戰犯，以將戰爭教訓烙印在未成年的明仁心上。

Though the Pacific War happened in the Showa era, the then Crown Prince Akihito was at the age of 12.  Just as the surrender of Japan, the USS Missouri on that day flew exactly the same US national flag at the top of the White House on December 8, 1941, the day of the Attack on Pearl Harbor; the International Military Tribunal for the Far East chose the birthday of the Crown Prince Akihito to hang the A class war crimes who they were sentenced to death.  It was to carve the sin into Akihito’s heart on purpose.

烙印，顯然深刻。明仁在位期間蒞臨包括硫磺島、沖繩等日本各地；19次海外訪問更包括如夏威夷、塞班島、帛琉、菲律賓等戰場慰靈。甚至親赴與那國島遠眺台灣—這塊戰後許多地位未解決的領土之一。十多年前，日韓關係再度惡劣，明仁曾請宮內廳轉告內閣，若有必要願意赴韓國致歉，請政府不必顧忌其立場。

The carving is deep.  Akihito has visited all over Japan and 19 times abroad, including the battlefield of Iwo Jima and Okinawa; Hawaii, Saipan, Palau, the Philippines to comfort the victims.  Akihito even visited Yonaguni, the west most point of Japan, looking out for Taiwan, an unresolved former Japanese territory, and where his classmate of Gakushuin lives.  Years ago, Akihito asked his servants to pass the message to the Cabinet that he could have an apology visit to South Korean if the government considered it necessary when it was tense between Japan-South Korea, again.

明仁天皇還特別避免到靖國神社祭奠，這是過往天皇所無。鑲有皇室紋章的靖國神社，合祀了從戊辰戰爭、西南戰爭等開國之役起，包含台灣/朝鮮等14類，246萬餘戰歿者之靈。它不屬神社本廳所管，是GHQ神道指令認可的宗教法人，也是日本的忠烈祠。

Not like the past Emperor, Akihito did not pay respect to the Yasukuni Imperial Shrine.  Decorating the Imperia emblem of Chrysanthemum, the Shrine enshrined over 2.4 millions deities for 14 categories, from Boshin War (1868), Satsuma Rebellion (1877), and including Taiwanese and Koreans later.  It is the Japanese Martyrs' Shrine.  But the Shrine does not subordinate to the Association of Shinto Shrines, while it lost its special status under the SCAPIN-448 of the SCAP/GHQ, and became a purely religious body. 

今年為靖國神社創立150年，不少日本人呼籲明仁在退位前，循裕仁戰後八次參拜先例前往。韓國國會議長文喜相指明仁為「戰爭罪魁禍首之子」，相對於朝鮮李王戰後仍赴靖國神社參拜慰靈，幾近無知。

It is the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Yasukuni Shrine.  Some Japanese call for Akihito to pay the respect to the Shrine, as his father Hirohito has done for 8 times after the end of the war.  Moon Hee-sang, the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea accused Akihito "the son of the main culprit of war crimes," It is the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Yasukuni Shrine.  Some Japanese call for Akihito to pay the respect to the Shrine, as his father Hirohito has done for 8 times after the end of the war.  Moon Hee-sang, the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea accused Akihito "the son of the main culprit of war crimes," neglecting the fact that the abdicated king of Lee dynasty of the Kingdom of Great Joseon (1392–1897) had visited the Shrine several times after the end of World War II

2016年明仁天皇以體力為由，表達退位期望時，曾引起憲政討論。贊成者認為日本有多次生前退位先例，並無問題；反對者堅持天皇在憲法上只是國家與國民的「象徵」，禁止展現退位等自由意志；極端者更謂，天皇責任至死方休。但根據戰後憲法，天皇是日本國家與國民總體的象徵。反對者既高舉「象徵」，何必在意區區退位？

Akihito expressed his willingness of abdication in 2016 due to the health.  The supporters claimed that there were precedents in Japanese history; while the opponents insisted that the obligation of the Emperor never ends until the physical demise of him.  Some extremists persisted that he can not show any personal willingness including the abdication since the Emperor is no more than a symbol of Japan and Japanese nationals as a whole in the Constitution.  But if the Emperor is just a symbol legally why the scholars bother?

歐洲各國，經歷多次君主缺位時期(interregnum)—國王駕崩而王儲在外，多年後才即位。為此，聯合王國發展出「王有雙身」(The King's Two Bodies)理論—君主(Monarch)是自然人，如走馬燈；但王權(Crown)則是法身，持續不斷。毫無中斷之餘。天皇肉身一棒接一棒，制度則萬世一系，也是如此！

Having experienced several times of interregnum, a period of discontinuity in the monarch, the UK as well as European countries, has developed the theory of "King's Two Bodies," which separates the king into "the physical body, or the monarch," which will perish in decades, and "the divine body, or Crown," which exist forever without discontinuity.  Japanese Emperor functions likewise.  The abdication is no more than normal.

七十年已過，忍辱負重承擔著日本和平條約義務的明仁至此結束，平成時代與日本也將轉換新生。放不下民族主義奶嘴的鄰國，才「萬山不許一溪奔」吧！

It has been over seven decades since the end of the Pacific War, the Akihito comes to an end, after bearing the obligation of the peace.  Heisei Era and Japan will be newborn, only the neighboring countries of East Asia do not let go of the easy political benefits of the nationalism.

【資料】

韓國議長指日本明仁天皇是「戰犯的兒子」

南宋楊萬里詩：「萬山不許一溪奔，攔得溪聲日夜喧，到得前頭山腳盡，堂堂溪水出前村」，這是傅正最常引用的。