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Japan PM complains he’s too busy to read his comics 日首相抱怨：工作太忙，沒空看漫畫

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso delivers a speech at Tokyo’s subculture haven of Akihabara on Oct. 26, 2008. The former foreign minister took over as premier on Sept. 24 from Yasuo Fukuda who resigned amid sagging popularity. 十月二十六日，日本首相麻生太郎在東京次文化樂園秋葉原演講。這位前外務大臣九月二十四日從支持度下滑請辭的福田康夫手中接下首相一職。 照片：法新社 PHOTO: AP

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso complained he cannot find enough time to devote himself to his lifelong hobby — reading comics.

Aso, who takes comics on trips abroad, said he finished reading two weekly magazines last week but has yet to find time to read two others.

“It’s hard to read comic books as my time is now restricted,” a smiling Aso told an audience of hundreds in his first street speech since taking office on Sept. 24.

The conservative, often gruff lawmaker has eagerly sought to soften his image in recent years by casting himself as one of Japan’s “otaku” — nerds whose hobbies border on obsession.

Aso used the speech in Tokyo’s Akihabara district to hail Japan’s subculture, notably comic books, as a key export from the country.

“Japan’s subculture of animation has been overwhelmingly accepted in the world,” Aso said.

“Japan’s culture is not only kabuki,” he said, referring to Japanese traditional drama. “Comic books, our subculture power, have been widely read in not only Asia but Europe, the United States and Latin America.”

Akihabara, long known for major electronics shops, has become the top gathering point for the otaku, with stores selling the latest comic books and animation DVDs. Waitresses dress up as characters from hit video games.

“I can cheer up when I come to Akihabara. I always feel at home here,” Aso said as supporters, mostly in their 20s and 30s, yelled in chorus: “Aso, Aso, Aso.”

(AFP)

日本首相麻生太郎抱怨自己沒有足夠的時間專心從事畢生嗜好：看漫畫。

出國旅行都會帶著漫畫的麻生說，他上週看完了兩本週刊，但湊不出時間看另外兩本。

九月二十四日執政以來，第一次在街頭發表演說的麻生笑著對數百名群眾說：「現在我時間有限，不太能看漫畫了。」

這幾年來，麻生一直積極軟化他保守、不茍言笑的律師形象，還將自己比作日本的「御宅族」──熱衷嗜好近乎癡狂的呆子。

麻生在東京秋葉原區的演說中大讚日本次文化，尤其是漫畫，是日本重要的輸出。

麻生說：「日本的動畫次文化已經席捲全球。」

他說：「日本文化不是只有歌舞伎而已。我們次文化漫畫的勢力，不只影響亞洲，在歐洲、美國和拉丁美洲也擁有廣大讀者群。」歌舞伎是日本傳統戲劇。

長久以來一直是日本電器店主要集散地的秋葉原，由於店家們販售最新出版的漫畫和動畫光碟，已成為御宅族聚集的頭號聖地。餐廳女侍也會裝扮成熱門電玩遊戲裡面的人物。

麻生說：「來到秋葉原我覺得很開心，這裡總令我感到自在。」這段話引起現場大多是二、三十歲的支持者齊聲高呼：「麻生、麻生、麻生。」

（法新社／翻譯：袁星塵）

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字 1. devote v.t. 奉獻 (feng4 xian4)，專心做 (zhuan1 xin1 zuo4) 例: She devoted her life to her husband. (她一生都奉獻給她的丈夫。) 2. audience n. 觀眾 (guan1 zhong4) 例: The audience cheered at the end of the performance. (表演終場時，全場觀眾歡呼叫好。) 3. gruff adj. 板著面孔的 (ban3 zhe5 mian4 kong3 de5)，沙啞的 (sha1 ya3 de5) 例: The actor was well known for his gruff voice. (那位男演員以沙啞的嗓音著稱。) 4. character n. 人物 (ren2 wu4) 例: Oliver Twist is my favorite fictional character. (奧立佛．崔斯特是我最喜歡的小說人物。)

READING COMPREHENSION閱讀測驗 1. What is Aso’s hobby? a. Going to maid cafes. b. Collecting comics. c. The article doesn’t say. 2. What did Aso complain about in the speech? a. He has too much free time. b. He doesn’t have enough free time. c. The article doesn’t say. 3. What is the Akihabara district known for? a. Electronics stores. b. Comic book stores. c. Both a and b are correct. 4. Was Aso popular with the people in Akihabara? a. Yes, he was. b. No, he wasn’t. c. The article doesn’t say.

SAY WHAT? 說說看 feel at home 自在不拘束 If you feel at home somewhere, you feel very comfortable there. A related expression is make yourself at home, which is an inviation to visitors to relax as they would in their own house. For example: “Although Tyler was born on a farm, he always felt at home living in New Orleans,” or ”When we arrived at Paul’s house he told us to make ourselves at home and take whatever we wanted from the fridge.” 如果你在某處「feel at home」，就表示你在那裡感到很自在。另一個相關的用法是「make yourself at home」，意思就是招呼客人放輕鬆，就像在自己家裡一樣。 例如：「雖然泰勒在農場出生長大，但他對紐奧良的生活始終感到自在」，或是「我們到保羅家時，他 要我們放輕鬆別拘束，想吃什麼就自己去冰 箱拿」。

OUT LOUD 對話練習 Ernest: My boss wants to send me to Tokyo for a month. Should I go? Thomas: Absolutely. If my boss offered it to me, I’d bite his hand off! Ernest: What makes it so great? Thomas: Well, there are some great theme parks, such as Disneyland, or you could visit Mt. Fuji. Not to mention all the shopping opportunities. Ernest: It sounds great. I think I’ll go. Thomas: Just make sure you take a map. It’s a pretty big place! 厄斯特：我老闆要派我去東京一個月，我該去嗎？ 湯馬士：當然囉。如果我老闆要讓我去東京，我一定欣然答應！ 厄斯特：那有什麼好的？ 湯馬士：唔，那裡有些很棒的主題樂園，像迪士尼等，或者你也可以去富士山玩。更甭提那些大採購的機會了。 厄斯特：聽起來不錯，我想我會答應。 湯馬士：記得帶張地圖，那裡真的很大！ bite somebody’s hand off　欣然答應 When you bite somebody’s hand off, you enthusiastically accept their offer. For example: “When Irving offered me free tickets to the piano recital, I bit his hand off.” 若你「bite somebody’s hand off」，就表示你熱情地接受他們的提議。例如：「爾文要給我免費的鋼琴獨奏會門票時，我欣然答應」。

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