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Japan's disaster日本的灾难
A crisis of leadership, too
也是领导力的危机
The many-headed catastrophe points to deeper-seated problems in governing Japan
棘手的灾祸背后，日本政府深层次的弊病显露出来
SINCE the lives of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Japanese were turned upside down by earthquake, tsunami, fire and looming nuclear threat, people around the globe have watched, amazed, at the survivors’ composure—“stoicism” is the word they most often reach for. There have been few complaints, just civic-minded initiative. All along the coast, the urgent talk is not just about survival in the face of shortages of food, water and fuel. Stricken communities are desperate to start rebuilding their towns.
地震，海啸，大火以及日益严重的核辐射把日本人的生活搅得翻天覆地，几十万日本人受到影响。而此时此刻，全世界都将目光聚焦日本，惊叹于幸存者的沉着淡定。而“坚忍克己”是他们嘴边形容日本最常用的词。日本人很少抱怨什么，有的只是互帮互助。目前，震区食物，水源以及燃料短缺，对于灾区人民来说，最迫切的不仅仅是如何活下去，还是重建家园
Stoicism is an admirable response to what fate deals you. It also serves as a coping mechanism in the face of incomprehension. And the Japanese no longer just find it hard to understand how nature could deal such a blow; increasingly, they want to know why the government of a rich and orderly land should be taking so long to tame an overheating nuclear plant and get help to communities ravaged by the tsunami. A lack of water, food and warmth are a fresh and acute source of suffering. Despite the scale of the humanitarian disaster, some of the suffering is avoidable. The system is letting citizens down.
面对自然的“摧残”，“坚忍克己”是多么的令人敬佩。对于自己无法理解的东西，保持坚忍克己，也实为不错。现在，日本不仅不明白自然为何会如此残暴，他们更难以理解的是，为何在一个如此富裕有序的国度里，政府却要花如此长的时间才能控制住过热的核机组，才能援救饱受海啸摧残的人民。目前，人们饱受着食物以及饮水短缺的痛苦，情况紧急。撇开大规模的人道主义灾难不说，某些痛苦还是可以避免的。日本的国家体制让人民失望至极。
This criticism may seem harsh. For a start, Naoto Kan, the prime minister, has maintained relative calm despite the menacing situation at Fukushima Dai-ichi, the crippled nuclear plant. His government has also been far more transparent than its predecessors. The Bank of Japan acted promptly, providing liquidity to prevent a natural disaster from becoming a financial one.
批评的声音也许还真是刺耳。一开始，尽管福岛核电站爆炸，情况紧急，但日本首相菅直人处事还是比较冷静的。菅直人当局也要比前任政府公开透明的多。日本中央银行也是迅速做出反应，出动流动资金，避免灾害殃及金融业。
