经济学人下载:灾难来袭日本,大自然的报复

Supply-chain concerns are mounting as it becomes apparent that more Japanese factories may be closed for longer than first thought, and that a surprising number of gizmos assembled in China, South Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere depend on Japanese components. There were also fears that the price of oil, which at first fell a bit because of an expected drop in Japanese demand, might be driven even higher as Japan makes up for the shortfall in nuclear power, at a time of tensions in north Africa and the Middle East.

随着日本工厂停产时间超过预期，人们对供应链的关心在与日俱增，因为许多在中国，韩国，台湾和其他地区装配的产品都需要来自日本的零件。得益于国内需求减少，石油价格有所下降，但考虑到核危机造成的资源短缺，北非，西亚局势紧张，许多人担心油价会大幅上涨。

Phoenix in the east东方凤凰
The tasks facing Japan are staggering. But a country does not live on a geological time bomb without some accommodation by the national psyche. The legacy of centuries of rebuilding cities, temples and homes after tsunamis, fires and earthquakes has provided many Japanese with a fatalistic streak. In the past they have often risen to the task of rebuilding; it provides a sense of national purpose.

虽然日本任重道远，但是处在这样一个危机重重地地理位置上，日本人的国民性必然有所适应。几个世纪以来，受到在海啸，火灾，地震之后重建城市，庙宇和家园的影响，许多日本人的性格中都增添了几分宿命主义的气质。过去他们总是被委以重任重建家园，这赋予了日本人一种国家目标。

Twice in the past century, Tokyo has re-emerged out of the rubble. After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, in which 143,000 people died, the recovery turned poisonous; amid the wreckage, sword-wielding Japanese set about wantonly killing Korean immigrants. Democratic shoots were trampled, and nationalistic passions eventually drove Japan to war. Two decades later, in 1945, destruction came from American bombs. The zeal to rebuild was again remarkable. Within a generation, Japan had turned—peacefully this time—from one of the chief recipients of World Bank aid into an industrial superpower.

过去的一个世纪里，东京曾两次浴火重生。1923年关东发生大地震，14万3千余人死于非命，此后为了复兴，日本误入歧途。残垣断壁还未清扫干净，日本人就挥舞刀剑对朝鲜移民进行了屠杀。民主萌芽就此被扼杀，名族主义的狂热最终将日本带入战争的深渊。20年后的1945年，美国一颗原子弹将广岛夷为平地。人们又一次抱着极大的热情开始了重建。这一次，用一种和平的方式，不到一代人的时间，日本就从世界银行的最大受救济国变为了超级工业大国。

The past 20 years of stagnation and deflation—albeit with high levels of conspicuous consumption—have left many yearning for a new sense of purpose. It is perhaps a chilling reflection of this that comments by Shintaro Ishihara, the right-wing governor of Tokyo, harking back to imperial days by calling the disaster “divine retribution” for Japan’s culture of “greed”, have found some resonance, especially among elderly Japanese. Others will be furious.

过去的20年里，虽然炫耀性消费居高不下，日本却饱受经济停滞，通货紧缩之苦，这使得许多人盼望一种新的国家目标出现，尽管有些令人恐惧，东京市一位右翼官员石原慎太郎评论说这是神明对日本“贪婪”文化的惩罚，这句话不禁让人回想起日本还称霸一方的时代，不过这就是对这一现象的真实反映。这番话在许多老年人中引起了共鸣，而其他人则愤怒不已。

More thoughtful voices propose more constructive ways to forge a new sense of purpose. Many foreigners have expressed deep admiration for the calm resilience the Japanese have demonstrated this week. A university professor, stuck for 25 hours on a short train journey to Tokyo as a result of the earthquake, wrote a long piece on Facebook about the patience of his fellow passengers, the solicitousness of the railway staff, and the spotless toilets. “If you have to spend 16 hours in a stationary train and an additional nine hours getting home, do it in Japan,” he wrote. Japanese people say they take heart from such commendations.

有识之士建议应该采用更具建设性的方法来建立新的国家目标。许多外国人对于日本人在本周灾难中所展示出的冷静魅力表示了欣赏。由于这次地震，一位大学教授在回东京本来很短的旅途上花费了25个小时。他在脸谱网上发表了一篇很长的文章，其中记述了人们的耐心，铁路员工的殷勤以及厕所的一尘不染。他说:“如果你想在静止的列车上待16小时，然后花9小时回家，那么，来日本吧。”日本人说这些赞扬让他们倍感鼓舞。