Photo/Illutration The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is housed in this building in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki district. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Just as there are gifted conversationalists, there are master orators.

Author Saiichi Maruya (1925-2012) unmistakably fell into the latter category.

His book, titled “Aisatsu wa Muzukashii” (It’s not easy to make a speech), contains many of his speeches tinged with just the right dose of acidity.

At a party to celebrate the 88th birthday of a veteran critic, Maruya started out by panning a novel the man had penned years previously.

But then Maruya went on to lavish praise on the critic’s historical works and autobiography, stressing that his finely honed skills of description “must have to do with the fact that he had tried his hand at writing a few novels.”

Maruya said he always wrote his own speeches before delivering them. Each of his speeches came across as a witty critique.

Every newspaper column should read like one of his speeches, and I say this with a twinge of self-recrimination.

But I won’t dwell on that here. I thought about Maruya after reading a newspaper report on speeches given by Diet members the other day.

According to the story, bureaucrats at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare were being made to ghostwrite speeches that lawmakers deliver at gatherings in their constituencies.

The officials griped that speech-writing was not among their job responsibilities and one of the reasons they are forced to put in so many overtime hours.

I wonder if this problem only concerns that particular ministry.

Politicians may not be masters at delivering speeches, but it is surely their job to speak in their own words to the people whom they represent.

Surprisingly, they were “subcontracting” that vital aspect of their work.

Or perhaps they don’t even believe in the power of language in the first place, and think they only need to utter harmless and pointless comments.

During a roundtable discussion, Maruya lamented that politicians were failing to persuade people with the strength of speech. In his opinion, this was something they ought to be able to do better than anyone else.

“Japanese politicians seem to believe that their pedigree, money and brute strength are all they need to conduct politics,” he noted.

That remark, uttered as far back as 20 years ago, doesn’t sound dated at all, I hate to admit.

This brings to mind a recent prime minister who didn’t even immediately realize he had skipped part of his speech while reading from a prepared text at an atomic bombing anniversary ceremony.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 23

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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