タイガーマスク 匿名の善意を見守ろう

(Mainichi Japan) January 12, 2011
Anonymous goodwill should be respected
社説：タイガーマスク　匿名の善意を見守ろう

The name, Naoto Date, undoubtedly sounds nostalgic to those in their late 40s or older. He is the main character of the manga work, "Tiger Mask." After spending his childhood as an orphan, Date becomes a star wrestler called Tiger Mask. The work was made into an anime, which was aired on television from 1969 to 1971. In the story, Date uses part of his earnings from wrestling to anonymously extend donations to the orphanage where he grew up.
　伊達直人。４０代半ば以降の人には懐かしい名前に違いない。孤児だった主人公が覆面レスラーのタイガーマスクとなって活躍する漫画で、テレビアニメとしても６９～７１年に放映された。主人公が匿名でファイトマネーを自らが育った施設の子どもたちに寄付する物語である。

On Dec. 25 last year, 10 school backpacks were found at the front gate to a child consultation center in Gunma Prefecture, and a letter from "Naoto Date" was attached to them. After it was reported by news organizations, backpacks, cash and toys were sent to child consultation centers and foster homes in Kanagawa, Okinawa, Gifu and other prefectures one after another by people calling themselves Naoto Date.
　昨年１２月２５日、群馬県中央児童相談所の玄関前にランドセル１０個が入った箱が積み上げられ「伊達直人」からの手紙が添えられていた。それが報道されると神奈川、沖縄、岐阜など各地の児童相談所や児童養護施設にもランドセルや現金などが「伊達直人」の名で届けられるようになった。

The movement may indicate that those of the Tiger Mask generation are sharing empathy with the anonymous goodwill.
「匿名の善意」への共感がタイガーマスク世代に広がっているのだろうか。

Unlike those at the time of Tiger Mask, foster homes are now full of not only orphans but also victims of child abuse and children suffering from developmental disorders. Such facilities are required to offer better care and a family-like education environment for children.
　ただ、タイガーマスクのころと違って現在の児童養護施設は孤児だけでなく親から虐待された子や発達障害の子らであふれている。

Nevertheless, the government has still maintained its old standards for foster homes, which stipulate that one worker can look after a maximum of six children and that one child is provided with at least 3.3 square meters of space. In comparison, special nursing homes for the aged in Japan provide at least 10.65 square meters of space per resident. Therefore, the quality of foster homes in Japan is far worse than that for their counterparts in other developed countries.
より手厚いケアや家庭的な養育環境が必要だが、施設基準は何十年も「１人３．３平方メートル以上」「子ども６人に職員１人以上」のままだ。他の先進国の児童施設より劣悪なだけでなく、国内の特別養護老人ホーム（１人１０．６５平方メートル以上など）と比べても劣る。

Because of poverty and insufficient support for their studies, the ratio of those children at such facilities who go to university stands at a mere 10 percent, as compared with the national average of 54 percent.
また、経済的な貧困や学習支援の不足もあって大学進学率は約１０％（一般は約５４％）にとどまっている。

Currently, 88 children live in the Nihon Jido Ikuseien foster home in Gifu that received five school backpacks from "Naoto Date." If relatives of children who enter elementary schools cannot buy school backpacks for them, the facility uses reserve funds to prepare for their entrance to schools (about 30,000 yen per child). However, it is difficult for the facility to buy school supplies, backpacks and other necessary goods for them only with the reserve funds because a backpack alone costs from several thousand yen to over 80,000 yen.
　「伊達直人」からランドセル５個が贈られた岐阜市の日本児童育成園には現在８８人の子どもがいる。小学校入学時にランドセルを親族が準備できない場合は措置費の中の「入学準備金」（３万円余）で賄っているが、ランドセルは数千円から高額なものは８万円台まである。
「学用品や衣服代なども必要なため入学準備金だけでは苦しい」という。

One cannot help but wonder whether those who call themselves Naoto Date donated the backpacks and other items to facilities for children because they were no longer able to stand by and watch these children in such distress. Some of them may have done it merely with a light heart. Still, we would like to support their actions.
　窮状を見かねて「伊達直人」は寄付したのだろうか。いや、もっと軽い気持ちの人もいるかもしれない。それでも次々に登場する「伊達直人」を温かく見守りたいと思う。

Family and social bonds have loosened, and isolation and apathy are prevailing in society. Under these circumstances, better public social welfare services are needed. However, the government's debts have snowballed to over 900 trillion yen as its social security spending continues to grow. An increasing number of people are feeling that their livelihoods are being endangered.
　かつての大家族や地域のきずなは消え、孤立と無関心が社会を覆っている。公的な福祉サービスがもっと必要なのだが、社会保障費は膨張し続け国の借金も９００兆円を超える。暮らしが断崖へと追い詰められる実感を多くの人が持ち始めているのではないか。

As is shown by citizens' volunteer activities in disaster-hit areas, however, warm-heartedness is generated among people when their neighborhoods face crises. If gifts by those calling themselves "Naoto Date" are an indication of such a move, it should be used as an opportunity to nurture a spirit of mutual assistance.
震災時のボランティア活動などに見られるように、身近な地域が危機に陥ると自発的に思いやりの心が生まれることがある。「伊達直人」がその予兆だとしたら、助け合いの精神をじっくり育てたい。

We can no longer rely solely on families, regional communities or public social security programs. The introduction of tax breaks for those who extend donations to nonprofit organizations has been incorporated in a tax system reform plan for fiscal 2011.
　家族や地域だけでも公的福祉だけでもやっていける時代ではない。ＮＰＯ法人への寄付を促す市民公益税制も１１年度税制改正に盛り込まれた。

This opportunity should be fully utilized to ensure that a newly generated culture and spirit of charity will take root in Japan.
新たな思いやりの文化や精神を社会に根付かせる機会と考えたい。

毎日新聞　2011年1月12日　2時32分