"Character for tax (税) picked as kanji of 2023" - and I my salary is less than it was two years ago...

Photo and story from Japan Today, 12/12/23.

I would have actually voted for "(Hanshin) Tigers" as the kanji of the years. But...

The money that I now actually make has decreased in the last two years. My winter bonus this year is more than $100 less than it was two years ago. Why? My university tells me that since my salary increases (by a very small amount) every year, I am now in a higer tax bracket, thus the government takes more money from my paycheck. At the same time, the cost of everything (groceries, etc.) has increased. Is this fair? I think not. The government certainly needs to reduce taxes and work to decrease the price of necessities for its residents. But at the same time, it seems that employers need to better support their employees (or has the idea of managers/employers as onjin「恩人」become obsolete?). At the same time, I might add, my university has not increased research funds for its faculty for well over 20 years, and no longer furnishes computers, printers, etc. to professors (instead we are supposed to use our own research funds which are supposed to be used for actual reseach activities) for these vital tools we need to do our very job, i.e. teaching). And, again, at the same time, teachers need to pay for more online services and software to do our job. Recently, my university has announced that since "COVID-19 is under control," they will be canceling the Zoom accounts of faculty and staff. WTF?

Let's hope for a Happy New Year on may levels...

"‘An,’ meaning safety, named Japan’s kanji of the year for 2015"

Photo and text borrowed from The Japan Times, 12/15/15.

The kanji an, which denotes safety or peace, best symbolizes the national mood in 2015, a Kyoto-based kanji promotion organization said Tuesday.

The character reflects the claims and counterclaims that rang out nationwide when the Abe administration steamrolled security bills through the Diet this summer. There were major protests over the legislation, which will fundamentally expand the range of missions the Self-Defense Forces can take part in overseas.

The kanji could also be seen as having an international dimension, as terrorist attacks overseas stoked unease.

It was selected based on votes cast by the general public. Of the 129,647 entries received this year, an ranked at the top with 5,632, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation.

At Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, where the result was announced, chief priest Seihan Mori handwrote the winning character using a giant calligraphy brush on a sheet of washi (Japanese paper) 1.5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide.

The kanji that came in second was baku (explosive) and third place went to sen (war). It was the 21st annual poll since the event began in 1995.

Last year, zei (tax) was chosen as the kanji symbolizing the year that people faced greater financial burdens following an increase in the consumption tax.

Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/15/national/meaning-safety-named-japans-kanji-year-2015/

2014 Kanji of the Year: 税 (tax)

Photo and text from Japan Today, 12/12/14.

The kanji character “zei” (税) meaning “tax,” has been chosen as the character best representing the sentiment and events in Japan in 2014.

The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, a Kyoto-based organization that promotes kanji, conducts the survey nationwide every year. The foundation said 167,613 submissions were received this year, with “zei” being the most popular, garnering 8,679 votes.

In an event held on Friday, Seihan Mori, the head priest at the world-famous Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, drew the character with a large calligraphy brush, whose bristles were the size of a bowling pin, on a huge piece of “washi” (Japanese paper).

The character of “zei” was chosen following months of coverage by the media about the hike in the sales tax last April 1 and the debate over when to increase the sales tax again.

The second most popular character was 熱, meaning fever, a reference to the sporting passion that gripped Japan this year with the Sochi Olympics, World Cup soccer and Kei Nishikori’s success on the tennis court. Fever also referred to the Ebola outbreak. The third most popular kanji was 嘘, meaning lie, referring to many political scandals and the claims of a stem cell researcher.

Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/%E7%A8%8E-chosen-as-kanji-character-best-representing-2014

"'Hot' chosen as kanji of the year"

Seihan Mori, chief priest of Kiyomizu temple, writes the kanji character ''sho,'' meaning hot, during an annual calligraphy ceremony to unveil the Chinese character of the year at the temple in Kyoto on Dec. 10, 2010. The kanji character was voted as best characterizing Japan, which experienced a record-hot summer.

Text and photo borrowed from Kyodo News:
http://english.kyodonews.jp/photos/2010/12/60907.html

Change... or Strange? 2008 Kanji of the Year Announced

(Image borrowed from The Daily Yomiuri Online, 12/13/08)

"Hen," which means "change" in English, has been chosen as the single best kanji to characterize the year 2008, a Kyoto-based kanji promotion organization said Friday. The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation said it received a total of 111,208 entries for its poll to select the single best kanji reflecting society in 2008.

Of the total, 6,031, or 5.4%, picked "hen," followed by "kin" (gold) and "raku" (fall). "Kin" was apparently chosen because of gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, while "raku" was chosen to reflect falling stock prices. "Hen" was chosen to symbolize successive changes of power in Japan from 2007 to 2008, the victory of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, who called for change during his presidential campaign, and the deterioration in the global financial and economic landscape, the association said. (Text from Japan Today, 12/13/08)

Of course "hen" also means strange, which could be fitting. The kanji "hen" is also used in "taihen" meaning "difficult." Perhaps things have been strange and difficult this year and we are all in need of change...

You can read more about the choice (in Japanese language only) at the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society web page.

You can see what the kanji of the year since 1995 has been at this encyclopedia site.