I saw the disappearance of the country

I saw the disappearance of the country on January 23 at 16:54

I was 10 years old.
At that time, I was in Moscow, still in the "Soviet Union".
What I saw there was a dramatic change in the nation.

A 6000-page diplomatic document published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fresh reports of diplomats brought me back to that era. And for the first time, I realized what was happening.
(Nobu Watanabe, Political Department)

"Idle"

The writing was literary.

"BUKSOVAT (runs idle). The word came to mind suddenly while waiting for boarding in the dark waiting room at the airport on my return day after two years and one month in Moscow. To sum up Gorbachev's perestroika in a word, wouldn't it be appropriate to say, "I'm spinning."

This is the beginning of the November 1987 report "After finishing work in the USSR". Written by Toshio Kadozaki, the chief of the Japanese embassy in Moscow. In a different language from the hard diplomatic text I've been reading, I had a tough look at the perestroika that Gorbachev, who became secretary general in 1985, was working on.

`` Some party leaders and scholars are actively participating in Perestroika and seriously pursuing the reforms that Gorbachev calls, '' Kadozaki said. Enthusiasm hits the reality of water disappearing as it passes through the sand. "

Having read this far, I couldn't help recalling what I spent in Moscow from 1984 to 1987.

The 10-year-old saw that time

Why am I in Moscow?

My father, a teacher, was transferred to Moscow Japanese School.

This is a picture taken with my mom and two younger brothers shortly after going away. The right end is me.
In the Soviet Union, taking pictures of soldiers would get angry, so Dad rushed while the soldiers turned back.

A year later, in 1985, when I was 10 years old, Gorbachev became a general secretary at the age of 54.

This is a program broadcasted by Soviet National Broadcasting on a military parade on Red Square on Revolution Day.

I took it with my dad's camera. I felt something very new to this guy.

Because my father and school teacher told me that Gorbachev has two pillars: Perestroika = Reform and Glasnost = Information Disclosure. Perestroika even if you look over there, Perestroika even if you look over here.

As the world changes, I have come to me with a clear sense of skin.

"The bread in the store was always fresh and delicious."
"Ice cream packaging has become colorful"
"We broadcast aerobics on TV"
"A bus with an advertisement on the body started running"
That's how it is.

For our families, the biggest change was "Russians no longer hesitate to interact with foreigners throughout their families."

At that time, in Moscow, we were living in fixed apartments with surveillance. In this photo, of the three high-rise apartments, the building on the left and farthest to the left is that.

Locals rarely visited. But when Gorbachev started to open up the atmosphere of society, a Russian colleague at his dad's workplace came.

Mom also has friends. It's Luba.

He came with lots of borscht ingredients and taught me how to make it.

One evening, my dad's colleague, Sergey, invited us home. When I got off the elevator in my apartment where my family lived, my wife, Galina, was waiting on a dim floor.

Galina gestured "quietly" with her forefinger to her mouth, as if to pay attention to the eyes of the neighbors. Is it still a high hurdle to invite foreigners to the house? It was like that.

But in the house, Russian home cooking using homemade tomatoes and potatoes came out. It was the first time I could feel the lives of the locals!

Oleg became my friend. Sergey's son. He showed off his accordion skills.
He was so young that he began to come and go with each other.
Sergei said, "In the era of perestroika, no one will blame."

What could have been impossible

Return to diplomatic documents.
A document called "Soviet Internal Affairs Paper," in which Japanese diplomats recorded changes in the Soviet society, was also published.

As I read through the file, I saw the January 1988 report.

The fog shut down Moscow's airport and many airliners changed their destination to Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. A large number of Japanese passengers had to spend the night at the airport, and the local Consulate General of Japan took action to protect Japanese nationals.

"Everyone, from the Chief Officer, ran around and worked hard to care for the Japanese. In a familiar Soviet inefficiency, irresponsibility and tedious negotiations, it was the Aeroflot (Note: Soviet state aviation) that realized the interests of Perestroika in response to our demands. In the form of a direct flight between Leningrad and Tokyo,

"Two things that took the pain out of the Japanese player team to take part in the Oslo Women's Wrestling World Championship, and ultimately helped me to make the entry, He did it. "

It can be seen that in response to such emergencies, perestroika has found changes in the Soviet society.

"Too much nuclear power!"

Perhaps the biggest tragedy of the Gorbachev era was the Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986.

When I was 11 years old, I clearly remember that time.

A classmate at the Moscow Japanese School told me that "nuclear power is tough!" He heard from his father, a newspaper correspondent. When I was reading Barefoot Gen, I was afraid, "Is it okay?" Of course, the atomic bomb and the nuclear accident are different, but I didn't know at the time, and even adults have heard that if any amount of radioactive material scatters, it could have an effect on the body. Was.

But ... the Soviet state-run news program did not broadcast enough information indefinitely.

At that time, Japanese people living in Moscow were given milk from Japan. I remember drinking with some gratitude.

I didn't hate this country, but when I returned to Japan the following year, I was relieved.

Why milk was distributed and the limitations of information disclosure

Why was milk distributed to Japanese people?
This time, I was able to access diplomatic documents that might have been the reason.

The report was prepared by the Soviet Union Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 9, about two weeks after the accident. It analyzes the attitude of the Soviet government regarding information disclosure regarding this accident.

`` Information disclosure, which was strongly promoted by Secretary-General Gorbachev, was to encourage people to say what they wanted to do in the process of frank criticism of the current situation in order to revitalize the stagnant Soviet economy and society. It is intended to cause an accident, not a domestic one. "

"The delay in the Soviet Union's response, at least in the diplomatic style alone, is a huge downturn for the Gorbachev administration, which has impressed with a different level of freshness and flexibility."

“It is milk and livestock that will be greatly affected. In particular, cattle will eventually eat contaminated grass, which can be a serious problem depending on the extent and extent of the contaminated area. '

Maybe this report worked and milk was handed out.

On May 1, 1986, shortly after the accident, Mayday parades were held by citizens in various parts of the Soviet Union.

It was also broadcast on a news program, which also showed Kiev, Ukraine, where the accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. There, citizens marched like any other city.

The diplomatic document states, "In the Soviet Union's huge state bureaucracy, responsibility for events of the type" accidents "is usually dealt with locally. Immediately after the May Day event, as if there were no accidents Is one example of this. "

Leaders point out "risk of go"

The world watched Gorbachev's reform. Published records include a dinner meeting held during the Summit in Toronto, Canada in June 1988.

US / Reagan President Gorbachev is pushing for economic reforms, but bureaucrats have a great deal of resistance and political reforms will be limited. Keep in mind that the Central Committee has the potential to fire the go at any time. '

West Germany / Cole Prime Minister "For the" go ", there is no choice but to advance reforms, and the key to success is how to balance and step forward."

Japan / Prime Minister Takeshita "Unfortunately, there is no perestroika and no Glasnost in Asia. There is a northern territorial issue between Japan and the Soviet Union, which is at the heart of bilateral relations, and the Soviet Union is strengthening its military territory. "

France / President Mitterrand "I must not forget that Gorbachev has been criticized in the country. If the U.S. and Europe demand that Eastern Europe move away from the Soviet Union, it will not be possible, and if forced to do so, it could scoop up the "go" and lead to military intervention and war. "

Western leaders at the time were seeing that Gorbachev's reforms were beginning to show signs of weakness.

Three years later, what the leaders were worried about became a reality.

Coup attempt

On August 19, 1991, an attempted coup d'etat by Soviet Conservatives occurred. Conservatives in a sense of crisis have arrested Gorbachev for overhauling the reforms of the ethnic republics of the Soviet Union.

However, tens of thousands of citizens, including President of the Republic of Russia, such as President Yeltsin, got up for resistance and the coup attempt failed in three days.

The tired appearance of Gorbachev, who was released and landed at the Moscow airport, signaled that the Soviet Union was heading for an end.

"Extinction" seen by a 17-year-old

Four months after the incident, I was 17 and returned to Moscow.

In order to create a high school assignment report ... for ostensible reasons, I really wanted to see the country's "turbulence" with my own eyes. I was worried that a civil war might happen, but I was admitted that only 10 days were enough.

Surprisingly, there was the "McDonald's first store" there. Probably the product of Perestroika.

"Welcome"
The clerk wasn't conscious of trying to service, there was no previous Soviet Union!

The taste is ... the same as eating in Japan. But the bread is a bit quick. I was moved and took home a sheet of paper laid on the tray.

A sheet with the Soviet mark along with the McDonald's mark is a rare one that you can't get anywhere. This is still kept in a safe place.

After that, I went to a state-run store. Then ... Where does that perestroika live? Nothing at all!

From food to glasses ... I knew at a glance that I was in a serious shortage. The people in the shop seemed to be killed.

I went to see my friend Oleg.

In fact, the Sergei family also participated in a demonstration against the coup.

Oleg proudly told him he had participated in pulling down a statue of KGB founder Dzerzhinsky, and showed me a piece of the pedestal.

The elite Oleg, a member of the Soviet Communist Boys' award that was awarded many times, was surprised to take such an action.

During his stay, Sergey guided opponents of the coup to the Russian Supreme Conference Building, where they built a barricade and served as a base for resistance.

The remains of the barricade were still there.

In an interview with foreign media, Sergei was proud of his opposition to the coup. "I don't want to go back to a time without freedom."

In a report to be submitted to school, I said, "They were confident and expressive. At that time, I could hear the shouts of citizens on the television at that time, around the quiet place. I felt like coming. "

The news came on the radio when I was having breakfast at Sergey's house on December 21, just before returning home.

"In addition to the three republics of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, and eight other republics, such as Kazakh and Uzbek, an agreement to create a CIS (Independent State Community) will be signed."

Sergei invited, "The Soviet Union is completely gone. The Soviet symbols will be removed more and more. Let's walk around the city to take a commemorative photo."

And continued.
"Look, the scenery outside the window is the same as yesterday, but the country is gone."

I had a strange feeling. On a winter morning, the city was still dim and snow was falling outside the window. The way the people lined up at the bus stop and the yellow connecting buses came and went certainly did not change.

Upon entering the city, some people were selling Soviet flags. One country disappears. Well, this sight meant it.

Three days after returning to Japan, Christmas is December 25. On the television, the Soviet flag of the Kremlin was being pulled down-

What did perestroika bring?

Time passed, and in September 2015, I became the correspondent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the NHK Political Ministry, and interviewed the Russian-Japanese Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

After that, I met Ryuba, who taught my mother how to make borscht. Her daughter was with me.

Lyuva spoke while stepping on the cobblestones of Red Square.

"At that time, going to a foreigner's house was actually quite courageous. In the Soviet era, when there was little entertainment, it was like a festival. Perestroika. I think it was thanks to Perestroika. Sometimes I think it was better in the Soviet era when I was there than now. ''

The news of the Sergey family, who had lost their message, was also found.

In the electronic version of the Russian regional newspaper Novaya Jizni (new life) in January 2018, there was a section to listen to memories of local elderly, interviews with Mr. Sergey and photos I found it.

On the right is Sergey. He wrote in an article ironically reminiscing about the Perestroika era: "A lot of Marlboro, Coca-Cola, dollar bills, chewing gum and poorly imported clothing came in. There were millionaires and bandits everywhere." Was.

On the other hand, Sergey also talked about interaction with Japanese people.

"I showed them the true Russian life," he said in an interview. It was obviously about interacting with our family.

Gorbachev's perestroika is described as "idling" in a published diplomatic document.

However, while spinning, he created a major whirlpool of history, swallowing the citizens of Sergey and Ryuba. The people eventually became free to speak, being caught up in the whirlpool, and reached the point where they would change the system with their own power.

What was Perestroika?

It has not only eliminated the "iron curtain" that divided Europe into east and west.
Undoubtedly, the hearts of Russian people have opened their doors and are now connected.
I, 10 and 17 years old, did see it then.