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興味がないことはどれだけ言われても興味がないだけですからねぇ。文章でも写真でも動画でも。あと国語の読解問題は単なるテクニックだと思います！ / “最近の子は本を読まないから読解力がないという大嘘

I'm just not interested in what you're not interested in, no matter how much you tell me. Whether it's text, pictures, or videos. Also, I think reading comprehension questions in Japanese are just a technique! / "It's a big lie that kids these days don't have reading comprehension skills because they don't read books.

読解能力があるのと、試験の成績がいいのとは別問題だと思う。

読解能力って、結局、興味があるかどうかだと思う。
興味がないものなんて、そもそも読みたくないのだから、無理やり読まされても頭に入らない。

I think that having the ability to read is a different matter than having good test scores.

In the end, reading comprehension depends on whether or not you are interested in what you read.
If you are not interested in something, you don't want to read it in the first place, so even if you are forced to read it, you won't be able to understand it.

試験の成績がいいかどうかは、単なる『解法テクニック』の問題で、それはつまり『パターン認識』の問題だと思う。

これは過去問の千本ノックにより、比較的短時間に習得可能だと僕は思ってる。

I believe that good exam performance is simply a matter of "solving technique," which in turn is a matter of "pattern recognition.

I believe that this can be learned in a relatively short time through a thousand knocks on past exam questions.

■

人事が「2023年の業績評価を終えましたが、残念ながらあなたは会社が期待している目標を達成していません」と伝えると、ブリタニーさんが「ちょっといいですか」と会話を止め、経緯を説明する。
ブリタニーさんは、昨年8月25日に入社。3カ月の研修期間と、クリスマスなどの大型連休を2回挟み、2024年を迎えた。一般的に、一人前の社員として活躍するには十分な時間を経ていないにもかかわらず、チームで最も活躍し、クライアントとの関係も良好で、マネージャーから高い評価を得ていると主張した。

「だから、私のパフォーマンスが期待に応えられていないというのには、同意できません」

ブリタニーさんは加えて、ミーティングに直属のマネージャーなど「自分が知っている人が1人もいない」ことを指摘した。

When HR tells her, "We have completed your performance evaluation for 2023, and unfortunately you have not met the company's expected goals," Brittany stops the conversation and says, "Excuse me," and explains the circumstances.
Brittany joined the company last August 25, 2024, after a three-month training period and two major holidays, including Christmas. Despite generally not having been with the company long enough to be a full-fledged employee, she claimed to be the most active member of her team, to have good client relations, and to be held in high regard by her manager.

'So I disagree that my performance has not met expectations.'

Brittany added that there was "not one person I know" at the meeting, including her direct manager.

■

人気のラーメン店へ
ラーメンが好きな主人公は、よく彼氏とラーメン屋巡りをしています。

そんなある日、兼ねてから行きたかった人気のラーメン屋に行くことに。

人気店ということもあり、早めに出向いた主人公たちでしたが、すでに行列ができていました。

1時間ほど待った主人公たちが先頭まできたとき、女性が横入りしてきたのです。

彼氏が「ここ先頭ですよ、後ろが最後尾です」と声をかけると、女性が睨んできました。

そして「並ぶなんてバカ」と言ってきた女性に、彼氏が激怒。

すると店のドアが開き、店主が「どうぞお引き取りください」と言うと、女性が反抗し…。

Going to a popular ramen restaurant
The main character loves ramen and often goes on ramen restaurant tours with her boyfriend.

One day, they decided to go to a popular ramen restaurant that they had wanted to visit for a long time.

The main character and her boyfriend arrived early, but there was already a long line of people waiting to get in.

After waiting in line for about an hour, they reached the front of the line when a woman walked in beside them.

When the boyfriend said to her, "You are at the front of the line, the last one is behind you," the woman glared at him.

The boyfriend was furious when the woman said, "It's stupid to wait in line.

Then the door to the store opened and the owner said, "Please take your seats," and the woman defied him....

■

また、ひろゆき氏は「死刑囚を生かす治療をするのは『裁判をする為』とか言われますが、生き延びて証言する事で死刑が免れる証言が存在するか？というと今の裁判官の判断基準では死刑一択だな、、と。生かすなら状況証拠だけで死刑が決まる裁判システムを変えないと意味がないかな、、と」とも投稿していたが、米山氏は「これも誤りで、今回問題になった心神喪失が認められれば、今回の案件でも死刑を免れられます。また、実行行為、故意、因果関係、違法性阻却事由の不存在等の認定も必要で、状況証拠だけで死刑は決まりません」と訂正し、「余りに基礎的知識に欠いているのに、何故こんなに断定的に物を言えるのかと思います」とあきれた。
米山氏はひろゆき氏の一連の投稿に、「自らが知りもしない刑事手続きについて、何の根拠もなくこういう誤った情報を流し訂正もしない、ひろゆき氏は、本当に如何なものかと思います」と苦言を呈し、「TV局はこの様な人物を識者の様に持て囃すのは、TV局の社会的責任として、本当に止めるべきだと思います」とつづった。

ひろゆき氏と米山氏をめぐっては昨年11月、ビジネス動画メディア「ReHacQ－リハック－」のYouTubeチャンネルで討論する模様が配信され、米山氏が“論破王”の異名を持つひろゆき氏を論破したと話題になった。

Hiroyuki also commented, "People say that the treatment to keep death row inmates alive is 'for the sake of the trial,' but is there any testimony that would allow them to avoid the death penalty by surviving and testifying? But if there is a testimony that can be used to avoid the death penalty by surviving and testifying, then the death penalty is the only option under the current judges' standards of judgment," he said. If you want to keep him alive, you have to change the trial system in which the death penalty is decided by circumstantial evidence alone," Yoneyama also posted. In addition, the death penalty cannot be determined based on circumstantial evidence alone, as it requires a finding of the act of commission, intent, causal relationship, and the absence of grounds for the exclusion of illegality.
Yoneyama complained about Hiroyuki's series of posts, saying, "I really wonder what kind of person Hiroyuki is, who spreads false information about criminal procedures that he does not know about, without any evidence, and does not correct it, I really think TV stations should stop having such a person as an intellectual as a social responsibility of TV stations," he continued.

Last November, a debate between Hiroyuki and Yoneyama was broadcast on the YouTube channel of the business video media "ReHacQ," with Yoneyama claiming to be the "king of debunking. Yoneyama debunked Hiroyuki, who is known as the "king of debunking," in the debate.

立憲民主党の米山隆一衆院議員（56）が25日、X（旧ツイッター）を更新。“因縁”の相手である「2ちゃんねる」開設者で元管理人の「ひろゆき」こと西村博之氏（47）のX投稿の誤りを指摘し、苦言を呈した。

ひろゆき氏は24日、36人が死亡した2019年7月の京都アニメーション放火殺人事件をめぐり、殺人罪などに問われた青葉真司被告（45）の裁判員裁判で、京都地裁の増田啓祐裁判長が死刑判決を言い渡したことについて言及した流れで、「『人を刑に定めることは裁判官やないとできん。』嘘です。日本は警察官が現行犯を射殺出来ます。現場の警察官が死刑を下す事を法的に国は許容してます」などと投稿。これに対し、弁護士でもある米山氏は「出来ません」と否定し、警察官職務執行法第7条を記した上で「要するに警察官が犯人を射殺しうるのは、あくまで正当防衛若しくは緊急避難等としてであって、死刑の執行としてではありません」と説明した。

On March 25, Ryuichi Yoneyama, 56, a member of the House of Representatives of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), updated his X (formerly Twitter) page. He pointed out an error in the X post by Hiroyuki Nishimura (47), a.k.a. "Hiroyuki," the founder and former administrator of "2channel," with whom he has a "history" and complained bitterly about it.

Referring to the death sentence handed down by Kyoto District Court Judge Keisuke Masuda at the jury trial of Shinji Aoba, 45, who was accused of murder and other crimes in the July 2019 Kyoto animation arson and murder case that killed 36 people, Hiroyuki said on April 24, "You have to be a judge to sentence a person to death. You can't do it. It is a lie. In Japan, a police officer can shoot dead a criminal in the act. The government legally allows police officers on the scene to hand down the death penalty," he posted. In response, Yoneyama, who is also a lawyer, denied that it was possible, noting Article 7 of the Police Duties Execution Law and explaining, "In short, a police officer can shoot and kill a criminal only in self-defense or as an emergency evacuation, not as an execution of the death penalty.

■

また、ひろゆき氏は「死刑囚を生かす治療をするのは『裁判をする為』とか言われますが、生き延びて証言する事で死刑が免れる証言が存在するか？というと今の裁判官の判断基準では死刑一択だな、、と。生かすなら状況証拠だけで死刑が決まる裁判システムを変えないと意味がないかな、、」と投稿。

　米山氏は「これも誤りで、今回問題になった心神喪失が認められれば、今回の案件でも死刑を免れられます。また、実行行為、故意、因果関係、違法性阻却事由の不存在等の認定も必要で、状況証拠だけで死刑は決まりません。余りに基礎的知識に欠いているのに、何故こんなに断定的に物を言えるのかと思います」と反論していた。

　ネット上では「見事な論破」「さすがです」「これは米山さんの言う通りですね」「今日のひろゆき変ですね」「ほんま正論やなあ」といったコメントが寄せられていた。

Hiroyuki also commented, "People say that the treatment to keep death row inmates alive is 'for the sake of the trial,' but is there any testimony that would allow them to avoid the death penalty by surviving and testifying? But if there is a testimony that can be used to avoid the death penalty by surviving and testifying, then the death penalty is the only option under the current judges' standards of judgment," he said. If he is to live, it would be meaningless unless the court system, which determines the death penalty based on circumstantial evidence alone, is changed," he posted.

　Yoneyama said, "This is also wrong. If insanity, which is the issue in this case, is found, the death penalty can be avoided in this case. In addition, the death penalty cannot be determined by circumstantial evidence alone, as it also requires a finding of the act of commission, intent, causal relationship, and the absence of grounds for the exclusion of illegality. I wonder how he can say such a definitive statement when he lacks so much basic knowledge.

　The Internet commented, "Excellent argument," "As expected," "Mr. Yoneyama is right," "Hiroyuki is strange today," and "He really has a good argument.

京都地裁は25日、殺人罪などに問われた無職青葉真司被告に求刑通り死刑判決を言い渡した。ひろゆき氏は、この件について「何はどうあれ被害の甚大さから死刑というのはわかるんだけど、死刑になるための人を助けた医療関係者の努力を考えると、『死刑だから助けなくていい』という判断があってもいいような、、、」と私見をつづった。

　これに米山氏は「まず判決が確定するまでは死刑になるかどうか分かりません。判決確定後も、執行までは再審もあり得ます。それ迄は、被疑者・死刑囚としての制限は受けても人権を有し、病気は治療するのが法治国家です。助けない判断はあり得ません。ネタの可能性を否定しませんが、グロテスクな意見だと思います」と指摘。

On April 25, the Kyoto District Court sentenced unemployed defendant Shinji Aoba, who was convicted of murder and other crimes, to death as requested. Mr. Hiroyuki wrote about his personal opinion on the case, "I understand that the death penalty is the death penalty due to the enormity of the damage, whatever it is, but considering the efforts of the medical personnel who helped the person to be executed, it seems that there should be a judgment that 'it is the death penalty, so there is no need to help...,'" he said.

　Yoneyama responded, "First of all, we don't know if a person will be executed until the verdict is finalized. Even after the verdict is finalized, there can be a retrial until the execution. Until then, even if a suspect or a prisoner on death row is subject to restrictions, he or she has human rights, and it is a nation governed by law that treats the sick. There can be no decision not to help. I do not deny the possibility that this is a story, but I think it is a grotesque opinion," he pointed out.

「老後破産の引き金になっては本末転倒」
　大きな死亡保障は不要な年齢になっても、急な入院や手術に備え、医療保険は不可欠と考える人は少なくない。

　そうした層に向け、保険各社は60代以降でも入れる掛け捨ての医療保険に力を入れるが、森永氏はこう指摘する。

「がんに限らず、医療費の大半は公的保険や公的補助でカバーできます。歳をとって『なんとなく不安だから』と保障をむやみに増やすと、保険料が家計を圧迫します。いざという時のために備えたつもりが、老後破産の引き金になるようでは本末転倒です」

　保障額を考えても、保険料を払い続けるのは得策ではなく、その他の使い途にも回せる可能性のある貯金で備えるほうが望ましいという。

「一般的な掛け捨ての保険で受け取れる保険金は、入院保障が1日5000～1万円程度、手術給付金が20万円程度、がん保険で一時金が出たとしても100万円ほどでしょう。逆に言えば、大半の病気の治療、入院、手術は、100万～200万円の貯蓄があれば十分に賄えることになります」

　保険に頼らずとも、病と闘うことはできる。

It would be a mistake if it triggered bankruptcy in my old age."
　Even at an age when major death benefits are no longer necessary, many people still consider medical insurance indispensable in case of sudden hospitalization or surgery.

　Insurance companies are focusing their efforts on providing medical insurance for people in their 60s and beyond, but Mr. Morinaga points out, "The majority of medical expenses, not only for cancer but also for other diseases, are covered by medical insurance.

Morinaga points out, "Not only cancer, but most medical expenses can be covered by public insurance and public subsidies. If you increase coverage unnecessarily as you get older, the premiums will put pressure on your finances. It would be a complete reversal of the plan to prepare for emergencies if it triggers bankruptcy in your old age.

　Even considering the amount of coverage, it is not a good idea to continue paying insurance premiums, and it is better to save money that can be used for other purposes.

The amount of money you can receive from a typical insurance policy is about 5,000 to 10,000 yen per day for hospitalization, about 200,000 yen for surgery, and about 1 million yen even if a lump-sum payment is made from cancer insurance. Conversely, a savings of 1 to 2 million yen would be sufficient to cover treatment, hospitalization, and surgery for most illnesses.

　It is possible to fight illness without relying on insurance.

■

個人的には副業を始める前に節約や新NISAの設定を先にしたほうがいいと思います。

節約を先にしたほうがいい理由は、お金が入ってきても無駄なモノにお金を払っているとあまり意味ないので。

新NISAを先にしたほうがいい理由は、「インデックス投資」は20年ほど寝かさないといけないので早めに設定したほうがいいからです。

Personally, I think it is better to save and set up the new NISA first before starting a side business.

The reason why you should save first is because even if you have money coming in, it won't mean much if you are paying for useless things.

The reason why you should set up the new NISA first is because "index investments" have to be laid down for 20 years or so, so it is better to set them up early.

『ストック型』副業を始めてもなかなか成果が出ないので、途中で辞めていく人が続出です。僕もブログを10年以上、書いていますが僕のあとに始めて僕より先に辞めていった人ばかりです。

本当に好きなことじゃないと「成功曲線」の曲線部分までたどり着けないのかなと思います。

僕の場合だと元々10代の頃から「自分メディア」で情報発信がしたくてしたくて、地元の大学を辞めて東京の大学に入り直したり、30代半ばまでガシガシと学費の借金を返したりしていました。

それくらい何年も何十年もずっとやりたかったことが情報発信でした。それでもまだマネタイズまでの道が遠いのが現状です。。。

Many people who start a "stock-type" side business quit halfway through because it doesn't pay off. I have been blogging for more than 10 years, but all of them started after me and quit before me.

I think you have to really love what you do to reach the "success curve" part of the curve.

In my case, I had wanted to send out information through "my own media" since I was a teenager, so I quit my local university and re-entered a university in Tokyo, and I was paying off my tuition debt until I was in my mid-30s.

That is how long I had wanted to do this for decades. But I still have a long way to go before I can monetize my business.

■

治療の始まりは不自由の始まり
では、どんなときに病院にかかるといいのでしょうか。自分が日常生活を送る上で、どうにも不快な症状があったら行くといいというのが私の考えです。

たとえば私自身、鼻水が止まらず、咳が出て、夜は眠れないくらい苦しい状態になっても、咳止めと鼻水止めの薬と漢方の麻黄湯(まおうとう)を飲んでよく休み、医者には行きません。どうせ一過性のものですし、医者にかかってよけいな病名をつけられでもしたらうっとうしいからです。

それほどの症状もない、なんの不自由もないのにわざわざ医者にかかった結果、病気らしきものが見つかって病名がついてしまうことが往々にしてあります。すると、その時点から治療が始まり、不自由な暮らしが始まりかねません。もちろん、それによってうまく治ればいいのですが、治りもせず、気分もよくならず、中途半端な状態がずっと続くこともあります。

The beginning of treatment is the beginning of inconvenience
So, when should you see a doctor? In my opinion, you should go to a hospital when you experience symptoms that make you uncomfortable in your daily life.

For example, even if I have a runny nose and a cough that prevents me from sleeping at night, I take a cough medicine, a runny nose medicine, and a Chinese herbal medicine called "Mao Wang Tang" to rest well and do not go to a doctor. I do not go to see a doctor because it is a transient condition and I would be annoyed if I went to see a doctor and got given an unnecessary name for my illness.

Even though I have no symptoms and no inconvenience, I often find something that looks like a disease and give it a name as a result of going to a doctor. From that point on, treatment begins, and a life of inconvenience may ensue. Of course, it would be better if the patient is cured, but sometimes the patient is neither cured nor feels better, and the halfway state of the disease continues for a long time.

日本人の死因2位が「心臓疾患」のワケ
もし、健康診断を受けない、またはその結果を気にしないと決めて、だんだん体が弱って死を迎えることになったら、80歳までは「心不全」、それを過ぎると「老衰」が死因になるでしょう。ただ、それだけのことです。

日本人の死因の2位が心臓疾患というのも当然だと思うのは、本当の原因がはっきりしないときにもつけられる「心不全」という病名が、心臓疾患としてカウントされるからです。多くの人が恐れている心筋梗塞は、心臓疾患のうちのわずか2割程度に過ぎません。

もちろん死んでから解剖すればどのような病が潜んでいたか、臓器がどのような状態になっていたのかなどいろいろなことがわかります。けれどもそれをしない以上、真相は闇の中ということがほとんどです。

ですから、私は先に心配しすぎるよりも、症状が出てどうにも困った状態になってから病院にかかったほうがいいと考えているのです。

Why "Heart Disease" is the 2nd leading cause of death in Japan
If a person decides not to take a medical checkup or not to care about its results, and then gradually becomes weak and faces death, the cause of death will be "heart failure" until the age of 80, and after that, "senility" will be the cause of death. That's all there is to it.

It is no wonder that heart disease is the second leading cause of death among Japanese people, because the name "heart failure," which is given even when the true cause is unclear, counts as a heart disease. Myocardial infarction, which many people fear, accounts for only about 20% of all heart disease.

Of course, an autopsy after death can reveal many things, such as what kind of disease was lurking in the body and what kind of condition the organs were in. However, as long as we don't do that, the truth is usually in the dark.

Therefore, I think it is better to see a hospital after symptoms appear and the patient is in trouble than to worry too much in advance.

薬を飲んで調子が悪くなったらやめていい
調子が悪いときに医者に行くと、必ずと言っていいほど薬を処方されます。血圧を測って高いとわかれば、では薬を飲んでみましょうかと気軽に処方されるでしょう。

さて、帰って薬を飲んでみたらなんだか具合が悪くなったとしたら、どうしますか。私なら、その薬はやめます。あるいは、この程度までなら大丈夫というところまで薬の量を減らします。

ほとんどの医者は、規定量の薬を規則正しく飲みなさいと言うだけでしょう。けれども、簡単にそう言う医者には、欠けている視点があると私は考えています。

患者は、その薬を一生涯飲み続けることになるかもしれないのです。もちろん、薬代もずっと払い続けなくてはなりません。高齢者の多くの場合、自己負担が1〜2割ですので、8〜9割は公費で賄っていることになります。

If you take a medicine and you feel sick, you can stop.
Whenever you go to the doctor when you are not feeling well, you will be prescribed medicine. If your blood pressure is measured and found to be high, the doctor will casually suggest that you take some medicine.

What would you do if you felt sick after taking the medicine? If it were me, I would stop taking the medicine. Or, I would reduce the dosage of the medicine to the point where it is safe to take it up to this level.

Most doctors will just tell you to take the prescribed amount of medicine regularly. However, I believe there is a missing perspective in doctors who simply say that.

The patient may have to take that medicine for the rest of his/her life. Of course, they will have to continue to pay for the medication for the rest of their lives. In the case of many elderly people, the co-payment is 10-20%, which means that 80-90% of the cost is covered by public funds.

エビデンスのある薬はあまりない
アメリカの場合、日本のような国民皆保険制度がありませんので、事情は少し異なります。保険会社が無条件で保険金を払うというわけではありませんので、治療薬にどれほどの効果が見込めるか、はっきりしたエビデンスが必要になるのです。

たとえばその薬を飲み続けたことで5年以内の死亡率がどれだけ下がったか、5年以内に脳卒中を発症する割合がどのくらい減少したか、5年以内に心筋梗塞を起こす確率がどのくらい少なくなったかなど、きちんとしたデータを示さなくては、保険会社は薬代を払いません。ですから、ほとんどすべての薬にはっきりとしたエビデンスが明らかにされています。

ところが日本の場合、制度の違いからきちんとした根拠を示す必要がないため、エビデンスのある薬というのはそれほどありません。

医者に「血圧の薬を飲めば、今後脳卒中になる確率が減ります」「心筋梗塞になる危険が少なくなります」と言われたとしても、はっきりしたことはわからないのが実情です。正直に伝えるなら、そうなるかもしれないし、ならないかもしれないとしか言えません。

There are not many drugs with evidence.
In the U.S., the situation is a little different because there is no universal health insurance system like in Japan. Insurance companies do not unconditionally pay for insurance, so they need clear evidence of how effective a drug is expected to be.

For example, the insurance company will not pay for a drug unless it can show clear data such as the rate of death within 5 years after taking the drug, the rate of stroke within 5 years, or the rate of myocardial infarction within 5 years. Therefore, clear evidence has been clearly demonstrated for almost all drugs.

In Japan, however, there are not so many medicines with clear evidence because the system is different and there is no need to show proper evidence.

Even if a doctor tells you, "If you take blood pressure medication, you will reduce the probability of having a stroke in the future," or "You will reduce the risk of having a myocardial infarction," the reality is that you do not know for sure. If we are honest with you, we can only say that it may or may not.

健康保険料がぐんぐん上がる要因
しかも、薬を飲み続けることで気分が悪くなったり、「自分は病気だ」「いつ脳卒中や心筋梗塞を起こしてもおかしくない」と意識し続けることになるので、そのストレスから免疫力が低下し、ガンなどの病気にかかりやすくなるかもしれません。薬を飲み続けることで、死亡率が上がるかもしれないとさえ思うのです。

本来は、きちんとエビデンスを示してその人に必要な薬だけを処方すべきです。けれども、日本では医者が病名をつけて処方さえすれば公費がほぼ自動的におりるので、必要なさそうな薬まで渡されています。アメリカの保険会社のようなチェック機能がどこにもないのです。

そうやって不要な薬がどんどん処方された結果、給料から天引きされる健康保険料がぐんぐん引き上げられていきます。私は常々、本当にそれでいいのかと広く問いかけています。

本当は、日本でもきちんとエビデンスのある薬を適切に処方すべきではないかと主張しているのです。

Factors that cause health insurance premiums to rise rapidly.
Moreover, since continuing to take the medication may make you feel sick and keep you aware that you are sick and that you could have a stroke or heart attack at any moment, the stress may weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to cancer and other diseases. I even think that continuing to take the medication might even increase the mortality rate.

In the first place, doctors should prescribe only those medicines that are necessary for the person in question, based on proper evidence. However, in Japan, as long as a doctor names a disease and prescribes a drug, the public funds are almost automatically paid, so even drugs that do not seem to be necessary are given. There is no check function like that of insurance companies in the United States.

As a result, health insurance premiums, which are deducted from wages, are being raised rapidly. I always ask myself, "Is this really the right thing to do?

In fact, I am advocating that we should properly prescribe evidence-based drugs in Japan.