徐静波:在日本传递中国声音
2018-06-09朱国平
朱国平
4月,徐静波在浙江省人社厅作了一场中日文化对比的演讲。次日,当笔者联系采访时,他已身在日本。
来去匆匆!
这次回浙江,徐静波连舟山老家都没去,亲朋好友也不能相聚。他感叹,没有时间啊!
“节奏一直是这样快吗?”笔者问。
徐静波说:“是的,一直在奔跑!”
的确,“奔跑”两字概括了徐静波的生活状态:身兼亚洲通讯社等三家实体的董事长,每天要操心办报纸,要精心打理受众爆棚的自媒体,还要来回在日本、中国演讲,同时出书签售……
4月上旬,徐静波两边穿梭:3日回国,4日西安、5日成都、6日武汉,三天三地三场讲演。
5月上旬,徐静波两边穿梭:4日在西安、5日去成都,举行两场“遇见日本”签讲会;6日又马不停蹄转至武汉,举行一场“有无之间”的演讲。而李克强总理5月8日开始访日,他更加要全力以赴投入报道。
“这样的忙碌生活,是媒体人、中日文化交流使者的宿命。”徐静波感叹。
首相官邸也是忠实订户
日本东京街头,徐静波健步匆匆,白衬衣,黑西裤,打着领带,肩背电脑包,强健的体型,儒雅的气质。以徐静波的精气神,看不出他已经是55岁的年龄。
徐静波祖籍浙江舟山,从小在沈家门渔港长大,在舟山读小学、中学,后考入浙江海洋大学,之后在舟山工作过一段时间。
一个很偶然的机会,徐静波认识了一位日本教授,所以在1992年负笈东瀛。
徐静波解释,选择去日本,是因为对日本的文化比较感兴趣,同时也受到那个年代高仓健主演的日本电影的影响。
没有想到,徐静波后来和高仓健做了邻居。3年前高仓健去世之后,徐静波继承了他的办公室,办公室里贴着一张很大的高仓健的画像。
徐静波刚去日本的时候读的是语言学校,然后考上日本东海大学大学院,即研究生院,攻读的是亚洲文明专业,读到博士前期课程,最后留校当了一年的助教。
后来为什么好端端的大学老师不当,去办报纸呢?
徐静波道出了当年萌芽于少年心中的志愿:高中的时候我作文写得好,在一次理想报告会上,老师问我未来最想做什么工作,我说是记者。所以来日本读完研究生院、在大学当了一年助教后,我觉得自己真的不适合当大学老师。所以去了日本时报社,在那里当了3年的副总编。
3年副总编当下来以后,徐静波感觉到,中日有关对方的资讯,一方面比较少,第二也存在许多片面性,有些报道甚至不真实。
“中国的许多消息,都是经过二次加工、三次加工后传到日本。我觉得这个传播渠道有问题。”徐静波认为,了解对方的真实国情,是增进中日两国民众相互了解的基礎。出于这样的考虑,2000年,徐静波决定自己创办亚洲通讯社,并在一年之后通过出版日文报纸《中国经济新闻》,为日本民众提供了解中国的平台。
办报纸的启动资金要多少?徐静波找到日本《读卖新闻》的一位老社长咨询。对方说至少3亿日元(约1800万元人民币)。徐静波当时口袋里只有10万日元。老社长听说后笑了:你这个梦没法实现。
然而倔强的徐静波一定要实现这个梦。编辑、采访、编排,他请来朋友帮忙,许多日本朋友都是义务出工出力。
但是印刷需要一大笔钱。徐静波找了好多的印刷厂,但都不愿意接这业务,“因为他们觉得我付不起印刷费。”
后来经一位朋友介绍,徐静波在东京郊外的千叶县找到一家小小的印刷厂。印刷厂老板答应给赊账3个月,先印刷再还钱。
为了让更多的人订阅报纸,徐静波写了300多份信给认识的和不认识的日本人,希望他们能订阅。第一份创刊号发出后,有200多人开始订这份报纸。于是,就有了200多万日元的收入。
到今年,《中国经济新闻》已经连续发行了18年,80%的读者是日本企业订户,成了日企了解中国的一个窗口。该报是日本首相官邸订阅的报纸,有300多名国会议员成了报纸的读者,它也是日本国家记者俱乐部指定的读物。
“能够做到这一点,全靠我们的员工兢兢业业的努力。我们没有接受任何的资助,完全是依靠自力更生、自负盈亏这种模式在办报。”徐静波说,好在日本许多人有着良好的读报习惯,即使目前遭遇了纸媒滑坡的冲击,报纸总体发行量没有减少,一直维持在10万+的发行量。
精耕自媒体扩大传播效果
国之交在于民相亲,民相亲在于心相通。徐静波认为,中日两国虽然是邻居,但因为种种原因,日本人对中国社会的认知还存在不少片面性,当然,我们中国人对日本也有一些片面的认识。“所以我觉得,作为我本人来讲,或者作为亚洲通讯社来讲,应该做的就是搭建起两国民众相互了解、相互认知的桥梁。”
为了搭建这座桥梁,徐静波办了中文版的“日本新闻网”,把日本的资讯传递给中国的读者;创办了日文版的《中国经济新闻》,把中国最新的政治、经济、社会的信息,准确地传递到日本,通过双向传播增进相互之间的了解。
随着新媒体的发展,信息传播出现了新的渠道和手段。所以除了报纸、网站,徐静波还勤耕自媒体,精心打理微博微信,深度发掘互联网语音节目。
徐静波新浪博客的阅读人数早已超过一亿,堪称大V。他在喜马拉雅FM语音平台创办了一个“静说日本”的频道,目前正在推出“静说中国”频道,每周两期语音节目,自写自编自录自播,向听众娓娓道来,介绍中国和日本,对比中日文化。创办两年来,已经播出200多期,听众也已突破1亿人次。
“我觉得,不论是向日本介绍中国,还是向中国介绍日本,都应该寻求一个真实、公正的态度,这样才有利于促进两国民众的相互了解,增进两国民众的友谊,进而促进改善两国的关系。”
也正因为有这样的担当,徐静波每个月还要去日本各地作四五场讲演,主讲中国经济,来听讲的大部分是日本企业界人士,尤其是地方城市的中小企业。许多日本人有提不完的问题——对中国的投资环境、市场、产业的未来发展前景,乃至中国的政治。“我就充当一个解答员,把中国的真实现状和美好未来告诉日本人,让他们对中国、对中国市场产生信心。所以,我觉得我做的工作是很有意义的。”徐静波说。
连续22年采访全国两会
作为日本媒体记者,徐静波从1997年开始采访北京的全国两会和党代会,到现在已经22年。今年他还第一次作为海外特邀代表列席全国两会。
在今年两会上,徐静波向政协提了一个建议,希望能够加强海外的华文教育,“因为在海外的华侨、华人有6000多万,其中有1000多万的孩子生活在海外,许多人是第二代、第三代,他们远离祖国,对中国文化缺乏了解,对中国的建设成就缺乏了解,对中国的语言也几乎忘记。”
徐静波认为,如果孩子们在海外能学好中文,既可维系与祖国的血脉联系,同时也可为实施“一带一路”倡议起到长远的桥梁作用。“所以我在两会期间通过小组发言等,向全国政协、国侨办、全国侨联提出了同样的建言。全国政协副主席万钢在小组讨论会上肯定了我的建议,要求全国政协专门就这个问题展开讨论,强调要重视海外的华文教育,把它作为一个国家战略来实施。”
今年两会,徐静波大部分时间是作为特邀代表在参会履职。同时,还承担记者工作。
“我深知今年的两会是一个里程碑式的两会,对我来讲,既是两会的参与者,同时也是两会的报道者,确确实实感受到一种历史的重任,和一种使命感。回到日本后,我受到日本企业、政府机关、经济研究团体的邀请,至今(4月底)已举行了3场有关中国两会的讲演。”
为祖国和家乡发展奔走
在日本讲中国故事,有时也会出现针锋相对的情况。徐静波强调,首先要维护自己祖国的尊严和利益。
徐静波曾上日本富士电视台的节目,与时任日本鹰派外务大臣前原诚司一同出镜,就钓鱼岛历史、现状、主权问题进行辩论。
同样,一年前,日本的阿帕连锁酒店老板在客房里放置含有否定“南京大屠杀”内容的书籍,激起中国民众的愤怒。日本朝日电视台邀请徐静波参加相关的节目。在节目中,徐静波站在一个中国人的角度,向日本民众讲解“南京大屠杀”真相,揭露日本军国主义的罪行,让许多持怀疑态度的日本民众知道了真实的历史。
“我觉得作为一个中国人,在关键时候必须站在祖国的立场,维护祖国利益,在海外发出自己的声音。”徐静波说。
关键时刻发出正义之声,更多时间是关注增进了解、促进双方合作。
浙江是徐静波的家乡,从1992年负笈东瀛到现在已经26年了。因为职业的关系,徐静波经常回到祖国、回到浙江,回到老家舟山。“我很关注浙江、关注舟山的发展,凡是有新的发展动态,我都会进行报道。”
徐静波讲了一个颇有意义的事情:舟山群岛新区成立之前的2011年3月的全国两会期间,他在人民大会堂现场直播的记者会上,向时任国家发改委主任张平求证设立舟山群岛新区的传闻,引出了張平主任有关中国政府决定设立舟山群岛新区,并给予“先行先试”政策的公开答复。这一答复等于正式向世界宣布了中国建设舟山群岛新区的重大新闻。“这是我职业生涯当中,为家乡做的一件很重要的事情。”
现在徐静波经常带日本企业到浙江考察,去年带了6批日本企业代表来到舟山。他希望能够让更多的日本企业到舟山落户,为家乡建设作出贡献,同时增进舟山与日本产业间的交流,为舟山群岛新区尽快地成为国家重要物流和新兴产业工业园区,成为中国自由贸易港区,贡献自己微薄的力量。
徐静波觉得现在更有必要在日本讲好中国的故事,利用《中国经济新闻》报纸,利用在日本各地的讲演,还有即将在喜马拉雅FM推出的日语节目“静说中国”,通过自己的努力,让更多的人了解中国、了解家乡。
Xu Jingbo, a native of Zhoushan Archipelago in Zhejiang, is a busy man. He has been in Japan for 26 years. He runs a tight schedule as he works as a journalist and as chairman of the boards of three businesses.
The 55-year-old Xu went to Japan in 1992. A native of Zhoushan, he finished his education from primary school to college in the archipelago. Then by accident, he met a Japanese professor and he decided to seek further education in Japan. He took a fancy at Japanese culture largely because of the Japanese films starring Ken Takakura. Even today, a wall in his office in Tokyo displays a film poster featuring the Japanese film star popular in China in the late 1970s and the 1980s.
Xu studied Japanese language for a year before he enrolled himself into a graduate course in Asian civilizations at the graduate school of Tokai University and then he worked as a teaching assistant.
After a year of working as a teacher in the graduate school, he chose to work as a journalist, a dream he cherished in teenage years. He worked as a vice editor in chief at Japan Times for three years.
The work experience at the news media disappointed him. News coverage on China was few and far between in Japan and the same went in China. The few reports were far away from truth and impartiality. “Reports on China were often second-handed even three-handed. I thought the information dissemination channel was problematic,” Xu commented many years later. In order to enhance the mutual understanding between Chinese and Japanese peoples, he decided in 2000 to set up Asia News Agency. In 2001, he planned to start a Japanese newspaper called China Economic News, which he hoped would serve as a platform to provide Japanese readership with information on China.
How much funds did he need to start a newspaper? He consulted a veteran journalist and learned that he would need at least 300 million yen (about 18 million RMB). But Xu had only 100,000 yen (about 6,000 RMB) in his pocket.
But he was adamant. He sought help from Japanese friends. Many friends worked for free. A small printer in Chiba Prefecture far away from downtown Tokyo agreed to put Xu on credit for three months. Xu sent out over three hundred subscription letters to people that he knew and didnt know. The inaugural issue got distributed and over 200 readers subscribed. Now, has been in print for 18 consecutive years. Japanese businesses account for 80% of the readership. The Japanese prime ministers office is among the VIP subscribers. So are over 300 Japanese parliament members. It is also a must read at Japan National Club of Journalists.
“The success is totally ascribed to the hard working people at the newspaper. We dont have any funds from the outside. We are responsible for our profits and losses. The readership is more than 100,000 each issue,” said proudly Xu.
Xu is more than a Chinese voice in Japan. He also works hard to tell Chinese people what Japan is like. The Japanese News, a website in Chinese he founded and operates, informs Chinese readers of whats new in Japan. His blog at Sina.com has received 100 million hits. He runs a radio program at Himalaya FM, a website radio giant in China. He talks about China and Japan twice a week in the radio program. Over the past two years, he has broadcast over 200 issues and reached out to more than 100 million listeners.
“Speaking truthfully and fairly is the way to achieve communications between China and Japan. Only doing this can enhance the mutual understanding and friendship of the Chinese and Japanese peoples, and improve the relations of the two countries,” remarked Xu Jingbo.
Xus tight work schedule includes speeches he makes every month in both China and Japan. He makes about 4 to 5 speeches across Japan a month. He also gives speeches in China.
For the past 22 years since 1997, he has covered all the annual sessions of the National Peoples Congress, CPPCC as well as the National Congress of the CPC in Beijing. In 2018, he was invited to attend the annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC. A bill he submitted at the CPPCC session aimed to boost Chinese language education for the 10 million Chinese children living in overseas Chinese communities.
As a native of Zhoushan, Xu Jingbo is concerned with the economic and social development of the archipelago. In 2017 alone, he took six groups of Japanese businesspeople to visit Zhoushan in seeking business cooperation. Xu plans to start a Japanese radio program at Himalaya FM to speak to Japanese audience about China and Zhoushan in particular.