After midnight welcome at education ministry blasted

日本文部科學省午夜過後的歡迎會挨批

【摘要2020.10.16.自由】 ◎張沛元

More than 100 bureaucrats at the education ministry were still burning the midnight oil on Sept. 18, but not because all of them wanted to.

超過100名（日本）文部科學省的官僚，9月18日還在熬夜加班，但並非他們所有人都想熬夜。

"Just stop," Taro Kono, state minister in charge of administrative reform, tweeted on Sept. 19, citing a news report on the education ministry’s way of doing things.

「別再這樣，」行政改革擔當大臣河野太郎9月19日在「推特」上引用一篇關於文科省作法的報導時，如此寫道。

Kono also fumed about another customary practice whereby all newly inaugurated Cabinet members take the podium to speak to reporters by rotation at the prime minister’s office during the period from midnight to the predawn hours.

河野也不喜歡另外一項慣例，即宣誓就職的新內閣成員從午夜到破曉前，輪番在首相官邸上台向記者發言。

"It is a prime example of precedent-based principles, vested interests and authoritarianism," Kono said at his own inaugural news conference held Sept. 17. "They should put a quick end to it,"

「這是前例主義、既得利益與威權主義的最佳範例，」河野9月17日在他自己的就職記者會上如是說。「這些都該快點終止。」

新聞辭典

burning the midnight oil：慣用語，熬夜工作，挑燈夜戰，焚膏繼晷，夜以繼日。例句：Lawmakers were burning the midnight oil last night, trying to settle differences in important budget bills before the end of the city council session.（市議員們昨晚挑燈夜戰，趕在市議會會期結束前化解在重要預算案上的歧見。）

fume about/over （someone or something）：片語，對某人或某事發怒。fume，動詞，發怒，生悶氣。

put an end to something：慣用語，使終止，結束，杜絕。例句：The candidate promised to help put an end to gun violence in the city.（這名候選人誓言協助終止該市的槍枝暴力。）