Japan has slowly been increasing their military capabilities, albeit under the aegis of "self-defense", for over a decade. At the same time, the U.S. military is being asked to leave (the Marine base at Okinawa being the prime target). The Japanese were in the midst of empire-building when they were defeated at the end of World War II. The two atomic weapons used by the United States to end the war with Japan caused the Japanese to agree to all manner of concessions that would have been unacceptable to the their warrior-spirit prior to Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
For the 40 years or so, the way of the Samurai seemed to be lost until the Japanese economy allowed for a different type of war to be waged with the West. Real estate throughout the United States was bought by Japanese firms during the economic boom of the 1980s. The victory these holdings brought though were fleeting. The downturn of the Yen in the 90s caused all of these gains to be lost. Then a most curious thing occurred. The 9/11 attack caused the Bush Administration to seek a coalition of former allies of not only the usual suspects (such as the British and Australians) but also new allies such as the Spanish and Japanese. The Japanese Air Force have been supporting OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM since 2003 flying C-130s.
It appears the Japanese warrior spirit is slowly reawakening. The timing is precarious as domestic issues, from inept prime ministers to the loss of face of the formerly flawless Toyota, is creating the potential for a return to a more militaristic Japan. The situation is eerily similar to post-Weimar Germany, Argentina under Juan Peron and perhaps even Russia under Putin.
The Weimar Republic was defeated in WWI and Germany virtually emasculated of any sense of self-determination. This set the stage for the rise of the Third Reich. Argentina had a strong sense of the warrior ethos and when the Argentine economy fell, Juan Peron turned to picking a fight over the Falklands more palatable compared to answer questions from the citizens about the domestic situation. The fall of the Soviet Union appeared to first a victory for democracy. However some 20 years later, the greed and corruption of the Russian oligarchs has created and huge gap between the haves and have-nots. The have-nots remember the days of the Soviet Union where they had food, jobs and vodka. There is a serious movement to return to a Soviet style system of government. Of course, they nuclear weapons haven't gone anywhere and the Russians have just introduced their first stealth fighter.
The Japanese situation is especially poignant to me after watching the Zatoichi series of movies over the weekend. For those who haven't Zatoichi, he is a blind masseuse who travels Japan during the final years before the Meji era. Zatoichi is also an expert swordsman who took up the sword, by his own admission. so those with sight would stop looking down on him. I could help but think the series as an allegory for post-war Japan. The deployment of Patriot missiles by Japan seems like Zatoichi learning to use a katana. Japan does not want the United States or North Korea to look down on them anymore.
Why Japan is ready for anything Pyongyang might want to throw at it |
World news |
guardian.co.uk
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1 comment:
I remember reading, years, heck, decades ago, a Japanese guy telling an American reporter that Japanese nationalism is not pretty & the Americans would not want to see it.
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