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NZ Herald
20 hours ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Eighty years after Hiroshima, Japan debates military expansion and pacifism
The destruction of the two cities was followed by Japan's submission days later, ending its decades of brutal conquest. However, the bombings also announced a more terrifying age in which human innovation could spark death and destruction on a previously unimaginable scale. As the flattened city of Hiroshima was rebuilt, it dedicated itself to promoting peace. Survivors of the atomic bombing have campaigned for a world free of nuclear weapons. But 80 years on, that dream is fading. Three of Japan's neighbours – Russia, China and North Korea – are nuclear powers, and Tokyo depends on the American nuclear umbrella to protect it. With tensions in the Pacific heightening and firsthand memories of nuclear devastation waning, more Japanese are questioning the national commitment to peace at all costs. Why did Japan go all-in on pacifism after World War II? The Americans forced it to. The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces' harsh invasion of much of Asia, its shock attack on Pearl Harbour and its willingness to sacrifice a generation of young soldiers for the empire, made the victorious Americans adamant that the country should never again wage war. Japan's so-called 'peace constitution', drafted by the Americans who occupied the country for nearly seven years, forever renounced war. Its Article 9 has been interpreted to mean that Japan should never possess a military with offensive capabilities. In return, the US promised to defend Japan should it come under attack. The security treaty made Japan a beneficiary of the theory of nuclear deterrence, in which the fear of nuclear retaliation is thought to deter a first-strike attack. So why does Japan have a military? To take into account these constitutional limitations, Japan's military is called the Self-Defence Forces. It cannot take on combat roles in international conflicts. That hasn't stopped Japan from expanding its arsenal to counter potential threats from Asian neighbours such as China that, in turn, worry about Japan's rearmament, given its wartime record. If budget hikes continue, Japan will soon be among the world's top military spenders. All of this modern hardware is supposed to be only for defensive purposes, although a debate in Japan about its global military profile has been getting louder. What do Japanese think of their country's rearming? While many in the older generations worry about Japan's waning commitment to pacifism, younger Japanese tend to be more sanguine. Supporters of a military expansion say Japan shouldn't be forced into a defensive crouch forever, especially with security threats ratcheting up in the Pacific. In addition to superpower jousting, Japan has territorial disputes with China, Russia and the two Koreas. They worry that the US may not always be a constant security guarantor for Japan, especially under President Donald Trump, who has criticised Japan for relying too heavily on the presence of US military bases. And with first-hand memories of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki disappearing, most Japanese are now removed from the kind of searing testimony that underwrote the country's pacifist, non-nuclear stance. Nippon Kaigi, an ultra-nationalist political bloc that aims to revise Article 9 of the constitution, has significant support among lawmakers from the governing Liberal Democratic Party. Amending the constitution was once unthinkable; it's now a political talking point. What about nukes? Nihon Hidankyo, a group representing atomic bomb survivors, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons. However, Japan has never signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2023, Fumio Kishida, then the Prime Minister of Japan, whose family is from Hiroshima, supported a statement at a Group of Seven summit he hosted in the city that implied nuclear deterrence might bring its own kind of peace. Kishida's stance reflects a growing feeling in Japan that while nuclear weapons are dangerous and their eradication is a noble ideal, the real world also requires deterrence and robust defence. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Hannah Beech Photograph by: Chang W. Lee ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Star
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Japan deploying two defence aircraft for possible Mideast evacuation
TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) Japan will deploy two Self-Defence Forces (SDF) aircraft to East Africa for a possible evacuation of its nationals from the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Kyodo news agency quoted Defence Minister Gen Nakatani as saying Thursday (June 19). Nakatani told reporters that two C-2 transport planes, carrying about 120 personnel, would be sent to the SDF base in Djibouti to remain on standby. The move follows a request by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya earlier in the day. Sources said the aircraft are expected to depart Japan on Saturday. "The situation in the Middle East has become increasingly strained as Israel and Iran continue tit-for-tat attacks,' Nakatani said, noting that the government is still in the preparatory stage of any evacuation operation. The ministry is currently determining how many of the approximately 280 Japanese nationals in Iran and 1,000 in Israel wish to leave. Before the aircraft deployment, around 10 SDF personnel were sent to the region to gather information, he added. Japan also plans to evacuate by bus around 90 nationals and their family members from Tehran to neighbouring Azerbaijan, while those in Israel may be offered a similar route to Jordan, according to a government source. On June 13, Israel confirmed it had begun targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran. Tensions have escalated further amid speculation that US President Donald Trump may decide to support the Israeli strikes. - Bernama-Kyodo
Barnama
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Japan Mulls Pulling 90 Nationals, Family Members Out Of Iran By Land
TOKYO, June 18 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japan plans to evacuate around 90 nationals and their family members from Iran by land as early as Thursday, a government source said, amid growing concerns over further escalation of the conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv. According to Kyodo news agency, Japanese nationals are expected to leave the Iranian capital by bus and travel to neighbouring Azerbaijan, as airports have been closed. The government is also considering sending a Self-Defence Forces transport aircraft to its base in Djibouti, East Africa, to be put on standby. An overland evacuation of Japanese nationals from Israel to Jordan is also being arranged, the source said Wednesday.
Euronews
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Four Japanese soldiers injured in explosion at US base in Okinawa
Four Japanese soldiers sustained non-life-threatening injuries following an explosion at a storage facility for unexploded wartime ordnance on a US military base in Okinawa, local authorities confirmed on Monday. The incident occurred as the soldiers were working at a site managed by Okinawa prefecture to store old ordnance discovered across the island — the site of one of the fiercest battles of World War II. According to officials, the servicemen suffered injuries to their fingers during the blast. No further information regarding the nature of the explosion or the condition of the facility was immediately available. Japan's Self-Defence Forces said they were investigating the explosion, which reportedly happened at or near Kadena Air Base. A unit specialising in the disposal of unexploded bombs had been operating in the area at the time. The SDF added that efforts were under way to determine both the cause and precise location of the incident. Large quantities of unexploded ordnance remain buried across Japan, especially in Okinawa, where intense US bombing took place during the final months of WWII. These remnants are frequently discovered during construction or excavation works. Last October, a wartime US bomb detonated at a commercial airport in southern Japan, creating a substantial crater and forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights. US President Donald Trump's sweeping ban on travel to the US by citizens of 12 countries took effect on Monday amid rising tensions over immigration. The 12 countries targeted include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela are partially restricted. On Wednesday, Trump warned in a video that new countries could be added to the list as "threats emerge around the world." The ban comes more than eight years after his first travel ban in 2017, which denied entry to citizens from mainly Muslim-majority countries, sparking chaos at numerous airports and prompting months of legal battles. Unlike Trump's first ban, no such disruption was immediately discernible at airports and other entry points. Experts expect the new proclamation, which is broader and more carefully crafted, to withstand legal challenges partly due to its focus on the visa application process. The ban does not revoke visas issued to citizens of countries included on the list. However, unless the applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, their application will be rejected from Monday. Travellers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. The announcement that the ban would take effect on Monday was overshadowed by other immigration battles, including widespread protests in Los Angeles against Trump's deportation raids. The demonstrations prompted the deployment of the National Guard, despite objections from California's governor. The policy targets explicitly citizens of Haiti and Afghanistan, though it makes exceptions for individuals who collaborated closely with the US government during the two-decade war. It also imposes stricter measures on Venezuelan nationals, who have faced increased pressure under the Trump administration in recent months, including abrupt deportations to a detention facility in El Salvador, which have ignited a legal battle. The measure has been denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, said. Trump has justified the ban by claiming that some countries had "deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. The nationals in the countries included on the list impose "terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also tied the ban to a hate crime attack in Colorado, which wounded a dozen people, saying it underscored the dangers posed by visitors who overstay visas in the US. The man charged in the incident is from Egypt, a country not included in Trump's list.
Mint
03-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
How a year of tremor and terror transformed Japan
WHO COULD have known that on an ordinary Monday morning in 1995 a commute in Tokyo would turn into a scene from hell? On March 20th five members of Aum Shinrikyo, a doomsday cult, boarded separate trains on the capital's subway carrying bags filled with sarin, a deadly nerve gas. The poison spread through the packed carriages; 14 people died and thousands were injured. 'I still wonder: am I dreaming? Did the attack really happen?" says Sakahara Atsushi, a film-maker caught in the attack who still has symptoms today. For a country as safe and orderly as Japan, the terrorist attack was an unimaginable shock. It came just two months after the Great Hanshin earthquake, a 6.9-magnitude disaster that killed more than 6,000 and left 45,000 homeless. The scale of the Kobe quake caught both residents and authorities off guard. It was the largest tremor to hit a big Japanese city since 1923. Today, Kobe has been completely rebuilt, and the Aum leaders were executed in 2018. But the trauma of these two disasters remains etched in the Japanese psyche. The disasters struck a Japan already reeling economically. After decades as a powerhouse, it suffered a terrific crash of stock and property prices in 1991-92 as its asset bubble burst. Many believed that the downturn would be short-lived—but 1995 shattered even that remaining confidence. The Kobe earthquake exposed a government that was suffocating in red tape. Swiss rescue dogs sent to find survivors were stuck in quarantine, and the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) arrived too late. The once-vaunted 'iron triangle" of bureaucrats, politicians and business that powered Japan's growth 'began to look rusty", says Jeff Kingston of Temple University in Japan. 'There was a marked change in the Japanese consciousness 'before' and 'after' these events," wrote Murakami Haruki, a renowned novelist, in 1997. These two 'nightmarish eruptions", he observed, triggered a 'critical inquiry into the very roots of the Japanese state". Just a couple of years earlier, foreign observers still feared Japanese dominance; 'Rising Sun", a 1993 Hollywood thriller, revolved around sinister Japanese businessmen. But Japan's mood turned gloomy after 1995. The media fixated on how Aum's recruits included elite-university graduates. Thirty years on, Japan still lives in the shadow of 1995. Roam around Tokyo, and you may notice something amiss: public bins are scarce, removed following the sarin attack. Even those born after the attack recoil at the name 'Aum". Recently, Banyan nervously attended a study session run by Hikari no Wa—a group that splintered from Aum Shinrikyo. The session seemed innocuous (to your correspondent's relief), focusing on breathing techniques, meditation and Buddhist teachings. But outside the building hung angry banners that read: 'We will never forget the sarin incident!!" 'Your group must be dissolved!" A policeman stood watch, too. Suspicion of marginal religious sects resurfaced in 2022 after Yamagami Tetsuya assassinated a former prime minister, Abe Shinzo, citing grievances against the Unification Church (also known as 'the Moonies"), a group with ties to the ruling party. The government has since moved to dissolve the group, and a court ordered it to do so this week—a rare step, taken in only a handful of cases, most notably against Aum Shinrikyo. Though the two groups are not remotely comparable, the backlash against the Moonies, including their dodgy recruitment tactics, carried echoes of the 1995 trauma. Political leaders now struggle to lift Japan out of its malaise that began with the bubble's collapse—what started as a 'lost decade" has stretched to over three decades of stagnation. When Ishiba Shigeru, the current prime minister, recently said he wanted to build a 'fun Japan", critics slammed him as tone-deaf, arguing he should focus on solving economic hardships instead. But 1995 also left a positive legacy. The earthquake inspired what came to be known as 'Year one of volunteering"—with over a million helpers flocking to the disaster zone. Civil society flourished. When the Tohoku earthquake struck in 2011, the SDF mobilised immediately. Since 1995, 'Japan has come to realise it needs to prepare for risk," says Fukuda Mitsuru at Nihon University in Tokyo. What emerged from that terrible year was a Japan that no longer believes it is invincible, but can face its vulnerabilities. Subscribers to The Economist can sign up to our Opinion newsletter, which brings together the best of our leaders, columns, guest essays and reader correspondence.
