Why build a warship? Why unveil it on August 6?

While major political figures were laying wreaths to peace in Hiroshima, and most people of Japan had their heads bowed in prayers for peace, something strange was happening in the harbor at Yokohama. This was on Tuesday, August 6, 2013--the 68th anniversary of the nuclear holocaust in Hiroshima--a day devoted to renewing Japan's vow never again to engage in the folly of war.

By "vow" I mean popular will plus a national constitution that forbids war and armaments.

So, first question: Who picked this day--of all days--to unveil a new, made-in-Japan warship? Described as a ferry for helicopters, the Izumo has the look and scale of an aircraft carrier.

Second question: Japan does not build it's own aircraft, because aircraft could become instruments of war, and building instruments of war is forbidden. Why is it evil to build a commercial airplane but not wrong to build an aircraft carrier?

Third question: Since a warship on that scale can't be built in an instant, who was in charge of Japan when the project was started in 2009?

I'm not sure of the answer to questions #1 or #2, but the answer to question #3 is Yukio Hatoyama, the prime minister whose grandfather almost single-handedly dragged Japan into WWII.

What a strange coincidence!


Now, on to the fourth question. Some people are excusing the aircraft carrier/helicopter ferrier, saying Japan needs it because China has been maintaining a presence in Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku island area, near Okinawa. This began in 2012.

Question #4: Which came first, 2009 or 2012?

Author of IQ84 has something else to say

Sunday, Sep. 30, 2012


Murakami calls for cool heads amid Senkakus flareup

AFP-Jiji


Haruki Murakami, one of the world's foremost novelists, has waded into the Senkakus sovereignty row, warning of the peril of politicians peddling the "cheap liquor" of nationalism.

His intervention Friday came as Beijing launched a blistering attack on Tokyo at a U.N. session in New York, accusing Japan of theft as the dispute over the Japanese-controlled islet group intensified.

The author of "1Q84," who has a large following in China, called for cool heads to prevail.

Writing in the liberal-leaning Asahi Shimbun, Murakami, who has been tipped as a future Nobel laureate, said territorial disagreements are bound to occur because of the unfortunate system of dividing the world into countries with national borders.

"When a territorial issue ceases to be a practical matter and enters the realm of 'national emotions,' it creates a dangerous situation with no exit," Murakami said.

"It is like cheap liquor: Cheap liquor gets you drunk after only a few shots and makes you hysterical. It makes you speak loudly and act rudely. . . . But after your drunken rampage you are left with nothing but an awful headache the next morning.

"We must be careful about politicians and polemicists who lavish us with this cheap liquor and fan this kind of rampage."