The singing of Japan's national anthem Kimigayo, an ode to the emperor, and the flying of the Hinomaru flag, both evocative of Japan's colonial era, have become flashpoints of conflict in recent years as the Japanese government presses to reincorporate these controversial emblems in a variety of public events. Nowhere has the conflict been more intense than in the public … [Read more...] about -Conscience and a Music Teacher’s Refusal to Play the National Anthem
Japan News
-Self-Defense Forces and the Constitution: Heed the past to find a path to the future
Translated by Japan Focus...So-called postwar progressive intellectuals were by and large critical of the Constitution that was forced on the nation by the occupation forces. But these people switched to a pro-Constitution position around 1950 mainly in reaction to America's changed Japan policy. Because of the Cold War, the United States began demanding that Japan rearm … [Read more...] about -Self-Defense Forces and the Constitution: Heed the past to find a path to the future
-Yasukuni: Seek a New Way to Remeber the War Dead
by Yoshibumi WakamiyaTranslated from the International Herald Tribune by the people at JAPAN FOCUS....The true culprit in suicide attacks is not the individual who sacrifices his or her life, but the organizations and leaders who praise, encourage or order such attacks. Likewise, unless we look squarely at the mistakes made by the imperial army and national leaders who … [Read more...] about -Yasukuni: Seek a New Way to Remeber the War Dead
-Government ‘s call for ending arms export ban will pave the way for Japan’s international arms sale
-- Akahata editorialDefense Agency Director General Ishiba Shigeru said that Japan needs to consider lifting the three government principles banning arms exports.(Note: The "Three Principles on Arms Export" was set out by then Prime Minister Sato Eisaku in answer to a question in the Diet on April 21, 1967. This policy bans arms sales to communist bloc countries, … [Read more...] about -Government ‘s call for ending arms export ban will pave the way for Japan’s international arms sale
-Violence, Legitimacy and the Future of Japanese and American Multilateralism
by Yoshikazu SakamotoExcerpts:While the U.S. is trying to ?gdemocratize?h the world, that is, to make the world safe for the U.S., it is imperative to remember that governing in a democracy, whether national or international, must derive legitimacy from the consent of the governed. It is natural, therefore, that in the post-Cold War world where the principle of democracy … [Read more...] about -Violence, Legitimacy and the Future of Japanese and American Multilateralism