A quite remarkable series of statements that should (but won’t) embarrass the leadership of the first country to suffer the effects of an atomic bombing in wartime.
Excerpts:
“…despite the unprecedented destruction caused by the nuclear bombs dropped on us, Japan continues to stick with the security provided by the U.S. nuclear umbrella, even as our nation officially opposes the idea of possessing or testing nuclear weapons.”
“Sixty years after the atomic bombings, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi continues to visit Yasukuni Shrine-which enshrines the nation’s war dead, including Class-A war criminals-shrugging off the past as something we should not cling to.
Yet the prime minister and the politicians who support his visits have yet to spend much time reflecting on all the pain and sadness that Japan’s past actions caused so many people.
Koizumi tells us he is praying for peace when he visits Yasukuni Shrine. If he is indeed serious about wanting peace, the very least he should do is stop supporting war.
Japan must regain trust
To that end, Koizumi should withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq, reduce the number and size of U.S. military bases in Japan and work to ensure that nuclear weapons are abolished around the world.”
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