Written for us by
Fabio Ghelli 

 

While the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s nationalist “new course” envisages the strengthening of the army, the most conservative wing of the government party, the Liberal Democratic Party, is pushing for the creation of a nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against the North-Korean menace. What are the reactions of the Japanese faced with the spectre of rearmament?

Osaka, 15th November 2006. The photograph of a painted tablet depicting a horse stands out on the first pages of Japanese newspapers of the 15th November 2006; the ancient votive offering, which comes from the sacred area surrounding a Shintoist altar, seems to carry with it the deep link with the past that modern Japan often prides itself on. Next to the photograph, a short article briefly goes over the interview given by the new prime minister Shinzo Abe to the US daily the Washington Post on the occasion of the meeting with president George W. Bush, which took place on the 14th in Hanoi. Few essential pieces of information: Japan is ready to activate its anti-aircraft artillery should missiles in transit over its territory be detected. “In case of a North-Korean attack against the United States-the article reads- the Japanese General Staff would be called upon to take a decision in a very short time: in the hypothesis that the missiles headed for the Pacific fell in Japanese territory, it is necessary that the anti-aircraft artillery should intercept them without hesitation”. This attitude on the part of the prime minister does not cause much surprise, especially if compared with Abe’s declarations concerning a greater trans-Pacific cooperation. The heart of the discussion concerns the limits that are set by the Japanese Constitution (which document, it might be well to remember, was dictated by the United States forces at the end of the Second World War) on the possibilities of intervention of the self-defence forces.

The Japanese “new Spirit”. Abe’s predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, had already widened the meshes of the controversial “article 9”, authorizing the sending of a contingent first to Afghanistan and then to Iraq. According to what is reported by the Washington Post, Abe’s intentions go beyond the simple straining of the measure: the premier spoke of the precise will to instill a “new spirit” in contemporary Japan, leading to a new constitutional text which would allow the country to strengthen its defence. The US government has been excercising pressure on Tokyo for a while now to obtain a revision of article 9 that might guarantee the building of a strong defence rampart against the “new asiatic menaces”; the Bush administration believes in particular that it should “delocalize” part of its defensive shield, using the Japanese ally as a strategic barrier against the menaces coming from the extreme eastern quadrant.

The minimum requirements for the defence of the Country. The international debate caused by the North-Korean nuclear tests in particular offered new grounds to those  on both sides of the Pacific who  believe that the times are ripe for a “weaning” of Japan from Washington’s aegis. The conservative wing of the Liberal Democratic Party has gone as far as asking for  a parliamentary debate to be opened on the issue of the nuclear development of the Country, maintaining that the only efficient deterrent against Pyongyang’s aggressive policy is a valid atomic arsenal. Although Abe has shown himself hostile so far to a public discussion of the problem, number two of his government, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, has recently stated once again that such measures could fall under the “minimum requirements for the defence of the Country” envisaged by the Constitution. If, on the one hand, public opinion shows that the menace posed by the North Korean neighbours is taken very seriously, on the other hand the hypothesis of an opening to nuclear development clashes with an atavistic terror in the face of the clear reference to the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This history-based reticence lessens however in the new generations, for whom the spectre of “dirty rain” took on the connotations of a myth some time ago.

Nuclear development and propaganda. “The menace posed by North Korea- says for example Yuko, 25 years old, a dance teacher- must be taken very seriously. However difficult it may be to admit it, the idea of equipping ourselves with an efficient defence system appears more and more to be a practical possibility to safeguard Japan’s safety”. “ A growing number of people –comments Masaki, 30 years old, university researcher- sees in nuclear development the only possible answer to the present menace; it is easy –he adds- to find a favourable opinion to the projects of militarization in the younger part of the population, since it is completely extraneous to the experience of the war and thus is more sensitive to neo-nationalist propaganda”. The children of the economic boom seem to have a different opinion: Sueko, 56 years old, director of a language school, talks of a “living recollection”: “It is impossible to think of building an atomic bomb in Japan: the memory of Hiroshima is still too strong; America should show some respect for the tragedy that hit us”. More decided still is Jinan’s opinion, 54 years old, social worker: “Does Japan need a nuclear arsenal? Let’s start instead from the assumption that no Country in the world should possess such instruments of destruction”.

“Against nuclear development”. “It’s all propaganda- exclaims Cocoro, 24 years old, a student of sociology- every hour of the day we are told by television what Kim Jong Il had for lunch and dinner. The government has even sent out a circular letter to encourage the national broadcasting company, Nhk, to transmit a greater number of features on North Korea. The nationalist drift of the Country- she comments bitterly- is taking on worrying dimensions: I have no doubt that they would drag the atomic bomb into the field if it helped the terrorist policy of Abe and associates”. “The problem is serious- says Toyooka, 23 years old, soon to graduate in literature- Japan is surrounded by atomic powers: Russia, China, and now also North Korea. It’s obvious that in this situation the country is not safe. If we had the atomic bomb, this would certainly help to re-establish a certain balance. Having said this- he adds after a pause- Japan is the only Country to have known the experience of an atomic bombing. I come from Hiroshima, my grandparents saw what happened: the horror of the destruction and the infamy of the discriminations are in the heart of anyone who comes from there. That is why I am against any form of nuclear development”.