From Osaka, Kyoto<\/i><\/p>\n
Japan could have been a leading world power today.<\/p>\n
Not a 19th century colonial-imperial-military power, but a peace power like Switzerland, only much bigger.\u00a0 If<\/i> its political leaders had embraced the peace constitution with Article 9–finally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize–depriving Japan of the right to war with the same enthusiasm of its population.\u00a0 A recent public opinion poll showed 2\/3, 63%-64% opposing collective defense and revision of A9.<\/p>\n
Not that A9–against war, not for peace–is perfect.\u00a0 Betrayed by politicians “interpreting” and used as a comfortable sleeping pillow by the peace movement people, two solid pillars should have been added, like defensive defense<\/i> and positive peace<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Yes<\/i>, the world can be a dangerous place, somebody might attack. In order not to provoke attacks and costly arms races, take the war on own soil, with conventional border defense (short-range, even fixed weaponry, nothing offensive), paramilitary defense (militia) and nonmilitary defense (non-cooperation if occupied).\u00a0 A strong package.<\/p>\n
No<\/i>, the world is not that dangerous.\u00a0 We can learn how to resolve the conflicts of today and tomorrow, and reconcile unhealed traumas of yesterday; and how to cooperate with others for mutual and equal<\/i> benefit–equity–and develop enough empathy to know how others feel.<\/p>\n
Peace power Japan would have developed expertise on all that, become a host to help parties in conflict, and propagated A9 all over.<\/p>\n
A peace power Japan would have abolished nuclear power plants not to be suspected of making weapons-grade plutonium, and have joined the neighbors in East Asian and Northeast Asian communities.\u00a0 Senkaku-Diaoyu and Takeshima-Dockdo could be community property, dividing the proceeds 40%-40%, to Japan and China-Korea, with 20% to the community.<\/p>\n
Such a peace power Japan would have been be admired as pioneering a better world community, and respected and emulated–not feared.<\/p>\n
Its voice would not have been his master’s echo, but a voice of peace coming from a practitioner.\u00a0 Others would invest and trade, not risking war.\u00a0 And aggressive others would be deterred from attacking.<\/p>\n
But the present regime reminds the world community of militarist-nationalist, Hideyoshi-Showa, Japan.\u00a0 Underlying this is an economic infrastructure based on “easing”–euphemism for printing money like the aggressors USA-UK–with a 2% inflation hurting consumers rather than a deflation hurting business.\u00a0 Devaluation of the Japanese yen led to less increased export than expected and (Le Monde Diplomatique<\/i> January 2014) the highest trade deficit since 1979 with higher prices particularly for food and energy.\u00a0 The unemployment is low, but 35% of the jobs are part time-temporary, and real income decreases.\u00a0 Misery can be a fertile soil for nationalism, and militarist Japan now makes money exporting arms even to countries at internal or external war.<\/p>\n
Instead of equity and empathy, the key neighbors, China and South Korea, are served provocation by prime ministers visiting the Yasukuni shrine honoring Japanese soldiers, even war criminals, apology seen as “masochistic”, and blunt nationalism in authorized school text books.<\/p>\n
The leading Japanese paper Asahi Shimbun<\/i> made an opinion survey:<\/p>\n