Dutch Royal Visit to Japan

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands were welcomed on an official visit to Japan by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. The Dutch Royal Family and the Japanese Imperial Family have been known for their very close friendship over the years.

Remembering Prince Ito Hirobumi

It was on this day in 1909 that Prince Ito Hirobumi, the first Prime Minister of Japan, was assassinated in Manchuria by the deranged Korean An Jung-Geun. The Prince will always have an honored place in Japanese history, having played a crucial role in the establishment of modern Japan. In setting up a new system of taxation, the peerage system, normalizing relations with the Qing Empire and his work to restore order in Korea after the war with Russia, his accomplishments speak for themselves. It is, however, a pity that his assassin is today held up as a hero by bigoted elements in Korea as if he were some sort of hero for independence. The fact that this is mindless bigotry is proven by the fact that the Prince actually opposed the annexation of Korea, fearing it would be too big of a burden on Japan, and preferred it to remain a protectorate while the celebrated murderer of the Prince oddly claimed to revere the Japanese Emperor and to love Japan while his action only accelerated the issue of annexation, being upheld as an example that lawlessness would prevail if Japan did not take control of Korea.

Japan and Canada

TM driven through Ottawa by the RCMP

TM in the Canadian Parliament

TM with Prime Minister and Mrs Stephen Harper

Comfort Women and Useful Idiots

The fight is still going on in Glendale, California over the placement there of a memorial to the Comfort Women by Korean activists. They say it is to remember comfort women of all nationalities but we can see that is a lie because the statue is of a woman in Korean dress and they use these memorials to portray all comfort women as sex slaves that were exploited by the Imperial Japanese Army. This, of course, is incorrect as anyone who does just a little research can plainly see. The comfort women were prostitutes who were paid for their services and while some may have been coerced into service it was usually by their families or Korean agents and certainly not because of Japanese civil or military policy. Of that there should really be no doubt anymore, the facts are clear and plain for all to see. What is worth considering though is why these comfort women memorials are appearing in the United States, in places like California and New Jersey (always in areas with large Korean populations) when this issue had nothing to do with the United States. The answer should be obvious but some do not see it or else have difficulty keeping it in mind.

South Korea has no other reason to put comfort women statues in the United States than to try to spread discord between the United States and Japan. Particularly, they wish to spread anti-Japanese sentiment among the American public so that the American people will put pressure on their elected representatives to draw back from America's staunch support of Japan. The motivation is clear and there is no other explanation for it. From the standpoint of the current geopolitical situation, this makes no sense for South Korea but then neither does the continued antagonism toward Japan. When the greatest threat to South Korean security has always been North Korea and Communist China they should be trying to strengthen ties with all free, non-communist countries. Nonetheless, this is something South Korea has obviously committed to and everyone in Japan, and the United States, should be alert to what their true intentions are and not allow themselves to be duped by this blatant propaganda effort. In this area, South Korea and Communist China have a shared agenda which is to isolate and weaken Japan on the world stage and to use anti-Japanese bigotry as a rallying point for their own people in times of discontent.

This tactic is transparent and easy to see, nonetheless, people in Japan, particularly on the right, must be on guard to not allow themselves to be the "useful idiots" of South Korea and China in this way. After all, these countries do not care what the reasons are for ill-will between Japan and the United States as long as that ill-will exists. They want to encourage it and exploit it and some people in Japan are helping them do it, some purposely (those on the left who do not support their own country) and some inadvertently (those on the right who hold on to past grudges against America). This is to be expected from those on the left, they know what they are doing, they are treasonous and willingly take the side of the enemies of Japan on almost every issue. However, for those on the right, they really should know better and take care not to assist the enemies of Japan by trying to weaken Japan's most important alliance. Already the Communist Chinese have taken advantage of these people and used them as "useful idiots". On Chinese international media and by purchasing time on American media, the Chinese have shown clips from speeches and YouTube videos of people in Japan making verbal attacks or insults against the United States and have shown these in America, putting their own commentary along with it of course.

Some of the most prominent Japanese speakers and YouTube vloggers have had their materials used in this way by the Chinese and they are doing it for the same reason Korea is putting comfort women statues in the United States. The Koreans use the statues to make Americans see the Japanese as wicked people while the Chinese use Japanese video clips attacking America to portray Japan as a false-friend, an untrustworthy ally that hates America. Their goal is the same; to divide Japan and America and weaken the alliance so as to isolate Japan. I wish, I hope, I pray that everyone will be able to see through this tactic and think about what they are doing in the context of the best interests of Japan. Do not be "useful idiots" for Korea and China!

お誕生日おめでとうございます。

Wishing a happy birthday to Her Majesty the Empress today!

A Vision for the Future of Japan

The State of Japan today faces a number of challenges in terms of domestic and foreign policy. In a way, perhaps the biggest problem is a reluctance to address and deal with the most important issues Japan faces. However, if this reluctance can be overcome, I want to believe that there is hope for a bright future for Japan and for a return to a position of leadership in the East Asian region of the world. Probably the most critical long-term issue for Japan is demographic. The death rate is higher than the birth rate and this is causing cultural losses, societal problems and economic problems as the tax base grows ever smaller while the elderly population requiring government support grows massively larger. Unfortunately, when it comes to demographics, there is not much one can recommend in terms of policy. The only solution is the “natural” solution. Because of the ballooning national debt, something will have to be done and it will absolutely involve some pain and hardship to cut unnecessary expenditures. However, my vision for Japan includes some proposals that might help that situation in the long-term.

There must be a cultural revival in Japan to combat what the noted journalist Yoshiko Sakurai called “spiritual statelessness”. As she wrote, “That we Japanese alienated ourselves from the origin of our culture and civilization has been the single biggest cause of this condition that continues to plague us today”. That must be corrected through state action in education and privately in society with campaigns to reacquaint the public with the founding stories and ancient history of the country. There must also be an emphasis on traditional values, particularly family values which, hopefully, would lend itself to encouraging larger families. Obviously, the monarchy would be central to such an effort and this ties in with another major proposal which is constitutional reform. There are many changes that should be made but one that I would highlight is for HM the Emperor to be officially recognized, once again, as the Head of State. Conferring sovereignty would probably be unrealistic in this day and age and may not even be of much practical use but recognizing, in law, the Emperor as Head of State would be a major positive step.

In addition to this, the Self-Defense Forces should be reformed as a formal military (rather than an outgrowth of the police) with the Emperor as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. I have no doubt that virtually every member of the JSDF currently considers this the case in their hearts anyway but it should be made official in law for the sake of cohesion as well as tradition. A constitution that embodies the Japanese spirit and which has its roots in Japanese history and legal tradition is what is called for. Some streamlining would also be extremely helpful to cut through the tangle of bureaucracy that exists today so as to make changes for new situations easier. Certainly if the existing Constitution is to be maintained (as opposed to having a new one which might be just as well) it is essential to make it easier to amend with public support than is currently the case. Too often, the Diet is where ideas go to die, where measures to address a current crisis are strangled or delayed to the point that they are no longer useful by the myriad committees and sub-committees that all proposals have to circulate through. While I would like to see the House of Peers restored, this is probably unrealistic but it should at least be possible to see the old aristocratic titles restored to legal recognition.

As for the peace provision of Article 9, that may be retained. Doing away with it would probably be unrealistic and it is not absolutely necessary anyway. It does provide for taking action in self-defense, it is only that this should be used more energetically and not interpreted as meaning that Japan can never fight no matter what the circumstances. No country should want to be aggressive but there should be no hesitation in taking action against real threats nor should there be any hindrance in coming to the aid of a friend and ally that is in danger. This is largely what the current re-interpretation by the Abe government has been about and that should definitely continue. It would certainly be essential for the vision I have for Japanese foreign policy going forward.

It is based on the proposal made by two Catholic priests, Bishop James E. Walsh and Father James M. Drought who tried to reconcile the United States and Japan in 1940 and 1941. The proposal was for a Japanese “Far Eastern Monroe Doctrine”. My proposal would be slightly different of course, taking into account the considerable changes since 1940, particularly the end of European colonialism. Most simply it would mean that Japan would take a leadership position in East Asia and assume responsibility for safeguarding peace and stability in the region. If any threats arise it would be Japan that would handle them with no interference from outside powers (which would not exclude, of course, requested assistance provided with Japanese authorization). In 1940, the proposal of the two American Catholic priests was aimed primarily at stopping the spread of communism in China. Bishop Walsh was a very experienced missionary in China, understood the threat very well and was, in fact, the last missionary in China after the communist takeover. Today, such a doctrine would be aimed primarily at containing the communist threat as mainland China has become increasingly expansionist. Under this doctrine, Japan would stand ready to contain such aggression and assist any country targeted by the Chinese government.

Obviously, Japan would have to adopt a new and more assertive attitude and strengthen considerably to take on such a responsibility but it is not unrealistic that this could be accomplished. Naturally, China, Russia and Korea would oppose such a doctrine but there is no point in giving them much consideration as they practically oppose Japan simply drawing breath. However, one provision that would hopefully allay fears at least on the part of Korea would be that no existing alliances would be affected by this new policy. That would mean that the United States could retain its current defense agreements with Korea which would hopefully act as a ‘security blanket’ to reassure the South Korean government and mitigate any fears they harbor toward Japan. Long-term, it may also help alleviate tensions particularly on the part of South Korea and Taiwan by emphasizing the necessity of working with Japan for the sake of their national security and the stability of East Asia. As countries such as Mongolia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have all been threatened by Chinese expansion, a strong deterrent force is needed and Japan is uniquely positioned for such a role.

In 1940, the United States did not recognize the danger of communism (as Tokyo did) in China but, although they would never admit it publicly, it has shown by American policy to have realized this was a mistake by supporting Japan and opposing China. So, because of the lessons of history, what America and other western countries would have opposed in 1940, they are willing to support today. This is illustrated by how supportive the United States and Australia have been on the subject of the reinterpretation of Article 9 by the Abe government. If the Japanese public has the will to embrace such a leadership role, there would be no better time to do it. Currently, Japan has in the United States the most militarily powerful country in the world as an ally and so can strengthen the Japanese armed forces (as they should be re-designated) in safety until Japan is fully prepared to take on this responsibility with the support of countries on both sides of the Pacific. Should problems arise with China, Japan, particularly the strong naval tradition and very advanced warships of even the current JMSDF, would be strategically placed to cooperate with Taiwan and the Philippines to cut off the exports that the Chinese economy so heavily depends on. Also, with naval mastery, Japan is ideally placed to respond quickly to a crisis in almost any East Asian country.

The primary goal which must be achieved to bring this about is a change in the attitude of the Japanese public, on both sides of the political divide. The mainstream right seems most prepared but the left must be persuaded to discard the mentality of idealistic pacifism and dependency while the far-right must stop trying to re-fight the Second World War. Both are equally detrimental to Japan moving forward as a leader on the world stage, the one by trying to appease current enemies and ignore the Japanese spirit and cultural heritage, the other by holding on to past grudges that would retain and even encourage the hostility of countries currently unfriendly toward Japan while also adding to that by making enemies of current allies. In the years since 1945 Japan has rebuilt and become one of the most prosperous countries in the world, even with all of the current debt problems still the third leading economy on earth. It is simply improper for a country that has achieved such a level of success to continue to refrain from accepting a position of leadership and responsibility on the world stage.

The possibilities are almost boundless considering what Japan has achieved in the past combined with all the additional potential Japan has today with a much larger economy and far better relations with virtually every major world power other than the Sino-Russian bloc. Japan has a higher GDP than any country other than China and the United States, the Self-Defense Force is one of the most advanced in the world and Japan has a military alliance with the United States and security pacts with Australia and India. There has never been a better time for Japan to begin the move towards a position of regional leadership in East Asia. This, combined with a cultural revitalization of the national spirit would allow Japan to become a world leader in a mature and balanced way that was never attained in the past. The future can be the period of the greatest glory for Japan and all that is required is to strengthen militarily, cut down the debt, reform or replace the constitution, revive the national spirit and have more babies. None of these things are impossible, it is only the will to undertake this challenge that must be motivated.

Manchu-Japanese Imperial Ties

Yesterday was the anniversary of the start of the 1911 Revolution in China that ended with the abdication of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and an end to thousands of years of the imperial monarchial tradition in China. Later, the Empire of Japan would correct one of the great historic injustices associated with this uprising by restoring the last Qing Emperor to the throne of his ancestral homeland of Manchuria, which was his birthright. In honor of that, here are some photos of the Manchu and Japanese Emperors together on the visit of the Emperor of Manchukuo to Japan to affirm the close ties of friendship between the two monarchies.

Sugihara Chiune 杉原 千畝

One of the most remarkable men in the Japanese diplomatic corps in World War II was Chiune Sugihara who was also an Orthodox Christian. Born on January 1, 1900 in Yaotsu, Gifu prefecture, he attended Waseda University where he studied English. Throughout his youth he was known as an exceptionally gifted student. After earning a scholarship he was recruited into the Japanese Foreign Ministry and assigned to Harbin, Manchuria where he also studied the Russian and German languages and became an expert in Russian affairs. He did diplomatic work as part of the ongoing problems between Russia and Japan over the rail network in Manchuria which had originally been under the control of Czarist Russia and which the Soviets were trying to reclaim. However, he did resign finally in protest over the way some of his countrymen mistreated the local people. (General Kanji Ishihara later made similar complaints). It was also while in Harbin that Chiune Sugihara converted to Christianity, being baptized into the Eastern Orthodox Church. During these years he also married a Russian woman but the couple later divorced, his wife initiating the divorce, because she did not want to have children. It worked out for the best though as Chiune later returned to Japan and married Yukiko Kikuchi who was a remarkable woman, as upright and devoted as her husband.

杉原幸子

Chiune and Yukiko settled down to a happy family life and over time had four sons. He still worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was sent further abroad to the Japanese delegation in Helsinki, Finland where he worked as a translator. In 1939 Chiune Sugihara was posted to Lithuania as a vice-consul to assist the local diplomat post as well as keeping an eye on German and Japanese troop movements in the region. His family came with him and Yukiko would be a strong and invaluable support to her husband during this time. It was a critical time for the world as war had just broken out in Europe. Germany invaded Poland and a short time later (after Polish resistance was broken) the Soviets invaded from the east and Poland was partitioned between them. This was when the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was in effect between Germany and Russia. One Poland had been conquered and occupied there was immediately a flood of refugees from Poland to Lithuania, many of whom were Jews who were naturally fearful of being under the rule of Nazi Germany. There were also many Jews already in Lithuania and the country was nervous that it would soon be invaded as well as there had been territorial disputes with Germany and the Soviet dictator Stalin had made no secret of his desire to claim all the Baltic countries for the USSR. Many began to appear at the Japanese consulate where Sugihara worked asking for exit visas to escape the country. Chiune Sugihara asked the Japanese government what he should do and three times the government said he could not give the people visas, for the understandable reason that they had not gone through the proper legal process and that Japan was unable to take on large numbers of foreigners when the country was already under great strain.

杉原 千畝

However, more and more Jews appeared, desperate for help and a way to escape and Sugihara felt that he had to do something. He talked to his family and it was agreed that they had to help the Jewish refugees. He said later that, seeing their suffering with his own eyes, there was no way he could ignore their plight and so he decided to take action. "Do what is right because it is right and leave it alone" he said. Acting on his own authority, Sugihara began writing out exit visas in his own hand and giving them to the Jewish refugees. Of course, word spread quickly that the quiet Japanese gentleman in Kovno was handing out exit visas and soon his home was besieged by huge crowds of Jews desperate to escape the advancing German armies. In response, Sugihara worked even harder, writing out exit visas and signing them all day every day without stop. He signed visas for hours on end, while he was eating, all day, every day with Yukiko massaging his sore hands at night. He worked and worked for longer and longer hours writing and signing exit visas for the crowds of refugees who, when given them, were so thankful that many kissed his feet. He also talked to Russian officials who agreed to let the Jews pass safely through the Soviet Union to Japan.

Word finally came that the consulate was being closed and Sugihara was being transferred to Germany. He and his wife stayed up all night before their day of departure, filling out exit visas to the last possible moment. Finally, with time running out, he simply began signing blank pieces of paper so that these could be left behind and filled out by the Jews themselves and used to escape. He left behind his official seal for this purpose. Even as his train was pulling out of town he kept signing visas and passing them out the window to the crowds of people wishing to escape. In all, Chiune Sugihara saved the lives of about 6,000 Jews by his actions. They traveled across Soviet Russia, were taken to Kobe in Japan and were finally relocated to Shanghai in part of China occupied by Japan where they were protected by the Imperial Japanese Army. For Sugihara, he served in Berlin and later other cities in German-occupied Europe, lastly in Bucharest, Romania. When the Soviet Red Army invaded Romania he and his family were arrested and put in prison. This was in 1944 remember, before the Soviet Union had declared war on Japan. After the war was over, Sugihara was finally released with his family and allowed to return home to Japan.

Orthodox Christian icon of Sugihara

As the Empire of Japan was dissolved, to be replaced by the modern State of Japan, Sugihara was dismissed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and he settled in Fujisawa to a hard life, as many people had, taking any available job to support his family. He was a very modest and humble man who never talked about the fact that he had saved the lives of thousands of people from certain death. With his country in ruins and going through a difficult transition, it was hard for individual stories like his to gain attention, particularly when the person in question never talked about it. He did what he had thought was the right, moral thing to do according to his Christian values and he never sought any reward or recognition for doing the right thing. However, others remembered, especially the people he saved. His kindness and compassion was the difference between life and death for thousands of people and, with their descendants, tens of thousands. He worked for an export company and finally worked for sixteen years in the Soviet Union, using his knowledge of the Russian language, while his family remained in Japan. When he died in Kamakura in 1986, tributes poured in from around the world. Many of his neighbors were astonished to know that the quiet man next door had saved the lives of thousands of people during the war. He was honored by the State of Israel as one of the "Righteous Gentiles" and his memory has been honored ever since in the Christian community, particularly the Eastern Orthodox, as an example of Christian charity, kindness, humility and compassion. For that, he shall always be remembered.

すべての人をうやまい、兄弟たちを愛し、神をおそれ、王を尊びなさい。

1 Peter 2:17

結婚おめでとう。末永くお幸せに。

Princess Noriko Bids Farewell to His Majesty

Recently, HIH Princess Noriko formally bid farewell to HM the Emperor in preparation for her upcoming marriage which will entail her legally leaving the Japanese Imperial Family.

A Priestly Plan for Japanese and East Asian Security

Bishop Walsh

Prior to the outbreak of the Greater East Asian War, an attempt at Japanese-American reconciliation was made on the initiative of two Catholic priests; Bishop James E. Walsh, (a veteran of much missionary work in China) Superior General of the Maryknoll Society, and his assistant Father James M. Drought. It is important to note the experience Bishop Walsh had in China and his understanding of the threat posed by the communist insurgency (something which many in the United States did not understand). These two men were convinced that the rising tensions between Japan and the United States were ill-founded and unnecessary and that a lasting peace could be arranged by reasonable men on both sides of the Pacific. Knowing the threat posed by the communists in China and recognizing that Japan was the only power placed to deal with this crisis, they hoped that the Roosevelt administration in Washington DC could be shown that, far from being a problem, Japan was the solution in East Asia that America should support.

The two priests traveled to Tokyo and met with Tadao Ikawa, one of the directors of the Central Agricultural and Forestry Bank. They presented him with a memorandum which proposed a Japanese “Far Eastern Monroe Doctrine”. This, of course, was a reference to the Monroe Doctrine which established the American foreign policy that the United States would be neutral to existing European colonies in the Americas but would resist any effort by European powers to interfere in the affairs of the Americas to expand their colonial rule or hinder the newly independent countries established in Central and South America. It laid the ground work for the “special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain and essentially said that if there were any problems or threats in the Americas it would be the United States that would deal with them and not any non-American powers. The two Catholic priests proposed something similar with the Empire of Japan taking the position in East Asia that the United States took in the Americas.

Look! The cruel injustice of the Communists!

This would mean that the colonial holdings of Europe (the only American holding being The Philippines which was being given its independence) were not to be molested but could not be expanded and that no non-Asian powers could meddle in the affairs of East Asian countries. The Empire of Japan would be responsible for maintaining peace and order in the region and if any problems in East Asia should arise it would be Japan that would deal with them with no interference by non-Asian powers. If this should have also led to a “special relationship” between Japan and the United States, that would probably have been something the priests would have looked forward to. However, there was no doubt that the first problem that had to be dealt with was the spread of communism in China and the two Catholic clerics were adamant that Japan should be supported in taking the initiative to stop this “corroding social disease”, as the memorandum called it, before it became an “epidemic”. Ikawa had worked in the United States as part of the Finance Ministry and was impressed by the idea and confident that Japan would agree to it.

Colonel Iwakuro

The priests assured the Japanese officials that they had the support of leading men in America, which the Japanese assumed to mean President Roosevelt, which was not true, nonetheless Ikawa took the priests to meet with Prime Minister Prince Konoye and Foreign Minister Matsuoka. The Prince sent them to the War Ministry to speak to Colonel Hideo Iwakuro who was known for his position that an alliance with America would be the key to success for Japan. He was also an expert intelligence officer who had set up the Nakano School for intelligence agents and who had saved the lives of five thousand Jewish refugees by allowing them into Manchuria, persuading the Kwantung Army leadership that as it had been a Jewish-American firm that loaned Japan the money needed to win the war against Russia, abandoning them would be dishonorable. He introduced the priests to General Akira Muto, head of the Military Affairs Bureau who approved of their plan and gave it his full support.

At the start of 1941 the two priests returned to America in the hope of finding as much support in Washington as they had in Tokyo. Their first supporter was the Postmaster General, Frank C. Walker, one of the most prominent Catholics in America. He arranged for the priests to finally meet with President Roosevelt and Bishop Walsh presented his memorandum to the President. Unfortunately, when it came to Japan, Roosevelt seemed unwilling to ever take any action without the approval of his Secretary of State Cordell Hull who had an undeniable prejudice against Japan. Hull voiced skepticism in a note written by his senior advisor on Far Eastern Affairs Dr. Stanley Hornbeck who was one of the most anti-Japanese and pro-Chinese members of the administration. Still, Roosevelt empowered Walker to act as his agent in pursuing the idea. Likewise, in Japan, Colonel Iwakuro was dispatched to the United States with the support of General Hideki Tojo. He went to St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and met with Bishop Walsh where he was met with the disappointing news that the Roosevelt administration had decided that the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy prevented any such American agreement with Japan and Japan would not betray German and Italy. Colonel Iwakuro was also met with resistance by the Japanese diplomats in America who saw his actions as the Imperial Army interfering in matters that should be handled by their own office.

As negotiations went on the original intent of the memorandum, of the Japanese “Far Eastern Monroe Doctrine” was all but forgotten as the focus shifted almost entirely to China and the proposal that Japan withdraw all troops from China in exchange for the Republic of China recognizing the independence of the Empire of Manchukuo and forming a sort of coalition government with the rival regime of Wang Ching-wei. The American State Department, under Hull, rejected the proposal almost completely. To make matters worse, however, Hull gave the Japanese ambassador, Admiral Nomura, the impression that the proposal would be a basis for future negotiations when in fact he had no intention of doing so and the result was a long, fruitless series of negotiations or attempted negotiations that achieved nothing but to increase bitterness in Japan that the Roosevelt administration was not acting in good faith but was simply trying to put off the Japanese while Japan grew weaker and American forces in the region grew stronger. Which was, sadly, entirely correct. However, why does this history matter to us today? What can we learn from the peace efforts of two Catholic priests in 1941?

The relevance of this to the present time is that the basic idea put forward in their memorandum, of a “Far Eastern Monroe Doctrine” supervised by Japan is a viable foreign policy position today. In fact, there is far more likelihood of such a policy being workable today or at least in the near future than there was in 1941. The biggest question today would be whether or not the Japanese people are willing to take up the responsibility for East Asia. If there is the will in Japan to pursue such a policy, there is no reason why it could not be implemented. Unlike in 1941, there seems little doubt that such a move would have the full backing of the United States, Great Britain, Australia and most of the Southeast Asian countries. Of course, colonialism is no longer an issue but those portions could be replaced with similar assurances dealing with existing defensive alliances. Also, just as in the original memorandum, the preeminent focus of such a doctrine would be the communist forces in China who, unhappily, now happen to control much more than they did in 1941. Suppressing them would not be immediately possible but such a doctrine would allow for the containment of their expansionist impulses and a revived and involved Japan would be the power best placed to do it.

The biggest difference between today and 1941 is that the danger of Communist China has been demonstrated. In 1941, few of the major powers other than Japan took the threat seriously. The United States, most importantly, saw the China Incident only as the Japanese on one side and China on the other whereas, in fact, the Japanese government stated a willingness to make peace with the nationalists, even for the United States to broker that peace, and withdraw from China (Manchukuo being independent) so long as Japanese forces remained where necessary to deal with the communist insurgency. The United States chose to take the side of China and oppose Japan, the other major powers following along. However, though the American government would never openly admit it, American policy and actions have demonstrated that they understand that this was a mistake because today the United States supports Japan and opposes China, even more so than the Republic of China on Taiwan. Whereas in 1941 the Roosevelt administration was suspicious of Japan, today both the major political parties in the United States have welcomed the new policy of collective self-defense proposed by Prime Minister Abe and have encouraged Japan to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces. Today, the United States wants Japan to play a larger part in ensuring the peace and stability of East Asia.

This would be the perfect time for Japan to begin the shift to this new doctrine. The support for collective self-defense measures has been growing and more people on both sides of the Pacific have wanted Japan to take a more active part in its own self-defense. Japan is also protected by the most powerful and advanced military in the world, the United States, and so would be able to build up its own military strength in safety until fully prepared to take on this larger responsibility for the region. Australia has expressed its support for Japan strengthening the armed forces and other countries in the region could be expected to go along with it due to the growing fears of communist Chinese expansion. Under this doctrine it would be the duty of a revitalized Japan to keep communist aggression contained and to deal with any problems in East Asia that pose a threat to the security and stability of the region. The recent increased closeness between Russia and China would also be a reason why America and Europe would probably support such a doctrine for a more prominent Japan to keep watch over the region. To put it in terms that the two priests in 1941 might appreciate, Japan would be the “guardian angel” of East Asia in the same way that the United States is in the Americas and NATO is in Europe. Given the political climate of today, there is no reason why such a plan could not work, it would only require the Japanese public to be awakened to supporting a much larger and more assertive role for Japan on the world stage.