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.