Let’s give due respect to Japanese internal politics

 July 8, 2022

Let’s give due respect to Japanese internal politics. 

Are our memories too short on the legacy of Japanese militarism? I think not. 

Every country’s internal politics are complex. Some Japanese have been protesting for years to close US Military bases on Okinawa. But we have a deeper problem here than resistance to the US occupation forces there. There is also the problem that the very same Japanese Militarism that was seen in WWII is still present in Japan, and with Shinzo Abe that same militarism was nearly ascendant again. 

It is totally problematic that Japan, and Germany for that matter, are trying to assert some claim to a larger army. But we have to notice that the problematic goes through their current alliances to the former Allied Powers: NATO, and the East Asian alliances. The motivation of Shinzo Abe’s assassin, that killed him with a shotgun, is immaterial here - what matters is what Shinzo Abe’s tenure was marked by a resurgence of WWII-type militarism but in alliance with the US military. 

The paradox is that the protestors against the Okinawa installation are actually the people opposing the resurgence of the Japanese militarism of WWII. The US has an interest in maintaining a handle on the continued Japanese militarism, but they should be very careful not to allow that same militarism that committed crimes against humanity during WWII to expand through its relationship with the US occupation. The US should maintain vigilance not to be complicit in any resurgence of Japanese militarism under its watch. And in general, the US culturally should be far less cavalier about underestimating the scope of Japanese crimes against humanity out of generalized fascination with the Far East.