Saturday, December 17, 2011

Compassion, Fear and National Interest

It has been a weird week: running into the right wingers protesting the installation of the comfort woman statue in front of Japan's Seoul Embassy (what the members of the Diet had to do with that one I have no idea); seeing the hardcore nutcases charging the tent of the anti-nuclear protesters, yelling at them that they must all by Korean residents of Japan to have anti-nuclear views; and the rumors leaking out that the Government of Japan was going to purchase the F-35, an aircraft which has little value in the upgrading Japan's defense but would sure be great in attacking another country -- and the Tokyo Shimbun to wonder whether the Air Self Defense Forces were running policy decisions, not the civilian leadership.

Dealing or not dealing with the leftovers of the last war and preparing unnecessarily for the next one?

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