Having survived a devastating U.S. air raid on his hometown in World War II, film director Isao Takahata has firsthand experience of the horrors of war. It¡¯s perhaps not surprising, therefore, that he staunchly opposes Prime Minister Shinzo Abe¡¯s attempt to push controversial security bills through the Diet.
There is an ancient Roman proverb, Takahata says during an interview at Studio Ghibli in Tokyo¡¯s Koganei neighborhood: ¡°If you want peace, prepare for war.¡±
Takahata, one of the country¡¯s most influential animation filmmakers and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, says he prefers French poet Jacques Prevert¡¯s 1953 version: ¡°If you don¡¯t want war, repair peace.¡±
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