On adjacent televisions at my gym, I watched breaking news on the beheading of journalist Kenji Goto by the Islamic State group next to a ¡°One Piece¡± anime segment in which fresh-faced youth defended their boat from marauding pirates. The kids routed them in a jiffy and suffered no casualties, a metaphorical moment where reality and fantasy collided.
The Islamic State has vowed to target Japanese all over the world because they have joined the American-led coalition against the terrorist group. Just before beheading Goto, his masked executioner declared, ¡°Let the nightmare for Japan begin.¡± His murder has shocked the nation and sharpened divisions on Japanese security policy. However, since Goto¡¯s reporting focused on the horrific humanitarian consequences of war, his mother and colleagues have expressed dismay that he is being used as a martyr to justify the move to shed pacifism and embrace a more assertive military posture.
Following the axiom that no crisis should go to waste, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately launched a campaign to beef up Japan¡¯s military capabilities, vowing retribution and justice by ¡°making the terrorists pay the price.¡± Politicians and pundits jumped into the fray on TV talk shows and some made the claim that, after Japan¡¯s own 9/11, a majority of the public is ready to stop daydreaming ¡ª they¡¯re ready to back Abe¡¯s agenda of upgrading the capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and strengthen security cooperation with the United States.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.