Aki-Essays: Japan's multiculturalism under Article 9 (6-11-09)

A failed attempt to put a satellite into orbit by North Korea fell flat on April 5th, if it was a joke. And silence remained until the increasingly isolated nation tested its nuclear device underground on May 25th, the first after October 2006.

The man-made earthquake did not only rattle the ground from the epicenter in northeastern North Korea but also worried people in the reach of the tremor, who had never realistically taken the destructive capability of nuclear technology. And the test launches of six short-range missiles followed until the night of May 30th, which prompted 27 United Nations to hold an extraordinary council on the day.

The same tactic of the North had worked to some extent each time, though. In 1998, firing a Taepodong missile succeeded in making the US lift economic sanctions. And as an outcome of the detonation in 2006, the North would participate in 6-party talks through a two-month break and have direct talks with the US, expecting the resumption of financial aid.

In June 2008, the North demolished a cooling tower at its nuclear plant, ostentatiously suggesting that the reconciliation program--shutting-down of nuclear plants--had been proceeding, a move that aimed to have the US remove its name from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and resume giving aid.

Yet as the US was deemed not that meek after its easy concessions in the past, the nuclear test on May 25th looked for making direct talks with Mr. Obama. The US does not seem to give in this time, however. It’s said that only China keeps shipping supplies to the impoverished socialist, in the form of oil.

South Korea’s Roh Moo-Hyun regime had been aiding the North. But as an economic downturn urged the South to halt sending alms northward, a feud began to replace the halfway established partnership.

On May 27th, in response to the South’s declaration that it would join the Proliferation Security Initiative, the North threatened a retaliatory action to the South.

Russia and China have been backing the North as all of them share certain interests, but the most recent nuclear test even brought them to the 27-nation council on May 30th.

At the table, Japan had its own history regarding nuclear technology.

Ever since Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities each suffered enormous damage from nuclear weaponry in 1945--first and last--unless the purpose is self-protection Japan can’t engage in warfare as Article 9 of the Constitution outlaws such a kind of action. The article stipulates that Japan renounces war as a sovereign right; that it bans settlement of international disputes through the use of force; and that armed forces with war potential will not be maintained.

Under Article 9, Japan has been becoming more multicultural, welcoming more foreigners. According to a website, 606,889 Chinese, 593,489 Koreans, 316,967 Brazilians, 202,592 Filipinas, 59,696 Peruvians, 51,851 Americans and 321,489 of other nationalities were living in Japan as of the end of 2007. (The total accounts for 2,152,973.) [funny, because there are 1,200,000 日系--or 833,761 “pure” Japanese--living in the US alone, as of 2005.][and i don’t understand the connection you are making here; from arms use and constitution to multiculturalism?] If you go to a McDonald’s outlet in Kinshicho, a suburban area of Tokyo, there is a constant number of beautiful Russian ladies amid other races. As well as top-ranked Chinese, those Russians are also protected by Article 9 as are they by the American military and the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

(I think if the UN military is well organized across a wider range of nationalities including more from developed nations as developing nations such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Ethiopia and others contribute the most, Japanese can join the army or navy more easily, to be part of international peacekeepers for joint missions free of Article 9 restrictions.)

When North Korea is called North Korea, in nearly all cases its government is perhaps referred to, not the citizens in destitution. However, in the wake of any form of unease those inculpable citizens will suffer the earliest, not the president nor his top officials. In other words, they will be spared any unwanted outcomes until the last minute. In such a situation, with no respect for the lives of its citizens the North might not mind launching the offensive against Japan, an ally of the US. In this case, the scale of aggression might be rather devastating regardless of a potential reprisal from American, NATO and/or the UN military forces and a number of resulting civil casualties. An act of shipping daily necessities to the North is intended for ordinary North Koreans, though.

[What are you insinuating? i really don’t understand; are you purporting that the Chinese in Japan constitute a sleeper cell of some kind? if so, i might suggest that you seriously consider backing that wild accusation up with reputable facts.]

Those North Koreans are most susceptible to the cessation of food aid. In my view, they are only the victims of the authoritarian state. Food supplies don’t immediately mean to support the North’s evil acts like launching missiles, and the UN signatories should find a way to serve North Koreans food while urging the government to act in a more sensible manner.

On May 12th, Mr. Putin of Russia met Japan’s incumbent prime minister Taro Aso and former prime ministers and conversed with him to strengthen the tie between the two countries. Although they still have not settled the territorial issue about the Northern Territory, the meeting must have been a forward step in building a good relationship across the Sea of Okhotsk.

Japan is one of the countries which saw its people kidnapped from Korean agents, and “rachi higaisha kazoku renrakukai” was founded by the families of the victims. In 2000, the association staged a sit-down protest at the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party, a riposte to the party decision to ship 100 thousand tons of rice to the North. The feelings of the families are understandable, but the lives of North Korean citizens should never be neglected. In order to hand food to all North Koreans, an efficient distribution system that blankets the whole country should be established. (Sadly, the government has full control over everything.)

After all, anyhow, where is that Russian lady, the most beautiful ever for me? Her smile at the McDonald’s in Kinshicho has been indelible in my memory. Cats always walk through buildings, capriciously. [connection with the former parts is not present here; what are you getting at?]