My Diaries on the war in Iraq (2)
written between March 7, 2003 and March 20 


The Japanese Government is moving toward the deployment of the Self Defense Forces to Iraq. It was decided at the Cabinet meeting held on December 9. When asked what would he do when some tragic incident occurs, Prime Minister Koizumi retorted " I will think about it when it actually happens". It reminded me of what he had said before the war when asked if he would support the U.S.;"I will decide impromptu, taking into consideration the atmosphere of the time. (Japanese ) 

# March 7 , 2003 (Friday)
I had mentioned in my previous diary about Prime Minister Koizumi's comment on public opinion. Mr.Koizumi said that there were times when we might make a mistake if we follow public opinion, and added that history proves the point that in many cases, it was not right to be swayed by public opinion.
Asahi Shimbun's front page column " Vox Populi, Vox Dei", on March 7 issue pointed out that if Prime Minister Koizumi insists that the public opinion was not correct, he, then as a leader, should at least try to convince the public. If he firmly believes that the public opinion against the war in Iraq was a mistake, he should try to explain why this war was inevitable and/or necessary.
I agree with this. I still have not read any rational explanation on why the use of force is necessary. By "rational", I mean that explanations that appeal to emotions are not enough. Nationalism appeals to one's motions but it is not rational.

# March 15, 2003 (Saturday)
I found an article at Times Online that said that former President Bush (Bush Senior), father of present President Bush (Bush Jr.) was against U.S. attacking Iraq single-handedly. Bush Senior was stated as saying to his son that without international cooperation, the hope of realizing peace in the middle east will be crushed. Bush Jr. is known to take his father's advice but, I wonder if he will listen this time.
I must admit I am interested in the two Bush's even if I put aside the political issues because I had been writing about father and son relationships these past few days.

# March 16, 2003 (Sunday )
The asahi com. carried an article of the captain of aircraft carrier Kittyhawk as saying that none of his crew members were wishing for a war to happen. Natsuki Ikezawa is still very optimistic, saying that possibility of avoiding this war maybe higher than expected by many people. I am not that optimistic. However, I very much hope the war can be avoided.
My son, who is now traveling to New Zealand will return to Japan on the 18th. Hopefully, he will not be caught in a difficult time. He was planning to interview people who have memories of the World War2. I am hoping that he would be able to meet many people as he wishes.

Nationalism, at times can be very emotional. The abduction of Japanese citizens on Japanese soil by North Korean agents have aroused so much emotional reactions here in Japan. The incident is now used as a convenient tool of agitation by people who support nationalism.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has decided to grant qualification necessary for university entrance to those who have graduated from International Schools in Japan but not to those who have graduated from ethnic schools such as the Korean Schools. This is unfair and unjust. Some say that the abduction incidents have affected MEXT's decision. It was regrettable to hear that some students of the said Korean Junior High Schools were shoved from behind and at times thrown stones at by thoughtless people. One must distinguish between deeds committed by an individual and actions taken by a country. I have nothing against the people of Iraq. I cannot support what President Bush is doing, but that does not mean I hate the American people.

# March 17, 2003 (Monday)
Christopher Columbus, when he "discovered" the new continent, is said to have quoted to an native American Chief," we will teach you our highly advanced civilization." The Chief retorted, "How dare you to say such a thing to us? We have been living here in peace for many centuries; we do not need your help." This story reminded me of Mr. Bush. The situation in the middle east has become worse over the past few days.

# March 18, 2003 (Tuesday)
The American government has issued the last warning to Iraq and President Hussein has rejected to flee from Iraq to seek political asylum. The war, it seems, may start earlier than expected. Natsuki Ikezawa had been pointing out that the U.N. Inspection Team will not leave Iraq for the time being and their existence in Iraq was like that of a human shield, which can stop the Americans from attacking Iraq. Unfortunately, the U.N. Inspection Team has decided to leave Iraq to take shelter in Cyprus.
With the situation becoming as they are, I feel that U.N. Inspection Team's decision was unavoidable. But, at the same time, I would like to point out that Japan's decision to support the use of force by the American government was anything but inevitable. Bush Administration stress that Baghdad was by no means safe and secure. But what will happen to the civilians and the ordinary citizens living in Baghdad who cannot leave the country?

# March 19, 2003 (Wednesday)
My son is back from New Zealand. I explained what had been happening since he had left Japan. What surprised him the most was the comment made by Prime Minister Koizumi when asked if he would support the U.S.Government. Mr. Koisumi said, " I'll decide taking into the account the atmosphere of the time." The Foreign Minister also was reported to have said that she cannot comment until she had listened to President Bush's speech. In my opinion, people who refrain from making responsible judgments, obsequiously sensitive to the mood of others, who always wants to be seen favorably by others, is neurotic. President Bush who declared that he does not need to obtain the permission of other countries to defend his own, is also self-centered with infantile lifestyles.
According to my son, many of the cabinet members of the Bush administration, including President Bush himself, did not acutally fight in the Vietnam war for some reason. "So, they do not know what war is."
Prime Minister Koizumi also has not fought in any war. Both Mr. Koizumi and Mr. Bush belong to the age group that will not have to fight in an actual war, however, my son's generation might be faced with the hard reality of actually fighting in a war.
Prime Minister Koizumi stresses that Japan must support the U.S., however, how can I support a country that will endanger the future of our children? My distrust for this country is getting stronger ; one cannot feel patriotic when you cannot trust your country. It is not as simple as distributing "notebook of the heart" ( a brochure on morals) at schools.

President Bush, who seems to have already decided to start a war at the beginning, did not make the decision under pressure. What will happen to all those innocent ordinary people who are living in Baghdad, a city noted for its danger?
The TV programs are airing the comments of so-called "commentators", who look so snug making irresponsible comments about the war. They seem to be lacking the feeling of sympathy. The loss of sympathetic feelings, the loss of emotions for others enables soldiers to act cruely. You will not be able to persuade soldiers to fight, if they start imagining the faces of those who will be killed in this war.
One day, I met this gentleman on a crowded train many years after the Gulf War. The seat next to the gentleman was vacant and being so tired that day, I took the seat without thinking much about it. I found out that other passengers were avoiding this seat because the gentleman was talking to himself quite loudly. He looked at me and said, "It was so scary, the Gulf War was." I answered back saying that it indeed had been scary. The gentleman's sensitivity was normal as it could be. It scares me to think that the war is already at your footsteps. I wonder what this gentleman is thinking at this moment. Will he be listening to the news?

# March 20, 2003 (Thursday)
THE WAR HAS BEGUN
The war has begun after all. Some predict that it will end soon, however, it's too early to say anything definit. The media pointed out that Japan has around 170 days ' worth of oil stocked. But nobody can say when the war would end. I cannot concentrate on the mail magazines that were sent to me yesterday, knowing that predicting even the near future is almost impossible under the present situation.
The information I can get is so limited. Furthermore, I cannot be sure if the information I am receiving through the media is true.

WHAT IS SEEN MAY NOT BE THE TRUTH
The Iraqi forces launched a missile toward Kuwait. If the missile's range was over 300km, making it the Scud missile developed by the Soviet Union, it means that Iraq had violated the U.N. resolution which prohibited Iraq to possess missiles with range over 150km. Iraqi Information Minister Muha Muhammad Saeed al-Sahaf denied the accusation, saying that one cannot launch a missile that does not exist.
I remember a news image aired during the Gulf War in which an nameless mother was crying heavily for her lost child when Baghdad was bombed by American missiles. The image made a bad impression of teh U.S. to those who had seen it ; how inhumane the American attack was. However, I later found out that the woman was a press secretary working for the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Ministry. She had made the performance of her life under President Hussein's orders.
Kunio Yanagida had written about this incident in his book "Life, changing a little". Although this story seems to be true, no one can prove it wrong. Yanagida points out that what we see with our own eyes is part of a reality, however, at the same time, it includes images that can force us to misinterpret the situation, images that can hinder our understanding of what is happening. He stresses the need to keep our eyes open at all times (p.272). I agree with Yanagida.

SOMEONE WANTS TO SETTLE THINGS BY WAR
Sakai Tanaka runs a web site on international news. I must agree with what he wrote in one of his commentaries.
"War is always wrong and unnecessary. Some say that there are issues that can only be solved with force, however, this is not true. The fact is that there are people who wants to settle things by means of war. "Righteous war", "war in the cause of justice" are expressions of deceit."
Prime Minister Koizumi used the word "inevitable" when he commented on supporting the U.S. policy on Iraq. According to shatzky who lives in Germany, the German media did not translate the word "inevitable" in the news. The reason for this, as shatzky pointed out, is because the word "inevitable" sounded like an excuse to justify himself, so the TV news decided to omit it completely.
"Inevitable, unavoidable are magic words that justify one's actions." I must agree with shatsky.
Greek philosopher Plato suggested that justice should be examined as the problems between nations. I believe that doing just the opposite is necessary, that is examining the situation that are occurring between countries as if they were occurring in personal relations will make things clear for us to see.
"I was overcome by anger and I could not help killing you by mistake ; it was unavoidable." Can you imagine yourself saying this to the person you had just killed?

NOT BEING INDIFFERENT
What Hikaru Utada writes in her web page quickly becomes news. In her diary dated March 20, she wrote about the war. " I don't like those who support the war, nor do I like those who are indifferent. Both are equally guilty." There may be so little that we could do to stop this war, but being indifferent is the most dangerous of all.
As Natsuki Ikezawa points out, the war has started but that does not mean that we can stop opposing the war. I will quote his words from his mail magazine.
" It's the other way around. More people will die in this war. We must keep on expressing our strong feeling of opposition about this war so that we can stop it as soon as possible." 

Posted: 日 - 12月 28, 2003 at 04:07 午前          

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