Posted on 04/21/2004 1:11:26 PM PDT by quidnunc
Almost unnoticed by the American press, the aftermath of Japans hostage crisis in Iraq is developing in a direction which may have permanent and serious positive implications for American foreign and military policies.
Prime Minister Koizumis response to the kidnapping of the first three Japanese taken hostage in Iraq marked a watershed in Japans posture for dealing with external threats. Prime Minister Koizumi simply refused to go Spanish in the face of terror threats against his citizens. As the Wall Street Journal notes (link requires subscription), Japan had previously embraced the notion that the lives of hostages must be paramount. In the words of former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, who capitulated to Japanese Red Army airplane hijackers, human life is heavier than the Earth."
Having watched the Red Army metastasize into a far larger and bloodier threat in the aftermath, Japan has learned some lessons. The specter of a nuclear-armed North Korea lobbing missiles over the Japanese Archipelago has also done wonders for the strengthening of the Japanese national spine.
Despite large public anti-war demonstrations and tearful pleas from relatives of the hostages, the public has been strongly backing Koizumi's tough stance.
Now, a steady stream of news, much of it leaked from governmental sources, is hinting that the first three hostages may have faked their kidnapping. If and when these suspicions becomes provable, the public backlash in Japan against the anti-war left could be fearsome, and drive Japans foreign policy even further toward muscular collaboration with American defense efforts. Given Japans formidable economic and technological resources , the coalition of the willing would benefit substantially for a long time to come.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
The initial information I came across, and interviewing various contacts, showed me that it was most likely a "Jisaku Jien" (soley contrived and carried out by the "hostages"), from the get-go. It was an anti-Koizumi, anti-Self Defense Forces, anti-Coalition act in support of the terrorists and the whole "International A.N.S.W.E.R." type agenda. Other Freepers also chimed in with their reservations, too, some expressing their doubts about the Japanese hostages' video they saw where they were "threatened" and were "crying".
In fact, Freepers, here is the BIGGEST SCANDAL that shows you that outside of FR and some other sources, your slanted and leftist news media in the United States IS NOT TELLING YOU THE TRUTH and THE WHOLE PICTURE.
To simply live and breathe in Japan for the last two weeks as anybody, is to know from the start that these were classic ("Sa Ha") Japanese leftists/do-gooders who composed this scam as a conspiracy....wherever yhou could go, to bars, offices, on the train, coffee shops, in daily papers, on websites, in school, all the talk in Japan among the Japanese was that this was merely "detchi agei" (a staged shakedown). AND YET, THE AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA RAN NO ARTICLES OR REFERENCE TO THIS POSSIBILITY, regardless of the fact that the Japan man on the street's conversation was burning up with this possibility. Shame on the incompetent, irresponsible, Western liberal-controlled media. All they did for DAYS was to hype the psy war against us by the enemy, spin it that with the Japanese kidnappings, etc, things were going out of control in Iraq and that America's allies were being held hostage. "Held hostage" is RIGHT. They, Japan, were briefly held hostage by their own enterprising leftist do-gooder human shields who went down there to Iraq to stage this joke--not necessary the terrorists.
Other quickies heard today and in the last few days:
--Japanese police trying to debrief "hostages". Hostages trying to avoid police.
--Imai (the youngest hostage) has a brother who runs a "terekura" matchmaking/prostitution racket in Hokkaido.
--The whole Imai family, including the kid who went down there, have been solid Nihon Kyosanto (JAPAN COMMUNIST PARTY) Hokkaido cell members and activists.
--It was picked up on the tape of their "threatening with knifes" that one of the "captors" was giving them orders in THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE.
--The government is insisting the three "hostages" pick up all the charges they ran up for the Japanese Government for their rescue, and they take "responsibility."
How long until the scale tips back to Japan of the 1930s-1940s? Who wants to find out?
If the hostages may have faked their kidnapping as this article indicates, the Left will loose credibility and public support big time.
I agree.
I think Japan is not only seeing it's alliance with the US growing in importance when it comes to dealing with terrorism but also the growing military threat of China.
I was glad to see Japan stand up against the terrorists in Iraq.
Let's remember all we had to go through to get Japan to surrender in WW2. They are some tough people who don't give up easily. We want them on our side.
Knew that. Bottom feeding scumsuckers.
Bump!
He'll get my vote !
Maybe a nuclear Japan is nothing to fear, maybe they have way too much to lose this time around and wouldn't think of starting anything, but I'd sure hate to see anything remotely like 1941-1945 replayed in our history.
You're kidding, right?
Japan won't be a nuclear power until they take those widgets off the left shelf, and hook'em to the whatsits on the right.
All kidding aside, Japan IS a superpower. Count on it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.