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Big News Brewing in Japan?
The American Thinker ^ | April 21, 2004 | Thomas Lifson

Posted on 04/21/2004 1:11:26 PM PDT by quidnunc

Almost unnoticed by the American press, the aftermath of Japan’s 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 Koizumi’s response to the kidnapping of the first three Japanese taken hostage in Iraq marked a watershed in Japan’s 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 Japan’s foreign policy even further toward muscular collaboration with American defense efforts. Given Japan’s 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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Japan
KEYWORDS: japanesehostages; radicalleftists; visualizewhirledpeas
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To: arasina
Thank you to you, and many other Freepers, who followed this case when we first broke it for the English speaking world (the wider audience) here on FREE REPUBLIC.

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."

81 posted on 04/21/2004 7:07:44 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Hey...who stole my tag line earlier today? Give it back!!)
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To: AmericanInTokyo; livius
Good job. Looks like you were right.
82 posted on 04/21/2004 7:12:12 PM PDT by MarMema (next year in constantinople)
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To: GATOR NAVY
It's about time they found a balance between pacifism and conquest.

How long until the scale tips back to Japan of the 1930s-1940s? Who wants to find out?

83 posted on 04/21/2004 7:12:54 PM PDT by Future Snake Eater ("Oh boy, I can't wait to eat that monkey!"--Abe Simpson)
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To: MeekOneGOP
Most interesting of all is word leaked from police sources, based on interrogation results, that the hostages were actually instructed to pretend to be scared. Kyodo News Service reports

If the hostages may have faked their kidnapping as this article indicates, the Left will loose credibility and public support big time.

84 posted on 04/21/2004 7:36:51 PM PDT by Victoria Delsoul (Kerry said he wasn't at the '71 plot-to-kill meeting, then, he was but voted NO, now he can't recall)
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To: Future Snake Eater
I'm not claiming to be an expert on Japanese culture, but having lived here for 14 years I do know more about Japan than just what I've read in Pacific War history books (and I have many).

Japanese society is so far removed from what it was in the '30s-'40s that the return to militarism you fear just doesn't seem likely. Do you worry also about Italian and German militarism? After all, they were fascist states at the same time as Japan. Or have they somehow "grown" more than Japanese?
85 posted on 04/21/2004 8:14:35 PM PDT by GATOR NAVY
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To: AmericanInTokyo
How do you say BUMP TO THE TOP in Japanese? :o)
86 posted on 04/21/2004 8:23:28 PM PDT by arasina (So there.)
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To: MeekOneGOP; All

TRANSLATION: "BUSH FOR EMPEROR IN 2008"
87 posted on 04/21/2004 8:33:56 PM PDT by NewLand ("I never knew how good Hunt's ketchup was...")
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To: Modernman
Japan is waking up from it's 55 year slumber. The world is getting more and more dangerous and the US can't protect everyone. The free world needs Japan to step up and take its place as one of the world's great powers.

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.

88 posted on 04/21/2004 8:39:27 PM PDT by Jorge
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To: quidnunc
Would be a good movie...:
Kamikazis vs Islamikazis..
89 posted on 04/21/2004 8:47:29 PM PDT by hosepipe
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To: AmericanInTokyo

KAKKATE KOI!

90 posted on 04/21/2004 8:48:06 PM PDT by Incorrigible (immanentizing the eschaton)
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To: MeekOneGOP
Thanks for the ping, and for posting the full text.
91 posted on 04/21/2004 9:12:37 PM PDT by dixiechick2000 (President Bush is a mensch in cowboy boots.)
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To: AmericanInTokyo
Thanks for breaking this news here. Ya' done good!
If it weren't for you, no one in the country would
know about this. It will be interesting to see if
someone in the so-called media picks this up and runs
with it.

92 posted on 04/21/2004 9:17:45 PM PDT by dixiechick2000 (President Bush is a mensch in cowboy boots.)
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To: AmericanInTokyo
Shame on the incompetent, irresponsible, Western liberal-controlled media.

Knew that. Bottom feeding scumsuckers.

Bump!

93 posted on 04/21/2004 10:22:39 PM PDT by FlyVet
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To: quidnunc
When I opened this thread I knew what the responese would be. I think Freepers do "eat their own." What is the problem with posting news? This forum is way too jaded for me.

/back to lurking mode here
94 posted on 04/21/2004 10:35:07 PM PDT by HoHoeHeaux
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To: quidnunc
When I opened this thread I knew what the responese would be. I think Freepers do "eat their own." What is the problem with posting news? This forum is way too jaded for me.

/back to lurking mode here
95 posted on 04/21/2004 10:35:21 PM PDT by HoHoeHeaux
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To: King Prout
I believe the general attitude was, "So we're not supposed to defend ourselves?" or something along those lines.
Between him and Taylor gushing over Teddy R., my suspicions were only confirmed as to which side I would join.
96 posted on 04/22/2004 2:08:55 AM PDT by dyed_in_the_wool ("It boots you not to avoid his snares")
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To: NewLand
He'll get my vote !

97 posted on 04/22/2004 2:15:11 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (Become a monthly donor on FR. No amount is too small and monthly giving is the way to go !)
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To: GATOR NAVY
Actually I would argue that Germany has not grown but regressed into a bunch of self-hating pansies. At least the Japanese are willing to lend financial aid to our war effort (before they sent any troops/equipment).

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.

98 posted on 04/22/2004 3:52:11 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater ("Oh boy, I can't wait to eat that monkey!"--Abe Simpson)
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To: Modernman
Mark my words- Japan will become a nuclear power by the end of this decade.

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.

99 posted on 04/22/2004 4:05:48 AM PDT by Woahhs (Gray area = black and white + lots of "spin")
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To: dyed_in_the_wool
it was more amusing than that, actually...
100 posted on 04/22/2004 5:52:59 AM PDT by King Prout (poets and philosophers should NEVER pretend to Engineering... especially SOCIAL Engineering!)
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