Collective insecurity

Defending Japan

Collective insecurity

Japan’s prime minister is right to start moving the country away from pacifism.

I went to Turkey when I was 20 for exchanges with students of the country. I   happened to join a student meeting in Istanbul. At first I thought that meeting was for administration like project making but it was different. But I was surprised to find that the meeting was for discussing “war and peace” among students with almost the same ages. At that time in 2006, conflicts between Palestine and Israel were flamed up. Turkey is near from the area so they were much more serious on the issue. In the meeting, Turkish facilitator asked the guests from Japan “What do you think about peace?”

Please imagine the situation. How do you answer the question?

I chose the article because we can learn words and phrases related to defense and security. Prime minister Abe plans to allow Japan to come to the defense of its allies (collective security) for the first time. This is hot topic not only for Japan but also other countries like China, Korea and the US. We should keep in mind that you might have to explain the situation in your words.

Going back to the Turkey’s experience, I answered, “Peace is a situation that people can live in safe without any accidents or crimes.” Most Japanese might agree with this view. But reactions of Turkish students were different, like “I don’t think so” or “It’s a typical Japanese way of thinking”. For them the war was critical issue because Turkey accepted refugees from Palestine. On their mind, peace is the situation that people can live without warfare.

Today I’d like to share with you our thought of “war and peace” based on our experiences. And also I would like to know about your opinion about