The Five Former Hostages
The most controversial issue now in Japan is about the five Japanese who had been abducted and were recently released in Iraq. Some people think they did nothing wrong and should not be blamed; others argue that they should have expected such a situation to occur and that they shouldn’t have visited Iraq ignoring the warning issued by the Foreign Ministry.
My parents take the latter side and I’m a little bit influenced by their opinion, though I’m far from an extremist. I admit that the former hostages were brave and admirable for doing what they thought was the right thing. That’s because many Japanese are sorry for the Iraqi people but most of them (I guess) don’t know what they can do or don’t have the courage to do something to make a difference.
They, however, went to Iraq on their own responsibility. The Foreign Ministry had already warned people not to go there. The reason is simple: it’s dangerous in Iraq and we don’t want any Japanese victims (and victims of other nationalities, of course).
The Japanese media seem to be severe on the five Japanese and some of their families. Perhaps the families didn’t expect this situation. They may have thought that all the Japanese people would sympathize with them and share their joy once the hostages were released. A lot of Japanese, including me, actually did so, but this event left a bitter controversy in Japan.
Anyway, it’s a pity that the people concerned cannot publicly express their joy of returning safely and meeting their families again.
Comments
Ummm…this is a very difficult topic. Many people think that jieitai, the Japanese Self-defense Forces (I do not like this expression ‘forces’), should have withdrawn from Iraq, but I think they did not have to because they are not an army. If they had come back to Japan, people in the world would have thought that Japan admited jieitai was THE army, I think.
But would the prime minister have made the same decision if his family members had been in Iraq …
But I cannnot blame him because he is in charge of Japan itself. He must have been in a tight spot.
Oh, how difficult this issue is!
I read about the French article, too. Also, Colin Powell, the secretary of state of the U.S. said in an interview that Japan should be proud of the former hostages for taking action toward peace. I understand their ideas well.
I also think the Japanese media have gone too far. They revealed the former hostages’ personal histories, especially socially unacceptable ones. These histories bear no relation to their present situation. The media seem to be trying to fan the readers’ distrust or disapproving feelings toward the five Japanese. Without the fanning by media, most Japanese would be less critical about the former hostages.
kevin :: April 22, 2004
The Foreign Ministry had already warned people not to go there. The reason is simple: it’s dangerous in Iraq and we don’t want any Japanese victims
I think this is only half true. Yes, they don’t want any victims, but I think it is not because they care so much about the people, as it is they don’t want to have responsibility.
Now I hear they are trying to pass some new policy that offically says the SDF wont go help get anyone out. If this passes it will sure be a load off the politicians’ minds. Then they won’t have to care if “crazy” Japanese people who actually care and do things to help others go to Iraq, or some other country. If the citizens get in trouble, the politicians will not be put into a sticky situation. They can simply say, “Sorry, we really *want* to send the SDF to help them, but our hands are tied by these regulations … too bad, ne?”
UltraBob :: April 30, 2004
I consider the protection of citizens around the world one of the duties of government, and one of the reasons people pay taxes. I think the hostages had a responsibility to take every precaution while in Iraq to ensure their own safety while still being able to complete their objectives. I feel confident that they did so, no one wants to be a hostage. After they were abducted I think it was the governments duty to step in and help.
Now they want to bill them (for the flight home was it) I’m sure their families would have happily paid to fly them home anyway, I kind of doubt it was the hostages who hired a charter flight back to Japan, and said “bill it to the government”, the Japanese government decided to fly them back, and to bill them afterwards stinks of a government trying to shirk future duties.
graham :: May 4, 2004
Firstly, I would like to say that I’m very glad those hostages are home safe and well. I don’t care whether they wore anti-war T-shirts or not. I think many right wingers in Japan are embaressed by it. This is a new experience for many Japanese, to have hostages held in a country with which Japan is actively supporting one side in an ongoing ‘situation’.
Japan needs to be aware that they ARE supporting the ongoing occupation of Iraq, and that there is no such thing as a ‘non-combat soldier’. If that was true, they’d send engineers and bureaucrats ( I’d love to see Ishihara building water systems out there).
This is a media just reacting without any frame of reference. These people were not ‘human shields’, they were people attempting to help and explain a far flung crisis. They are more akin to aid workers than human shields (people who I really do believe are not living anywhere close to reality).
The fact is, they were maybe a little nieve, but that’s not (yet) a crime, and what do you expect in a country which still frowns on any attempts to help others outside the group - ask anyone who tries to support the homeless in Tokyo. Oh , I forgot, there aren’t any homeless people in Tokyo, are there. At least not in the newspapers).
Bottom line: give these people a break, and prepare a little more compassion for when the next Japanese bodybag comes back to Narita.
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I understand your opinion well, but I take the former side rather than your family’s view. It is because, as you say, people including me cannot do anything for the Iraqi people even though we want to do something helpful for Iraq, and indeed some people are too concerned about their own country and its people, ignoring the situation in Iraq, I think. But the five people did take action to reconstruct Iraq and help the people, which is so brave and admirable.
Some of them are journalists, and without them, we can’t know the particular situation of Iraq. They were trying to report the real Iraq and real Iraqi people, and we know about Iraq now.
Also, today I read a newspaper article about a newspaper in France. According to the article, one of the French newspaper admires the fact that there are some Japanese people who went to Iraq in order to help and support the Iraqi people. Thanks to them, Japan’s international has improved, I think.