The ultimate sacrifice: Pacifist sets himself on fire in protest at Japan's military plans
Source: Sunday Express
The ultimate sacrifice: Pacifist sets himself on fire in protest at Japan's military plans
A PACIFIST set himself on fire in Tokyo in protest at plans to expand Japan's military.
By: Cyrus Engineer
Published: Sun, June 29, 2014
Police say the middle-aged man covered himself in petrol and set himself alight outside a train station in the capital's busy shopping district of Shinjuku.
The man is currently in hospital with serious burns after being extinguished by firefighters soon after his extraordinary act.
Before his self-immolation the man used a megaphone to vent his anger at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's desire to reinterpret Japan's strict pacifist constitution.
Opponents claim the move renounces Article 9 of the Japanese constitution which was introduced in the wake of World War Two.
The clause outlaws war as a method of settling international dispute and prohibits large-scale armed forces with "war potential".
Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/485686/The-ultimate-sacrifice-Pacifist-sets-himself-on-fire-in-protest-at-Japan-s-military-plans?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-world-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+World+Feed%29
7962
(11,841 posts)Or leave it ALL to the US? They have proven over the years that they can be trusted to have a reasonable self defense force. China is claiming land all over SE Asia.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Abe is a right-wing neocon.
Abe can not be trusted with a "reasonable self defense force" any more than Bush could be trusted as commander in chief of the US military.
Were you out protesting the Iraq War, or were you cheering Bush on?
Did you fall for the lies told by his administration?
7962
(11,841 posts)To me, this has nothing to do with "neocon policies". Japan has a real threat. China IS claiming property that is recognized by the UN as being Japan. I dont see a problem with them taking on more of the burden of their own defense. We've been paying for it since WW2, so why not let them pick up a little bigger piece? Like it or not, in this world if you do nothing you get walked on.
And to my first statement, I dont think its an accident that we never see Bush with Cheney since they left office. I think he knows he was lied to, but keeps quiet. Colin Powell has let it be known they were lied to. And today we see the wonderful results
rpannier
(24,304 posts)1. The Chinese are building up their military
2. There has been calls in the US to scale down US military presence in Japan
3. The Chinese have been extremely provocative for more than a decade
4. The Chinese are claiming territory that belongs to Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, etc. (Hell, they're claiming one-third of Korea as a historic Chinese province)
If you're afraid Abe is going to get away with it, blame the Chinese. Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc are cheering the Japanese on
freshwest
(53,661 posts)rpannier
(24,304 posts)Philippines backs rearming of Japan
The Philippines would strongly support a rearmed Japan shorn of its pacifist constitution as a counterweight to the growing military assertiveness of China, according to the Philippine ¬foreign minister.
We would welcome that very much, Albert del Rosario told the Financial Times in an interview. We are looking for balancing factors in the region and Japan could be a significant balancing factor.
The unusual statement, which risks upsetting Beijing, reflects alarm in Manila at what it sees as Chinese provocation over the South China Sea, virtually all of which is claimed by Beijing.
snip
In July, Japan and the Philippines signed a five-year agreement to strengthen military co-operation though exchanges of personnel and technology. Japan is providing 12 new patrol ships for the Philippine coast guard, financed with a combination of soft loans and foreign aid grants.
link:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/250430bc-41ba-11e2-a8c3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz366FZShZe
China U-turn on Vietnam charm offensive
snip
But six months on, relations are again on the rocks following a decision by China to move an oil rig to disputed waters near the Paracel Islands an action the US described as provocative. Vietnam protested loudly and sent dozens of ships to the area, where they were then involved in clashes with Chinese vessels
snip
Vietnam, which lost the Paracels to China in a brief war in 1974, has in recent years edged a little closer to the US to balance ties with Beijing. Illustrating that shift, Leon Panetta in 2012 became the first Pentagon chief in three decades to visit Cam Ranh Bay a key port for US ships during the Vietnam war.
Snip
Mr Ross said China may also be angry that Vietnam in December asked Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, if Japan could provide patrol boats a request that the Japanese foreign ministry said Tokyo was still considering.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)This could be a good thing for all involved. Japan's technological prowess and the biodiversity of these other nations, all working together as a team.
And it's things like this is why the USA keeps on getting called in to work with these countries. I'd say, 'if only the Chinese would leave well enough alone,' but they obviously feel they need more land for themselves.
A peaceful balance would be best, but this may be inevitable with the growth of population. Our national memories, some of us at least who are not curently related to people in those regions, is confined to history.
It appears they've moved beyond the antagonisms of the past which is good. This may not turn out as badly as some suggest.
Thanks again, this is so much more info than we get here usually.
Bickle
(109 posts)With strong ties to Japan's batshit right. That's why he visits the temple to the war criminals, because he believes in the restoration if the empire. The populace does not, and it's a source of endless frustration to him. He desperately wants to blow up North Korea and flex his muscles. The only difference is that it's far harder for him to get this done in their government
ECHOFIELDS
(25 posts)ABE is Japan's Dick Cheney but doesn't sneer as much, at least not in public
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Bickle
(109 posts)Japan is a parliamentary system, and right now with the economy, their "neocon" platform is appealing to many people, as tends to happen in such a situation.
I guarantee you that it will effect many people, but pushback against Abe will be quiet, even if eventually effective. Japanese people are raised in a culture of respect for authority and procedure, and much is situated around saving face. In order to get the kind of reaction you are implying, he'd pretty much actively gave to be thing to start a war. This is not the first tine he's tried this sort of thing, but certainly one of his more aggressive pushes. Abe doesn't have quite the allies he once did, and frankly, I believe the single best way if defusing him is taking out
North Korea. But doing it not in a traditional military campaign manner. It has to cut the head off the military and leave the body with a strong follow up to integrate
Korea.
This will take most of the wind out of Abe's sails, and more importantly is the kind of action tat the whole world can get behind. Once China decides NK is SIMOKY more trouble than they're worth, a day soon coming, it'll happen in fast order
ninjanurse
(92 posts)Don't glorify violence to the self. There has been too much of this self-destruction over the decades since Vietnam. The ultimate commitment is to stay alive and strong and work every day for peace.
enlightenment
(8,830 posts)Not the OP's.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Self-immolation refers to killing oneself as a sacrifice. While usage since the 1960s has typically referred only to setting oneself on fire, the term historically refers to a much wider range of suicidal options, such as leaping off a cliff, starvation, or seppuku (ritual disembowelling) . Self-immolation is often used as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest.
<snip>
freshwest
(53,661 posts)bananas
(27,509 posts)Warning, it is graphic.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1017
truthisfreedom
(23,113 posts)industry_
(33 posts)Pretty much every English-language news source makes it very clear that this was an act of protest against Abe's military policy. Local (Japanese-language) media, however, seems far more keen on either ignoring it altogether (NHK's 7 o'clock evening news last night and this morning's news made absolutely ZERO mention of it), or obfuscating the details (one show I watched last night said that "the man said something and then lit himself on fire" . Any mention of the protest angle either got immediately sidestepped into a totally off-topic follow-up question (an eyewitness being interviewed brought up the protest, and the follow-up question from the anchor was "It sure was crowded in Shinjuku today, wasn't it??" or discarded while playing up the crazy angle, implying that he was just seeking attention so he could have a bigger audience for his self-immolation.
bananas
(27,509 posts)He even used a megaphone to get his message out.
Thanks for the report.
JohnnyRingo
(18,581 posts)Since no one in their right mind does such a thing, it's not a protest, but a desperate cry for help. I'll guarantee he'll be in the mental ward after he heals some, as well he should.
Noble cause, ignoble act.
PeteSelman
(1,508 posts)I'm sure they're going to halt their plans now. I've always thought this was a ridiculous form of "protest".
rpannier
(24,304 posts)or rather,
the former Tunisian Government
When Mohamed Bouazizi set himself alight, on Dec. 17, 2010, he sparked flames far greater than the ones that would ultimately kill him. The Tunisian man, an unemployed college graduate with children to feed, had tried to find work hawking vegetables, but was thwarted by police, who insulted him and confiscated his cart. His appeals of protest were ignored so, in a grisly act of protest and anguish, Bouazizi doused himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze.
The act of self-immolation not only triggered the political crisis in Tunisia, which ousted the president on January 14, 2011, it has led to a series of protests and overthrown governments in the Middle East. It also inspired copycat self-immolations across North Africa.