"Does Prime Minister Kishida intend to launch a war?" - An unanswered letter from a Japanese elementary school student | Direction | Launch War in Japan
"Why increase defense costs?" "Why do the Self Defense Forces attack in addition to defending the country?" "Are you planning to launch a war?"
August 15th is the anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender. The full text of a letter written by Japanese elementary school students to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over six months ago was published in the daily news of Japan. The above question was raised in the letter, and many Japanese citizens also have the same doubts and confusion.
On February 1st of this year, 32 elementary school students from Class 2, Grade 6, Wako Elementary School, Setagaya ku, Tokyo, wrote and sent this letter in first person to the address of the Prime Minister's Mansion, addressed to Fumio Kishida.
At the beginning of the letter, the students explained the reason for writing: "Through social classes and comprehensive learning, I learned about Okinawa and war. I thought war was a long time ago, but now I realize that there are still people suffering, and this is a problem that continues to this day. I think war is terrible and absolutely cannot be fought, but I learned from the news that we need to increase defense costs. So I want to ask Prime Minister Kishida for advice and also share our thoughts with you."
The main text of the letter is filled with question marks one after another: "Why increase military spending?" "Why build a base?" "Why did the Self Defense Force, which used to be defensive, now become offensive?"
Heguang Elementary School began conducting peace education activities in 1987. 6th grade students spend one year studying Okinawa history, culture, and social issues, and take advantage of study tours to learn about relevant situations in Okinawa.
"During my study tour in Okinawa, I learned about the brutality of war and understood that war must never be waged."
In World War II, the battle between the US and Japanese armies over Okinawa broke out in March 1945, lasting for 90 days. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and caused about a quarter of Okinawa's residents to die. Japanese media once cited insider information disclosed by survivors, stating that the Japanese army had encouraged local residents to commit suicide and provided them with grenades for suicide.
The students wrote their own thoughts in the letter: "Please strengthen your awareness of peace, think for the people, and guide the government to develop in a good direction." "Please respect national sovereignty, and in this way, Japanese sovereignty will be in vain." "Are you willing to sacrifice your life to fight? Please do not involve the people." "It is strange for countries with a peaceful constitution to pick up weapons. I believe that the money spent on purchasing weapons and expanding military power should be used for the cause of peace."
Unfortunately, students who are eager for answers have not received a response from Kishida.
According to the Daily News, Kishida mentioned this letter when answering media questions on February 24th. He claimed, "It's difficult to reply one by one. Regarding security policies, we will strive to gain national understanding."
On March 6th, the homeroom teacher conveyed Kishida's above statement to the students. The students believed that the questions they mentioned in the letter had not been answered, so they immediately sent a second letter to Kishida, hoping that he could answer clearly. However, after the second letter was sent, it still sank into the sea.
The Daily News recently interviewed these students who wrote letters, and their confusion still lingers in their hearts. One of the students said, "Even though there are many opposing voices, why insist on increasing defense fees? Is this really for the sake of the people? I really want to hear Prime Minister Kishida's thoughts directly."
Since the end of last year, the Kishida government has broken multiple taboos, effectively disregarding the peace constitution and achieving military relaxation. The new militaristic trend of Japan not only causes panic and unease among the Japanese people, but also exacerbates the vigilance and concerns of neighboring Asian countries and the international community about Japan's future development direction.