It is no exaggeration to say that Arashiyama is my home garden.
After all, several years ago, I spent 100 days a year photographing spring, summer, fall, and winter in Arashiyama.
I often go there on New Year's Day.
Today was no different.
I was lucky enough to be seated in a four-seater from Kyoto Station.
I was reading the February issue of the monthly magazine Sound Arguments, which went on sale yesterday.
It featured an interview between Ms. Sakurai and Mr. Oda at the beginning of the issue.
As I was reading, I almost cried.
Ms. Sakurai said, "I almost cried listening to it."
It is a must-read not only for the people of Japan but for people all over the world.
Recently, I have often left out reading the monthly magazine "Sound Arguments."
Japanese citizens who can read the printed word must buy this month's issue at their nearest bookstore and read it carefully during the New Year vacations.
The emphasis in the text other than the headline is mine.
Japan, Wake Up! Restore the Spirit of Public Service!
Kunio Oda, Special Professor at Reitaku University and former Air Force General, and journalist Yoshiko Sakurai
-Congratulations to Mr. Oda on winning the 38th "Sound Arguments Award."
The decision to award the prize was unanimous among the judges.
It is a happy thing to serve one's country.
Oda.
It is my responsibility as a former Self-Defense Force officer.
As I wrote in the Sankei Shimbun's "Sound Arguments" column the other day, in an international public opinion poll, the percentage of people who answered "yes" to the question, "If a war breaks out, would you fight for your country?" At 13.2%, it was by far the lowest among the 79 countries surveyed.
Lithuania, which came in second from the bottom, had more than 32%, more than double the percentage in Japan.
I am currently teaching security at a university, and what I say is very fresh in the minds of my students.
Although security is rarely discussed in public, the international situation surrounding Japan is severe, and students wonder if Japan is safe.
That is why they listen to my lectures with a twinkle in their eyes.
And after the lecture, students would come up to me and whisper, "I will fight if push comes to shove."
Sakurai.
They have to say that out loud (laughs).
Oda.
They can't say it out loud, can they?
Even in the middle of a lecture, I think it is normal for them to raise their hands and say, "Japan may be the last among 79 countries, but I am not! I think it is normal for them to say, "Japan may be the last among 79 countries, but I am not!
Even in the middle of a lecture, I think it's normal to raise your hand and say, "Japan may be out of the 79 countries, but I'm different!"
After all, there is a distortion of the language space peculiar to Japan.
After 35 years of fighting on the front lines of defense, it is my mission to break through these obstacles one by one.
Sakurai
It may be that we are not familiar with military affairs, but I think there is also the problem that the sense of national presence has become weak since the end of World War II.
The idea of giving one's life for one's country has been lost, and people have come to find the meaning of life in things as trivial as working hard for a company.
In postwar Japan, even looking at the Constitution, the state has no role to play.
The preamble of the Constitution states that the government does not have to do anything.
As for the military, which is the nation's foundation, Article 9, Paragraph 2 states that Japan shall not maintain land, naval, air, or other military forces, and the right of belligerency is not recognized.
The Constitution commands the nation to leave the protection of its citizens to the international community.
The foundation of the country after the war has been distorted.
Oda
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, said, "The most effective national defense is a well-educated citizenry."
I have served in the Self-Defense Forces for 35 years, and I understand this very well.
I am often asked what it is like to be educated in the Self-Defense Forces.
I say that it is the "revival of the public."
In school education and general society today, the "private" takes precedence, and the nation's and society's importance is neglected.
On the other hand, the first oath that Self-Defense Force personnel take when they put on their uniforms is the spirit of altruism, which states, "In the face of danger, do not be afraid to take risks.
They do their utmost to serve the people, even sometimes risking their own lives.
It is the exact opposite of the Japan Teachers Union's education.
It is what awakens the young people who join the Self-Defense Forces.
Japanese people are supposed to have a DNA of "altruism" rooted in ancient traditions, but it is sealed up in school education.
So we are trying to nip that DNA in the bud.
The sparkle in their eyes is different when they realize how happy and comfortable it is to serve others, society, and their country.
Look at the sparkle in the eyes of the SDF officers who go out on disaster relief missions.
Of course, there are some strange people among SDF personnel, but according to the "White Paper on Crime," the percentage of SDF personnel committing crimes is only about one-tenth of that of civilians.
The education of the JSDF is generally successful because it awakens the soul and DNA of the Japanese people, which had been suppressed until then.
The Taisho-born father who kept his promise to the country
Sakurai
I think it's beautiful.
Please give us some more concrete examples.
Oda.
When enlisted members first join the JASDF, they are taught to raise the flag in the morning and evening and "Take risks when we face things."
As for actual activities, the Air Self-Defense Force's Air Rescue Team's motto is "That others may live," and they are trained in various ways to do their best to save the lives of others.
What I found beautiful was when I served as a commander of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in Iraq for two years and eight months.
During my five years in Iraq, including my tenure, there was only one incident involving an SDF officer, and that was when an SDF officer was hit by another vehicle.
There were no scandals of any kind.
When the SDF withdrew from Iraq, there was a luncheon with the commanders of the multinational forces, and when I told them that the SDF actually had no military law or court-martial, they were all astonished.
When asked why there were no scandals, I answered, "It's the samurai spirit," Everyone was goggling in astonishment.
In fact, this is the result of nurturing the DNA that is inherent in the Japanese people.
Living for the sake of others is not something special; it is a natural part of being Japanese.
The great teacher Saicho also said, "Forgetting oneself and benefiting others is the ultimate compassion."
I would like to see this kind of thing taught in school education, but it can also provide this kind of education in the home.
If raised in such a home, they will become fine human beings.
Only about 20% of the students who enter the National Defense Academy firmly believe they will become a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in the future.
However, after four years of repeated instruction on "how happy it is to serve others and the nation," 80% of the students become SDF officers because they learn this through training and real-life experience.
It is not that they are special people who join the JSDF, nor that the JSDF's education is an ultra-right-wing education.
It is just that they are educated to become proper members of society, but that is all that is missing in the general community.
Sakurai.
You are correct that education that restores the public spirit is essential.
It must be paired with Fukuzawa Yukichi's words, "Rikkoku is private, not public."
The Self-Defense Forces is a public organization, but each Self-Defense Force officer must sacrifice their life to accomplish the mission as an individual; in other words, the unification of the private mind with the public mind will lead to the perpetuation of the nation.
The public consists of me, and I am also given a place and protected by the public.
People in the past must have been taught this at home through stories and other means.
For example, Masanari Kusunoki in "Taiheiki" devoted himself to the public and left his life story to posterity.
However, Masanari Kusunoki was no longer taught after the war, and such education is now overwhelmingly lacking.
Oda.
My parents were wartime factions, and I heard that soon after they got married, the Kure air raids in Hiroshima Prefecture destroyed all of my mother's dowry items. Still, in my parent's generation, the relationship between the state and the individual was natural. It's integrated.
Yasukuni Shrine is the symbol of that.
My father lost his younger brother, a pilot, in the war, and even though he was over 90 years old, he used to climb up the hill from Kudanshita station with a walking stick to visit Yasukuni Shrine.
My father did not understand what those who hated Yasukuni Shrine were thinking until the end.
For my father, the state and the individual were the same.
I believe that the ultimate desire of human beings is to fulfill their natural life.
It is only natural that those still alive should show their gratitude to those who have given up their desires and given their lives for the nation's sake.
When my father turned 90, he told me for the first time that he had built the battleship Yamato.
When I asked him why he had kept quiet about it, he replied, "Because I made a promise to my country. It's not long for me, either. I can talk to you now."
He said that because he had promised the government, he had not told me who was born after the war for a long time.
I was astonished.
Sakurai.
I am almost in tears listening to this.
This article continues.
2023/1/1 at Arashiyama
