The American historian Brooks Adams (1848-1927) defined history as "just one goddamn thing after another." Though it is a century old, Adams' aphorism is a spot-on characterization of the most recent events surrounding Japan.
Last month I was in Sydney as debates about the ban on commercial whaling were flaring at an annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission being held in Ulsan, South Korea. The Australian media was awash with vituperation, with Japanese people being denounced on air as "whale murderers" and, for good measure, "dolphin bashers." Some talk-show hosts and guests suggested severing all trade and diplomatic relations with Japan -- a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face if there ever was one. (Curiously, for reasons that may or may not be racially tinged, opposition to whaling by Norway and Iceland is never quite as pointed.)
Meanwhile, an armed Taiwanese frigate was sailing toward Japanese waters with the defense minister and speaker of parliament on board. A Taiwanese fisherman was quoted in The Japan Times (June 22) as saying, "It's good to see it's finally our turn to scare the Japanese. They have always bullied us . . . "