Talk about living in a glass house. I have a couple of questions for Kenzaburo Sugai (Jan. 1 letter, "What drives a war-loving culture?"):
(1) If America is such a "war-loving" culture, then how was Japan and Germany able to develop into two of the most affluent, free and powerful nations in history? A "war-loving" America would have never allowed Japan and Germany to rebuild after World War II; a peace-loving America did allow that.
(2) How much has Japan and Germany paid in their own money and blood to protect their freedom and way of life during the past 66 years? It's easy to love peace if someone else is defending it.
Speaking of peace, what about Iran?
It seems that Sugai ignores the fact that Japan is doing business with a nation that is openly trying to build a nuclear bomb and eliminate Israel from the face of the earth. Does Sugai believe that it's OK for Iran to develop and use nuclear weapons, but that America is evil because it dropped two atom bombs on Japan?
The fact that hundreds of thousands of Americans died for the future that Sugai now enjoys is more than disturbing. Perhaps it's time for America to pull its armed forces out of Asia and let the Japanese fend for themselves.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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