The following is from Masayuki Takayama's column in the latter part of today's issue of Shukan Shincho.
This article also proves that he is the one and only journalist in the postwar world.
This article also proves that no one else deserves the Nobel Prize for Literature or Peace except him.
It is a must-read not only for the Japanese people but for people worldwide.
Peace with no hassles
I flew to Yonaguni Island on the spur of the moment.
The western edge of Japan.
I could see Taiwan in the distance.
When I arrived at the airport and looked around the rental car shop to see what was happening around Taiwan, I found all the rental cars were already booked.
In fact, there are only two cabs on the island.
You need to make a reservation a month in advance to get one.
It was not a place I could go "the spur of the moment."
It started to rain.
The owner told me to use her car while we were taking shelter from the rain at a store.
She didn't even know where I was from.
The islanders were so kind to us.
As we drove away, dozens of Yonaguni horses were blocking our way.
It was so peaceful.
As we approached, the horses kindly opened the way for us.
In the past, these horses were used for farming.
But as farm work became mechanized, they were no longer used.
But instead of being turned into horse meat, they were given a way to live freely.
The islanders were kind not only to the person of doubtful origin but also to the horses.
The only living area for the horses was around the Self-Defense Forces camp.
A paving stone with a 10 cm wide slit blocks the horses from going anywhere else.
Horses would never cross the paving stones because their legs might get caught in the gaps.
It is called the Texas Gate.
The westernmost cape of Japan is at the end of the horse manure road.
The rain had stopped, and we could see the mountains of Hualien, Taiwan, to the west.
The distance between the two is 110 km.
If there were an emergency in Taiwan, we could see it from here.
"No, there was no distance between us and Taiwan regarding national defense until a short time ago. If there had been a war, this would have been a battlefield," said Kenichi Itokazu, mayor of the town.
An explanation is needed.
The sea surrounds Japan.
Twelve nautical miles from the coast is the territorial sea.
Outside of that, a 12-nautical-mile contiguous zone is off-limits to anyone with malicious intent toward Japan.
The same applies to the skies.
The airspace is above the territorial sea, but there is no reason enemy aircraft flying at high speed should be allowed to fly that close.
The other day, a Chinese Air Force plane deliberately violated the airspace of Nagasaki Prefecture, a criminal act that showed complete disregard for Japan.
No decent country, except China, would attempt to violate the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) set between it and other countries.
If they enter without permission, they cannot complain, even if they are shot down.
However, Yonaguni did not have an exclusion line, which is a matter of course.
After the war, the U.S. military took Taiwan and Okinawa.
When the air defense identification zone was set up, it was managed collectively, with U.S. Forces Naha in charge of the eastern side and Taipei in charge of the western half, bordering the 123rd parallel of east longitude.
When Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972, Japan also took over the eastern air defense identification zone.
However, the 123-degree dividing line "passed over Yonaguni Island, and no one paid attention to it" (Mayor Itokazu).
As a result, the western two-thirds of the island's sky remained within Taiwan's air defense identification circle.
Planes approaching Yonaguni Airport continued to be in a situation where they could not complain if the Taiwanese shot them down.
When they realized this, they should have immediately negotiated with Taiwan.
The air defense identification zone is usually drawn between two countries.
The zone with Taiwan is 110 kilometers, so it should be redrawn to 55 kilometers.
However, it was only 20 years ago that we realized this.
If Japan negotiates with Taipei, the PRC's female spokesperson is likely to say brusquely, "Taiwan is a part of the PRC" and "Taiwan must not be treated as a country."
Neither Asahi, Nikai, nor Komeito's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs were concerned about this and never held any negotiations.
Seeing this, President Lee Teng-hui must have considered it.
A Diet member who visited Taiwan saw that "when he looked at Taiwan's air traffic control chart, the air defense identification zone had been redrawn 12 nautical miles west of Yonaguni.
So, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism was relieved.
Although it was not a proper air defense identification zone, they thought they had settled it.
They forgot that they were dealing with China.
The idiot Asahi says, "Japan was at peace after the war thanks to the MacArthur Constitution."
In reality, Megumi and others were abducted, but Japan did not take them back, saying, "Peace is important."
It is "peace with no hassles."
Now, they are unwilling to discuss even the air defense identification circle in the face of the Taiwan contingency.
They are willing to abandon the people of Yonaguni.
Even if that happens, will they still say "peace as a whole"?
2024/8/26 in Onomichi
