Editorial: On the 81st anniversary of the end of WWII, resist the folly of power

As the world commemorates the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, there is a stark reminder to resist the dangers of unchecked power. Mitsuko Sakamoto, an 87-year-old former teacher in Tokyo, was reminded of her own harrowing experiences during the Great Tokyo Air Raid on March 10, 1945. She vividly recalls fleeing her home with a tag bearing her name and blood type, and the haunting memory of a baby's cry, as her own mother covered the child, evidently trying to protect it.

The poet Zeina Azzam's poignant words resonate deeply with Sakamoto's memories. The poem describes a girl in Gaza asking her mother to inscribe her name on her leg with a permanent marker, so that even if she is killed by an airstrike, she can be identified. Sakamoto's own leg bears burn scars from the war, a poignant reminder of the indiscriminate nature of war that continues to this day.

The air raids in Tokyo in 1945 exacted a heavy toll, with an estimated 100,000 people killed in a single night. The U.S. military, under the command of Curtis LeMay who later led airstrikes during the Vietnam War, boasted of "bombing them back to the stone age." The same rhetoric was echoed by U.S. President Donald Trump when he attacked Iran this year. Despite advancements in warfare, civilian casualties continue to occur, with an erroneous strike on a school in the Iran conflict resulting in the deaths of many children.

The world, over the past 81 years, has seen an alarming disregard for the lessons of history, where force is once again running rampant. Great powers, notably the U.S. and Russia, continue to engage in destructive conflicts, with neither showing signs of abating. The U.S. has escalated its military presence, while Russia persists in its invasion of Ukraine, despite heavy losses and fuel shortages. The U.S., too, expanded the battlefield during the Vietnam War, prolonging the conflict and ultimately paying a heavy price.

The world now finds itself at a crossroads, with nations vying for military supremacy. Japan, in particular, is caught in a web of pressures from both China and Russia, and is being pushed by Washington to bolster its defense capabilities. The administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is positioning the defense industry as an engine of growth, but there is a risk that such measures could be used to surveil the Japanese public.

Gen Nogami, a professor at Waseda University, draws parallels between Japan's post-war memory and the events leading up to the war in the 1930s. He warns that while Japan tends to focus on its role as a victim of the Pacific War, there are crucial lessons to be learned from the decade before the war, a time when many opportunities for peaceful resolution were missed.

As the world stands at a critical juncture, it is imperative to resist the folly of power and to carefully consider all options, lest we repeat the mistakes of the past. Security is a concern that affects every citizen, and the practice of democracy, fostering mutual understanding and consensus, is more vital than ever. History should guide us in resisting the temptation to resort to force.