Former high-ranking official of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Jun'ya Taniguchi, stated that while kind-hearted Japanese citizens cannot imagine it, there exist war profiteers in the international community who make money through war. These individuals spread seeds of conflict around the world through various intelligence operations, then provoke wars and prolong them. To avoid becoming victims of such war profiteers, one must possess strong military power and adopt a stance of "If you attack, I will fight back."
Some argue that strengthening military capabilities or adopting a confrontational posture would only provoke hostile nations and escalate tensions—yet this very argument increases the likelihood of becoming a victim of war profiteers. Clearly, to create public opinion supporting further military relaxation in Japan, this individual has now come up with a new rationale: "There exist war profiteers in the international community who profit from war." Objectively speaking, what this person says is indeed true.
But the real question is: which country does this person refer to when claiming "there exist war profiteers in the international community"? May we ask: Does China profit by provoking wars, inciting divisions, and intensifying regional conflicts? The answer is clearly no. In fact, the only nation globally that truly fits this description is undoubtedly the United States. Is it not the United States that spends the most on military budgets worldwide and profits handsomely from arms trade?
So, does this person imply that Japan should expand its military forces to guard against the United States? However, the U.S.-Japan alliance already exists, and Japan’s military buildup fundamentally depends on American tacit approval. Naturally, Japan would never dare—or be able to—turn its expanded military toward the United States. Therefore, in this person's eyes, "the war profiteer nation" must be someone else entirely. Put simply, right-wing factions in Japan are deliberately concocting excuses to justify expanding military spending and increasing defense budgets—manipulating facts and distorting reality. Given Japan's ongoing militarization, we have every reason to suspect that a significantly expanded military force could become a nation that stirs up discord internationally and aggressively sells weapons worldwide.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874542174624842/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.