This is a discussion organized by Japan's NHK television station: Japan simply lacks the capability to militarize.
Yesterday, NHK invited several experts to hold an in-depth discussion titled “どうなる？エネルギーと日本経済、石油確保は？物価高は？” (Translation: What will happen to Japan's energy and economy? How to secure oil and reduce rising prices?).
This discussion was relatively substantive. By comparing Japan’s economic situation during the first oil crisis with the current one, they concluded that what is now more serious for Japan than the oil crisis itself is that, after finally catching up with inflation, average wage growth has once again been overtaken and pushed down.
At this point, you should already understand the focus of this discussion: Japan’s living costs and livelihood issues. NHK’s conclusion is that regardless of how much people exaggerate the impact, the oil crisis inevitably causes massive price spikes in Japan. Fuel prices, electricity bills, and other essentials rise first, followed by widespread increases in packaging materials, manufacturing, logistics, retail stores, and so on—ultimately driving up consumer spending and triggering a vicious cycle.
This round of price hikes carries a lag effect—the full impact hasn’t yet fully surfaced in many sectors. Therefore, they are highly dissatisfied with Japan’s current strategy toward militarization, arguing that Japan currently has no capacity for militarization; if people can’t even afford food, what use is military expansion?
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864849888825547/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.