Japan-US Relations... Where to Next?
a Invitations and Ultimatums (期待と最後通牒) film review
By Ron Andrews
As the roar of the F-15 dissipates into the salty air, and another plane streaks off out over the open sea, residents around Kadena Air Base [1], the US naval facility on the main island of Okinawa, are no doubt thinking once again of the role the bases play in their lives [2], and the larger US-Japan relationship the bases have helped define.
Taking up hectares of prime real estate and a source of both pride and scorn depending on who you ask, American military bases and soldiers stationed in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan are a constant reminder of the fragile but deep ties that have existed between the two countries since Japan's defeat and surrender in 1945.
A key part of the US's phalanx of over -- the official but probably conservative count of -- 700 military bases in over 130 countries worldwide [3] (not counting 6000+ bases in the US), the US military's ongoing presence in Japan for more than 60 years -- and Japanese citizens' reluctant but increasingly dispirited acceptance of what many consider an occupation of sorts -- keeps the topic of war and peace ever present in people's minds and newspaper headlines. The ongoing war and occupation in Iraq only adds more fuel to this volatile and complex mix.
The war in Iraq, or what has become *America's* war in Iraq, is touching people all over the globe, and people in Japan perhaps more so given the enduring presence of 50,000+ American troops [3] and the wartime mindset their presence brings. Since the Iraq War began, Prime Minister Koizumi has unconditionally supported George W. Bush and his neocon-inspired adventures, against the wishes of most Japanese citizens [4, 5, 6].
Be it talk of gutting the constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 [7], of bigger military budgets [8], of more debate and discussion on sending Japan's Self Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq and elsewhere; or as nationalist politicians quietly call for bigger and badder weapons [9] to counter the likes of North Korea and China, all amidst the continued US military presence, the Iraq War and so-called War on Terror have awakened in both peoples sleeping sentiments, desires and memories of national pride tempered now by caution and fear. Just as people in Japan live with the echoes of war, so also do Americans, in real time and on a much larger scale [10].
Now sixty years after WWII, how close are Japan and the US, and what happens to both peoples and governments when all become intertwined in something as far-reaching as the Iraq War? "Invitations and Ultimatums (期待と最後通牒) [Kitai to Saigotsuuchou]", a new bilingual film by Kyoto-based filmmaker and DAJ member Jenise Treuting, explores the theme of Japanese and Americans' perceptions and sentiments of the continuing war in Iraq and of each other by talking with people from both countries in their own lands.
Through an intermingling embrace of captivating music and images, "Invitations and Ultimatums" examines the interweaving of personal, cultural and national characteristics, how each level mirrors the others and feeds (and feeds off of) the others, and how this ultimately affects individual responsibility for one's national behavior. It's often said that a nation reflects the attitudes and sentiments of the people who comprise it. But it's important to also remember that, among other sources of vexation and inspiration, our national character is also a source of who WE are, resulting in a continuous feedback loop of dreams and hopes and directed futures. This film, by offering us a snapshot of attitudes and opinions of both peoples about each other and the ongoing conflict, is ultimately a reflection on modernity and the need for understanding our connections with each other, wherever we're from.
(posted in the November 2005 issue of the Democrats Abroad Japan WebNews [11])
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References:
[1] http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/kadena.htm
[2] http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/news/nn02-2005/nn20050218a1.htm
[3] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/21/MNGJ65OS4J1.DTL
[4] http://www.jca.apc.org/wsf_support/2004doc/WSFJapUSBaseRepoFinalAll.html
[5] http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/news/nn12-2004/nn20041210a1.htm
[6] http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/dec2003/japa-d16.shtml
[7] http://tinyurl.com/ygu6fx
[8] http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_37a.html
[9] http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GI09Dh03.html
[10] http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp
[11] http://dajwebnews.blogspot.com/
As the roar of the F-15 dissipates into the salty air, and another plane streaks off out over the open sea, residents around Kadena Air Base [1], the US naval facility on the main island of Okinawa, are no doubt thinking once again of the role the bases play in their lives [2], and the larger US-Japan relationship the bases have helped define.
Taking up hectares of prime real estate and a source of both pride and scorn depending on who you ask, American military bases and soldiers stationed in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan are a constant reminder of the fragile but deep ties that have existed between the two countries since Japan's defeat and surrender in 1945.
A key part of the US's phalanx of over -- the official but probably conservative count of -- 700 military bases in over 130 countries worldwide [3] (not counting 6000+ bases in the US), the US military's ongoing presence in Japan for more than 60 years -- and Japanese citizens' reluctant but increasingly dispirited acceptance of what many consider an occupation of sorts -- keeps the topic of war and peace ever present in people's minds and newspaper headlines. The ongoing war and occupation in Iraq only adds more fuel to this volatile and complex mix.
The war in Iraq, or what has become *America's* war in Iraq, is touching people all over the globe, and people in Japan perhaps more so given the enduring presence of 50,000+ American troops [3] and the wartime mindset their presence brings. Since the Iraq War began, Prime Minister Koizumi has unconditionally supported George W. Bush and his neocon-inspired adventures, against the wishes of most Japanese citizens [4, 5, 6].
Be it talk of gutting the constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 [7], of bigger military budgets [8], of more debate and discussion on sending Japan's Self Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq and elsewhere; or as nationalist politicians quietly call for bigger and badder weapons [9] to counter the likes of North Korea and China, all amidst the continued US military presence, the Iraq War and so-called War on Terror have awakened in both peoples sleeping sentiments, desires and memories of national pride tempered now by caution and fear. Just as people in Japan live with the echoes of war, so also do Americans, in real time and on a much larger scale [10].
Now sixty years after WWII, how close are Japan and the US, and what happens to both peoples and governments when all become intertwined in something as far-reaching as the Iraq War? "Invitations and Ultimatums (期待と最後通牒) [Kitai to Saigotsuuchou]", a new bilingual film by Kyoto-based filmmaker and DAJ member Jenise Treuting, explores the theme of Japanese and Americans' perceptions and sentiments of the continuing war in Iraq and of each other by talking with people from both countries in their own lands.
Through an intermingling embrace of captivating music and images, "Invitations and Ultimatums" examines the interweaving of personal, cultural and national characteristics, how each level mirrors the others and feeds (and feeds off of) the others, and how this ultimately affects individual responsibility for one's national behavior. It's often said that a nation reflects the attitudes and sentiments of the people who comprise it. But it's important to also remember that, among other sources of vexation and inspiration, our national character is also a source of who WE are, resulting in a continuous feedback loop of dreams and hopes and directed futures. This film, by offering us a snapshot of attitudes and opinions of both peoples about each other and the ongoing conflict, is ultimately a reflection on modernity and the need for understanding our connections with each other, wherever we're from.
(posted in the November 2005 issue of the Democrats Abroad Japan WebNews [11])
- - - - - - - - -
References:
[1] http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/kadena.htm
[2] http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/news/nn02-2005/nn20050218a1.htm
[3] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/21/MNGJ65OS4J1.DTL
[4] http://www.jca.apc.org/wsf_support/2004doc/WSFJapUSBaseRepoFinalAll.html
[5] http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/news/nn12-2004/nn20041210a1.htm
[6] http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/dec2003/japa-d16.shtml
[7] http://tinyurl.com/ygu6fx
[8] http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_37a.html
[9] http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GI09Dh03.html
[10] http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp
[11] http://dajwebnews.blogspot.com/
