A week after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, I flew over the Tohoku region. Looking down at the devastated area with a stunned eye, scenes of horror of another "11" flashed through my mind. I am talking about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States where I happened to be 10 years ago.
A week after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, I flew over the Tohoku region. Looking down at the devastated area with a stunned eye, scenes of horror of another "11" flashed through my mind. I am talking about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States where I happened to be 10 years ago.
Passenger jets hijacked by terrorists flew into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York. It is hard for anyone to forget how the world's tallest buildings were reduced to rubble. I was also speechless when I visited the site two weeks later and saw the remains of the buildings covered in thick ash. I remember a nasty smell was still wafting in the air.
The two disasters are completely different in the sense that one was an act of terrorism and the other natural. But the two are similar in the way of sending shock waves across the world through aired video footage of horrible scenes which appeared to be computer graphics.
Both events became turning points in history, causing the world to change in some ways.
The 9/11 incident spread the horror of terrorism by Islamic extremists and Samuel Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" attracted public attention. Behind the trend was the strain of U.S.-centered globalization. However, the United States was engulfed in a frenzy of patriotism overnight. President George W. Bush excitedly called the situation "a war" and went so far as to attack not only Afghanistan but also Iraq.
By contrast, Japanese reaction to the 3/11 disaster was calm. But the shock gradually grew, changing its nature in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. I am referring to the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The natural disaster crippled various parts of the plant, spreading fear of radioactive contamination. People are getting increasingly frustrated at the failure of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant's operator, and the government to properly deal with the emergency. The images of the broken plant must be spreading the terror of invisible radioactivity throughout the world.
The Chinese newspaper "Global Times" reported that such an accident could happen in Japan, a country with highly advanced technology, is a warning against all humankind. The accident shattered the safety myth of nuclear power plants. But the seriousness of the problem does not stop there. At a time when the reduction of carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming is an unavoidable challenge for human society, the world was re-evaluating nuclear power as a source of clean energy. But we have yet to develop other energy sources to replace it.
In particular, in India and China, which are undergoing rapid economic growth to support their huge populations, there are ongoing plans to build a large number of nuclear power plants. As the Fukushima accident has already prompted many countries to reconsider their projects, we have to expedite development of new energy sources and innovation of energy-saving technologies. The situation will also press us to re-examine values.
When we compare 9/11 and 3/11, the latter may have a graver impact not only on Japan but also on the world as a whole. Former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda also shares such a view. As chief Cabinet secretary in the administration of Junichiro Koizumi, Fukuda strongly felt the weight of 9/11. But the latest disaster transcends the "clash of civilizations" and affects civilizations of all people, Fukuda said.
Japan had openly declared that its nuclear power plants are "the safest in the world." The self-esteem was based on its experience of undergoing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But it dug its own grave because it underestimated possible damage a giant tsunami could cause to nuclear power plants and failed to take effective safeguard measures. What ironic fate of history!
At the same time, it can also be said that the disaster prompted Japan to be the first to radically change its perception of energy policy. Thus, I believe 3/11 will also go down in history as an epoch-making event that affected civilization in the early 21st century.
Be that as it may, what is going to happen to Japan?
Reconstruction of the stricken areas is not easy. Even if the worst-case scenario can be avoided, it will take many years for areas surrounding the Fukushima plant to recover from radioactive pollution. What about farming and fishing? A chronic power shortage will inevitably deal a blow to industries. The ongoing economic slump is expected to get even more serious and there is growing concern that government finance, already saddled with huge debts, could go under.
Anxieties for over-concentration on Tokyo are also rising. If Tokyo is directly hit by an inland earthquake or a massive Tokai earthquake, confusion would be immeasurable. All of these scenarios make us cringe.
I want to believe in the power of Japan, which rebuilt itself from the aftermath of World War II. But as it was under the occupation of the Allied Forces back then, Japan could make a fresh start and implement radical reforms. Thanks to the baby boom, the population rapidly grew. The circumstances are completely different today.
Compared with the seriousness of the situation, Japanese politics is too weak. Prime ministers changed one after another without demonstrating strong leadership. Although the Democratic Party of Japan took over the administration, with its incompetence and intra-party strife, it betrayed public expectations. As an opposition party, the Liberal Democratic Party has taken advantage of the twisted Diet in which the two houses are controlled by ruling and opposition camps, respectively, to oust Cabinet ministers one after another and seems content to enfeeble the administration. But it is none other than our society, which is to blame for tolerating such deplorable politics.
As Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces mounting discontent and criticism for failing to deal with the crisis, the idea of a grand coalition between the DPJ and the LDP is getting increasingly realistic. Unlike 9/11, no one is calling for war. We are also grateful for the support of international society. Still, as long as Japan is in a state of warlike emergency, a drastic decision should be made to establish political stability.
It is time for both politicians and society to awaken to the real weight of politics. I want the prime minister and leaders of both ruling and opposition parties to keep an open mind and seriously think what is best for Japan. The only way to make weak politics stronger is for all of us to get together and put our all into tackling the crisis. Otherwise, there is no hope for post-3/11 Japan.
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Yoshibumi Wakamiya is an Asahi Shimbun columnist.