Hostage Ordeal Raises Doubts

The Japanese breathed a collective sigh of relief and jubilation on Wednesday over the release of hostages at their ambassador’s residence in Peru, but their relief only sharpened a question that has been lurking in the back of their minds for some time now: In adamantly advocating peaceful responses to violent provocations, is Japan only inviting terrorists to think of it as easy prey?

The violent raid with which Peruvian soldiers freed more than 70 hostages on on Tuesday scraped against the moral tablet that many Japanese have held sacred since the end of World War II - a renunciation of using force even when dealing with dangerous adversaries. This is an increasingly uncertain time for Japan, with Chinese influence rising and the North Korean regime in increasingly desperate straits.

The successful military raid ordered by Peru’s president, Alberto Fujimori, who is himself descended from Japanese immigrants, is certainly not about to spark an overall rejection of Japan’s peaceful world view, but nods of approval have poured in from all corners of society.