The fight to build Japan’s military is just beginning

A survey found 51% support for boosting the armed forces. (Image: Bloomberg)

Sun, 18 Dec 2022

By Gearoid Reidy Monks at Kyoto’s Kiyomizu Temple this week announced the Japanese public’s choice for the kanji character that best represents the year 2022. In a narrow vote, the winning character was 戦, pronounced sen or ikusa and meaning battle — or war.It’s an appropriate choice not just because of the conflict in Ukraine, the threat of a missile barrage from North Korea and the other stories that have defined the year: it comes just as the country is starting to take seriously the idea of fighting for itself....

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