Bayer Corp. Noon Briefing Series conducted by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Traditionally, Japan has sought to insulate its economy, but that won't help solve its problems. D.C. Green said the situation in Japan today resembles what it was in the 1920s and 1930s, when the nation turned to militarism as an answer for internal problems. The result was an invasion of China and an attack on the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Pacifism is deeply, deeply ingrained in the Japanese psyche.
The generation that led Japan out of World War II and established an essentially nonmilitarized society, however, is passing away and younger leaders want Japan to be more assertive in its own defense and in world affairs. As China rises as a dominant power in Asia, diplomatic relations between China and Japan have soured. Japan has protested China's testing of nuclear weapons. In late March, when North Korean spy vessels ventured into Japanese waters, Japan's navy fired warning shots that drove the boats away. The younger leaders also seem ready to take the risks involved with a more open economy.