Recently the fate of two Japanese hostages in Syria, taken by Islamic militants has monopolizing our new feeds. The stories sadly came to an end with the death of both young men. The repercussions of such actions will have a profound effect on future Japanese international policy. Currently Japan does not have a standing military (since it's dissolution after World War II.) The country is also known for it's pacifism in dealing with other countries, the article acknowledges that in the wake of this violent tragedy such policies may be changed. Currently the country at large has mixed feelings about how the Prime Minister ought to respond. So far his response had been one of revenge that calls for the creation military self sufficiency and direct military retaliation. A few government members and citizens are in favor of such policies, but some are not and would rather not start another war that could lead to more violence. The country was just as divide about what actions to take when the young men were being held some within the government lobbied to rescue the two men and pay the ransom while some of the populace said that the government had no obligation to rescue them as it was a irresponsible decision to travel to Syria in the first place. This shift from pacifism policies is not new to Japan as the current Prime Minister has made this a cornerstone of his rhetoric since 2012. The Prime Minister has stated that he will not let terrorism flourish and that Japan will continue to align it's self with America, the U.K and other anti-terrorism countries. The question that the article fails to answer is how this violent tragedy will impact not only the international policies of the country, but the way Japanese will socially look at war and foreigners, do you think it is possible that this could spark a tirade of xenophobia as is occurring in Europe right now?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31084749
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