This essay argues that pacifist slogans and unarmed declarations offer no protection once occupation begins. Using Okinawa and Taiwan as examples, it warns that Chinese military coercion targets not only Taiwan but all of Japan, exposing the danger of neglecting national defense.

What will the men of a land that once held up the banner of “anti-war” do?
2016-10-31
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
If the land called Okinawa has strategic value as a military stronghold to the opposing side, then no matter how loudly one shouts or cries, “Under the Geneva Conventions, unprotected areas must not be attacked,” the invader believes that failing to seize that land could mean being killed instead, and thus the outcome is already clear.
Okinawa (the Ryukyu Islands) was in fact a tributary territory of China at certain points in history, and China would no doubt exploit that fact to fabricate a convenient justification.
If Okinawa were to be occupied, the entire country of Japan would fall into a fatal crisis.
An occupying army may, of course, conscript personnel from the occupied territory.
If their order were “go to war in another country and serve as labor,” what would the men of that land who once proclaimed “anti-war” do?
Japan allows both the freedom to fight and the freedom not to fight, but there is no guarantee that such freedoms would exist after occupation.
Okinawa has a small population, and because there are many media outlets and local politicians who echo China’s claims, the spread of dubious narratives could move events in a way favorable to China’s strategy.
China’s specialty is not limited to strategic settlement.
Manipulating public opinion by instilling psychological fear through military threats and threats to life is also a standard tactic of authoritarian states, just as with Russia and North Korea.
In waters near Okinawa, incursions into territorial seas by suspicious vessels believed to be Chinese-flagged are commonplace, and alarmingly, there have even been illegal intrusions by nuclear submarines without permission.
This means that, if it so desired, the area could be turned into a strategic theater.
Japanese people, who are by nature averse to war, may easily wave a white flag when they feel threatened by an external enemy.
Anyone wants to flee from danger, and media such as newspapers often encourage that impulse.
Even so, Okinawa is still comparatively better off.
Because it is Japanese territory, it is relatively more protected from such direct threats than Taiwan.
In the case of Taiwan, however, matters are far more direct.
China regards Taiwan as its own territory, and if Taiwan were to declare independence, China has already enacted a domestic law in 2005, the “Anti-Secession Law,” which authorizes the use of armed force under the pretext of “preventing national division.”
In other words, it has decided by domestic law, “If you declare independence, we will kill you.”
In fact, in 1995 and 1996, missiles were actually fired into the Taiwan Strait.
Moreover, China continues to intimidate Taiwan by aiming thousands of missiles at it.
We have briefly examined part of China’s ambitions, but it is not only Taiwan across the sea that is subjected to military intimidation.
All of us Japanese are being intimidated as well.
Although the Japanese people are not informed of it, China’s vast number of missiles are aimed at most major Japanese cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Okinawa.
If the Japanese government possessed a sound sense of national defense, it would be obvious that it should not leave unaddressed a situation in which “tens of millions of Japanese citizens could die at the push of a single button.”
To be continued.
The above is taken from http://ccce.web.fc2.com/a.html.