2022-12-30
Quite some time ago, an elderly female professor at the Royal Ballet School of Monaco, who was held in tremendous respect by prima ballerinas throughout the world, came to Japan.
These are the words she spoke at that time about the reason for the existence of artists.
“Artists are important because they are the only beings capable of shining light on concealed, hidden truths and expressing them.”
No one would object to her words.
It is no exaggeration whatsoever to say that Masayuki Takayama is not only the one and only journalist in the postwar world, but also the one and only artist in the postwar world.
On the other hand, many of those called writers, such as Oe, Murakami, and Hirano, and those who imagine themselves to be artists, are not even worthy of the name of artist.
This is because, far from shining light on concealed, hidden truths and expressing them, they are merely people who have expressed the lies created by The Asahi Shimbun and others.
Beings like them must exist in the same way not only in Japan, but also in countries throughout the world.
In other words, true artists exist only in extremely small numbers.
This book also painfully proves the correctness of my assertion that no one in the world today is more deserving of the Nobel Prize in Literature than Masayuki Takayama.

pp. 244–264
China Will Press the Nuclear Button Without Hesitation!
Takayama
Now that the consciousness of the Japanese people has finally begun to change, I want them to go one step further and begin proactively discussing the defense of the national territory.
Last year, Sanae Takaichi ran in the party leadership election, and the number of LDP members reportedly increased explosively.
In the past, The Asahi Shimbun would immediately have subjected Takaichi’s assertions to a merciless attack, public commentators would have created an uproar, and Takaichi would have been eliminated.
But now, there is none of that atmosphere whatsoever.
Kishida says nothing but things such as the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and friendship, so he lacks a firm axis and is unreliable. Rather, he may be a liability.
There is even an atmosphere in which opinions such as, “At this point, replace him with Takaichi,” are likely to increase.
Seki Hei
Then, what do you think will happen to Japanese politics from now on?
Takayama
It is very fluid. LDP members may dislike it, but apart from the symbol called Kishida, there is no other option to choose.
Ishin made gains in the House of Councillors election, but not as much as expected, while the Constitutional Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat.
They are people who think that being good at insinuations and sarcasm is what it means to be an opposition party, so they would be better off disappearing.
Seki Hei
But Japan has no time.
Unless Japan resolves the constitutional issue, quickly accomplishes an increase in defense spending, and rebuilds its national defense system, there is no time.
The forces supporting constitutional revision secured two-thirds of the seats in the House of Councillors election, and for the time being, there will be no major national election until the next House of Representatives election.
The Kishida administration will be given “three golden years,” will it not?
Now that it has acquired overwhelming strength, if it does not begin constitutional revision at this point, might a movement to bring down Kishida begin even within the LDP…?
Takayama
Previously, when the Abe administration secured two-thirds of the seats, the newspapers launched personal attacks against Prime Minister Abe so that he would not move toward constitutional revision.
The foolish opposition parties joined in, and the precious opportunity was lost.
The problem, after all, is the awareness of Japan’s newspapers, and it ultimately depends on how The Asahi Shimbun is dealt with.
Looking at today’s newspapers, for example, even when they ask readers about the central issue in the recent House of Councillors election, they do not put “national defense” on the table as a subject.
In public-opinion surveys, they formulate questions such as, “Prices and the economy are the main issues after all, are they not?”
They openly miss the point.
But the people have grown wiser, so I think they will be conscious of national defense in their own way even if the media remain as they were before.
Well, nevertheless, it seems that the atmosphere changed greatly after Sanae Takaichi emerged.
Seki Hei
Ukraine delivered the final push, or perhaps backed it up.
Takayama
We were confronted with the reality of what war is.
We learned that if we raise our hands and surrender, they will not treat us to a bowl of chukadon.
Seki Hei
In the war in Ukraine, the terrible plight of the invaded side delivered a great shock to the Japanese people. That prompted a change in their consciousness.
And there is one more fact: it was precisely because the Ukrainians resisted so tenaciously that they received support from throughout the world.
This is probably the same for the Taiwanese.
In short, the awareness that people must first defend themselves in their own country becomes important.
It is not just a matter of Ukrainian President Zelensky, but he makes every effort, goes to the front lines, and the people are trying to defend their own country.
That is why support gathers from throughout the world.
If they raise their hands as Toru Hashimoto says they should, nothing can be done.
Seki Hei
But the fact that an argument like Mr. Hashimoto’s was ultimately not accepted demonstrates one new change, does it not? That things are moving in a brighter direction.
Mr. Hashimoto probably thinks, “I am a realist rather than a leftist.”
But despite not being a leftist, no one pays any attention to him anymore.
That means Japan is indeed changing with certainty.
Takayama
I certainly think that the consciousness of the Japanese people has changed and that they have become considerably aware of the deception of constitutional protection and pacifism, but in the earlier discussion, the idea that “the Chinese think Japan will be finished if they drop only three atomic bombs” is a very frightening matter.
But how many Japanese people are aware of it?
Seki Hei
For their own sake, the Japanese people must seriously think about nuclear weapons.
That is, if the Japanese people still wish to continue existing and to survive.
In fact, I feel a greater sense of crisis about this problem than ordinary Japanese people do.
That is because I know the Chinese well….
They will press the nuclear button without the slightest concern. They will neither hesitate nor feel guilty.
Takayama
They would never hesitate against Japan?
Seki Hei
Japan has no ability to retaliate, so there is no need for them to hesitate.
Another reason is that they believe a nuclear attack against Japan can be justified if they call it “retaliation for the Nanjing Massacre.”