＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added April 24, 2023> The Japanese government’s initial response to the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Sudan remains slow!
As for the evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan, where a civil war continues between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Response Forces (RSF), the United States and the United Kingdom completed the evacuation of their embassy staff and other nationals stationed there on April 23rd, and Germany is also reportedly planning an evacuation.
In the region, the government-affiliated paramilitary group, the Rapid Response Forces (RSF), and the regular army agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting on the 21st, but fighting continues.
On the 22nd, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had evacuated by boat along with 12 “friendly” countries. To date, more than 260 people from 15 countries have escaped.
However, in Japan, three Self-Defense Force transport planes have reportedly arrived in neighboring Djibouti, but the evacuation plan is still being considered.
It appears that the Japanese government’s initial response is as slow as ever.
<Added August 31, 2021> The Rescue and Transfer of Japanese Nationals in Afghanistan Fails. Past Lessons Failed
The number of people to be transferred from the chaotic Afghanistan was estimated to be approximately 500, including Japanese nationals working at international organizations, local staff at embassies and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and their families.
However, on August 26, a Self-Defense Force aircraft transported only one Japanese national, a woman. In other words, the reality is that “most of the target individuals were not transferred.”
The Self-Defense Forces will take action if ordered to transfer, but the decision on whether to transfer or not is ultimately made by the government (National Security Council) based on information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Agency.
President Biden’s statement announced that U.S. forces would withdraw at the end of August.
The United States has already announced that it has transferred tens of thousands of Afghan collaborators and other personnel to the United States and other countries. The United Kingdom, Germany, and France have each transferred thousands to over 10,000 local collaborators in Afghanistan, as well as their own nationals. Japan’s repatriation operations clearly lag behind other countries.
Japan is even lagging behind South Korea. Kim Man-ki, director of the Defense Policy Office at South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, revealed that “internal discussions (on the repatriation operation) began in early August,” and that the operation was underway even before the Taliban occupied the capital, Kabul, on August 15.
Japan’s complacency and over-reliance on the United States for military and security purposes precluded Japan from launching a rescue operation of its own accord. This inadvertently exposed the Suga administration’s lack of crisis management capabilities.
In response to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia originating in Wuhan, China, at least three government aircraft and ANA chartered planes were scheduled to fly on January 28 to evacuate 650 Japanese nationals living in Wuhan and other parts of Hubei Province. However, due to “unreconciliation issues” with the Chinese side, the operation was canceled.
<Update: February 17, 2020>
Subsequently, coordination with the Chinese side was completed, and a total of five charter flights were dispatched, returning all 828 people who wished to return to Japan.
1. Bitter Lessons from Past “Cases of Rescuing Japanese Nationals”
(1) Iran-Iraq War
The “Iran-Iraq War” was a conflict fought between Iran and Iraq from 1980 to 1988. Because it was difficult to end, it was also called the “Frustrated War.”
(2) Iraq’s “Declaration of Indiscriminate Attacks”
As the two countries continued to exchange bombings of cities, on March 17, 1985, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein suddenly and unilaterally declared that “any aircraft flying over Iran after a 48-hour grace period will be attacked indiscriminately.”
(3) Foreigners Evacuated One After Another by “Domestic Rescue Planes”
After this declaration, foreigners living in Iran, other than Japanese, were evacuated one after another by domestic airlines and military transport planes.
(4) Japan’s “Resistance from the JAL Labor Union” Prevents Japan from Sending a Rescue Plane
The government (then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone) requested that Japan Airlines send a “charter flight.” However, the labor union representing the airline’s pilots and flight attendants rejected the request, citing “a lack of guarantees for the safety of union members.” While this disgrace may be the reason JAL went bankrupt, I think it’s embarrassing for the airline’s “national flagship.”
Ambassador Yutaka Nomura of the Japanese Embassy in Iran immediately requested a “rescue plane” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after President Saddam Hussein declared Iran an airspace war, but the Ministry instructed him to “obtain security assurances from both Iran and Iraq on the grounds.” It’s clear to everyone that such assurances are impossible to obtain.
“Protecting the lives and property of our citizens” is the most important job of an embassy. Countries other than Japan have a custom of using rescue planes or transport aircraft to evacuate their citizens when they are caught up in a coup, disaster, or other incident abroad. However, the “55-year system debate” continued in Japan, and the Socialist Party’s argument that “sending the Self-Defense Forces overseas would lead to a war of aggression” stifled voices calling for the need for measures to rescue Japanese nationals abroad.
The Self-Defense Forces Law at the time did not provide for the Self-Defense Forces’ activities abroad, including for humanitarian purposes. Furthermore, there were no aircraft capable of nonstop flights to Iran, making it virtually impossible to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces.
Furthermore, there were no “government aircraft” at the time. “Government aircraft” are aircraft owned and operated by the Japanese government for transporting government officials and protecting Japanese nationals abroad. These aircraft began operation in 1992. Actual management and operation are handled by the Air Self-Defense Force of the Ministry of Defense.
(5) The Japanese Embassy in Iran’s “Request for Rescue from Other Countries” Failed
The Japanese Embassy in Iran requested the countries that sent rescue aircraft to rescue Japanese nationals, but each attempt failed. Every country was busy rescuing their own citizens and was unable to allow Japanese people on board. Naturally, every airline prioritized their own citizens.
More than 200 Japanese people were unable to find a way to escape and their lives were in danger.
(6) Itochu Corporation Requests Assistance from the Turkish Prime Minister
Meanwhile, Itochu Corporation’s headquarters called Takashi Morinaga, head of the company’s Istanbul office, pleading with him to ask Turkish Prime Minister Özal, a longtime acquaintance of his, to put Japanese nationals on an evacuation plane to rescue Turkish citizens.
Morinaga immediately wondered: “This is an issue involving Japanese nationals in Iran, and the parties involved are Iran and Japan. Turkey is a completely unrelated third country, so why should Turkey be involved?”
With a large Turkish population in Tehran, the Turkish government would likely be preoccupied with rescuing its own citizens, and negotiations were expected to be difficult. Determined to find a solution, he called Prime Minister Özal and desperately explained the plight of Japanese residents. After a brief silence, he received a “yes” response.
(7) Turkey Rescues Japanese Nationals Living in Iran
Turkish Airlines then dispatched a special plane to rescue the Japanese nationals, and they were safely rescued just in time. Turkey prioritized the rescue of Japanese nationals, even forcing its own citizens to travel overland.
In addition to the personal relationship of trust between Morinaga and Prime Minister Özal and the family ties between Ambassador to Iran Yutaka Nomura and Turkish Ambassador to Iran Bircel, Turkey’s rescue effort also had a significant meaning: “repaying the favor 95 years later” for the “Ertuğrul Disaster.”
The “Ertuğrul Disaster” refers to the incident that occurred in the middle of the night on September 16, 1890, when the Ottoman warship Ertuğrul (part of which is now Turkey) was shipwrecked in the sea off the coast of Kushimoto Town, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of over 500 people. At the time, residents of Oshima, Kushimoto Town, desperately attempted to rescue 69 people. They were then graciously escorted to Turkey on a Japanese Navy cruiser. This story is included in Turkish school textbooks and is apparently taught to Turkish children.
This incident marked the beginning of Turkey’s pro-Japanese stance.
2. Anticipated Future “Japanese National Rescue” Operations
We anticipate future emergencies on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, and Syria. In such cases, we would like to confirm how government aircraft or Self-Defense Force aircraft are prepared to rescue Japanese nationals.
(1) Current Rescue System for Japanese Nationals
Currently, in the event of an emergency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its overseas diplomatic missions and with the permission of the host country, will rescue Japanese nationals using the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s government aircraft or the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s escort vessels.
However, in the event of a Korean Peninsula emergency, it’s unclear whether South Korea would allow JSDF aircraft to land or JSDF ships to enter port. Would relying on the USFK be the only option? Since the USFK is also supposed to prioritize its own citizens, there’s a concern that Japanese nationals could be left behind, as happened during the 1985 Iran-Iraq War.
The Ministry of Defense has apparently signed a contract with Kosoku Marine Transport Co., Ltd., a special-purpose company established under the PFI Act, to use two car ferries operated and managed by the company in the event of an emergency. However, last year, when North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile, the JSDF considered using the same vessels to transport troops, but abandoned the idea after the All-Japan Seamen’s Union, to which the seafarers belong, expressed reservations, which is also a cause for concern.
It’s unclear what would happen in the event of a Middle East emergency involving Iran, Iraq, Syria, or another country, but will we again be dependent on the US military deployed in the Middle East?
(2) Support System
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force also conducts annual training to transport Japanese nationals overseas, and the Japan Coast Guard is also required to dispatch patrol vessels and security officers as needed.