Do it yourself

  Last year, the former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while he was addressing a public meeting. This is perhaps the first of its kind of act of violence since assassination of Inejirō Asanuma, the then Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, in 1960. The visuals of Abe’s assassination may have shattered the image of Japan, most people would be carrying in their mind, viz., the image of most courteous people showing remarkable patience and calmness in their public behavior. The post WW2 generation had only witnessed Japanese people who were extra polite, patient, courteous, and cooperative. These Japanese were very different from the pre-WW2 Japanese, who took pride in their martial and imperialistic traditions. Political assassinations were commonplace. The Japanese Army was considered one of the most brutal forces. The imperialist Japanese occupied parts of Russia, China, and Korea; plundered their wealth, and enslaved their women. The 1945 nuclear attack on...

 I find nothing more disturbing than demolition of a long preserved and much cherished image or belief. Occurrence of this often gives rise to cynicism, shaking the core of the belief system. The recent act of violence in Japan is one such event. People of my generation have known Japanese people for their politeness and commitment to non-violence. The pictures of Japanese crowds showing remarkable patience and calmness during adversities have been much cherished by post WWII generations. The assassination of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, last week, while he was addressing a public meeting has shattered many images I was carrying in my mind. This is perhaps first of its kind of act of violence since assassination of Inejirō Asanuma, the then Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party. However, in the pre-war era, political assassinations were rather commonplace in Japan. Japanese people took pride in their martial and imperialistic traditions. Many believe the 1945 nu...