Photo/Illutration Local residents pass by a damaged Russian tank in the town of Trostyanets in Ukraine, east of the capital, Kyiv, on March 28. A monument to World War II is seen in background. (AP Photo)

I may be overthinking it, but for quite some time after the end of World War II, Japan's pop music industry appeared to have refrained from going for sakura as the main theme of songs.

It was not until half a century later that cherry blossoms made it to the front and center of such hit numbers as Fuyumi Sakamoto's "Yozakura Oshichi" and Naotaro Moriyama's "Sakura."

The years of avoidance probably owed to the nation's wartime history of identifying youthful soldiers with cherry blossoms in bloom.

The well-known military song "Doki no Sakura" goes something to the effect, "A flower that blooms knows it must also die."

According to "Nejimagerareta Sakura" (Contorted cherry tree) by anthropologist Emiko Onuki, pictures of cherry blossoms adorned the aircraft flown by kamikaze pilots.

In the early years of suicide missions, the word sakura was noticeable in the names of many kamikaze squads.

The obvious reason was to compel the young pilots into acts of valor and ultimate self-sacrifice by reminding them of the flower's beauty and ephemeralness, thereby romanticizing and glorifying death.

It's not because cherry blossoms are now in season, but I was quite perturbed by what was said recently by Upper House President Akiko Santo.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's virtual address to the Diet, Santo remarked, "Watching your people stake their lives to fight for their country, I am deeply moved by their courage."

The aggressors have invaded someone else's country to kill them. The people who are protecting their country have been forced into a situation where they, too, must kill.

But extolling their bravery is the last thing politicians of non-combatant countries should be doing now. They are supposed to be exploring ways to end the war.

For the first time in three weeks, Russia and Ukraine are reportedly holding face-to-face cease-fire talks.

I truly pray they will prove fruitful, and I hope the United States and European nations will do everything they can.

We have become desensitized to the word "senkyo" (the state of the war) from hearing it all the time in the news. But let us not forget that people are dying.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 29

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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