Photo/Illutration Matsushiro Dai-Honei (the Imperial General Headquarters in Matsushiro) in Nagano. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A brown mountainside blanketed with fallen leaves rapidly zoomed into view about half an hour into my flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

I was aboard Asuka, The Asahi Shimbun’s corporate plane, from which I saw Mount Maizuru and its environs near the historic site of the 16th century Battles of Kawanakajima in the city of Nagano.

The Imperial Japanese Army started constructing an enormous bunker there in 1944, when Japan’s defeat in World War II was becoming increasingly likely.

Called Matsushiro Dai-Honei (the Imperial General Headquarters in Matsushiro), its purpose was to relocate the Imperial Palace and the Imperial General Headquarters from Tokyo before the capital became a battleground.

The plan could not have been more representative of the spirit of that era, which was that the lives of citizens came secondary to the preservation of “The National Polity” (Kokutai).

When Emperor Hirohito (1901-1989), posthumously known as Emperor Showa, visited Nagano after the war, he reportedly asked, “I understand a hole was dug around here unnecessarily during the war. Where was it?” according to the book “Sugite Kita Michi” (The path traveled) by labor activist Torao Hayashi (1902-1987).

It appears that even Hirohito was bothered by the historical fact that the nation’s leadership was set on hunkering down underground to keep the war going.

Today, Japan’s national security policy is at a crucial crossroads.

The government wants Japan to be able to pre-emptively strike enemy bases and increase defense spending 1.5-fold over the next five years.

It is deeply concerning that even though the nation’s “defense only” policy is effectively on the verge of collapse, this grave matter does not appear to be receiving the slow and thorough examination it requires.

What, exactly, does it mean to defend the nation? The most important thing is that every individual’s life and livelihood are fully respected and protected.

I don’t see any harm in having conversations about territorial defense and reinforcing the power of deterrence, but these are not issues that can be discussed from a military perspective alone.

From the Asahi plane, I saw a complex formation of multiple ridges of the mountains in the Shinshu region. The building where Hirohito was supposed to move into was tucked away in a valley.

Far away, clusters of Tokyo’s high-rises formed a white blur.

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 8

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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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