Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the site of a mass grave in the town of Bucha, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, outside of Kyiv on March 21. (Reuters Photo)

According to his masterpiece critique “Mozart,” Hideo Kobayashi (1902-1983) was a young literary critic roaming Osaka’s Dotonbori district one winter night when the strains of Symphony No. 40 in G minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) suddenly filled his mind.

“In my head, which was completely still and silent as I walked the crowded streets, (the music) sounded as clear as if someone had played it,” he recalled in the essay.

Kobayashi, who was known for his dense style of writing, described what a truly astounding experience that was: “I was stunned as if I’d just had brain surgery, and I shuddered with emotion.”

Surprise encourages thinking. Many people must have been astonished yesterday by the news of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s unexpected visit to Ukraine.

I, too, was taken aback by footage of the prime minister showing up in Poland when I thought he was in India.

It was a top-secret stunt pulled by a handful of people closest to the prime minister.

It is extremely unusual for a Japanese prime minister to visit a combat zone. Such action probably needs to be considered from many angles.

As Self-Defense Forces personnel could not be asked to accompany the prime minister to Ukraine as his security detail, the question of how to protect him had remained unanswered. Previously, Kishida was the only leader of a Group of Seven nation who had yet to visit Ukraine.

French philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650) noted in his “The Passions of the Soul” that a surprise is beneficial because it makes one learn and remember what one did not know before.

A surprise stimulates the brain and leaves deeply engraved memories.

However, we know from experience that surprise as a sensation does not last long--it may even instantly disappear.

What lies beyond the surprise? What will Kishida’s surprise visit result in? Let us closely watch what will follow.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 22

(This column was written before Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.)

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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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