One reason Japan lacks leadership in the effort to abolish nuclear weapons is its reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Japan should stop relying on this security policy and work for U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and act to revamp the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, which has allowed the selfish retention of nuclear weapons in five countries. Every country should be required to join the NPT and other U.N. non-proliferation regimes under penalty of economic sanctions.

Why should America, with the world's most powerful military, rely on nuclear deterrence anyway? Even if the United States is exposed to a nuclear threat, it has enough conventional weapons to deter an attack or counterattack. Terrorists will always be a bigger threat than they have to be in any country that develops or retains nuclear weapons.

America and Russia, which together possess more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, must be the ones to take the initiative in negotiating a comprehensive nuclear weapons ban. Japan, as the only country radiated by nuclear bombs, should promote strong action toward this ban.

Regarding recent articles on sex abuse by priests, I am one Catholic who is horrified that anyone, much less a Catholic priest, would sexually abuse a young person. Also horrifying, though, is the distorted view of this issue presented by the media, which seem less interested in protecting young people than in singling out the church for something that occurs in many segments of society.

Most cases of sexual abuse by priests happened not just years ago, but decades ago. In current times, credible accusations against priests are extremely rare — just six in the United States last year. Why do the media focus on such old news while largely ignoring the much more frequent acts of pedophilia by teachers and coaches, and kids' own relatives? Is it because the Catholic Church voices certain moral teachings — on abortion, gay marriage and so on — that the secular media just can't stand?

To suggest removing priestly celibacy to prevent sex abuse is absurd. The vast majority of priests stick to their celibacy vows and the number of these priests who have molested a kid is zero. Why not also remove the marriage vow to prevent adultery? The logic, or lack thereof, is the same.

Sex-offender registries in U.S. states are not dominated by avowed celibates; most pedophilia is committed by people who have not taken a celibacy vow. In a horribly oversexed society, celibacy has become a convenient scapegoat.

A few years ago a sushi bar in Osaka boasted on television about the "freshness" of its sushi. If the sushi was not sold in 40 minutes, it was put on the rotating conveyor. Was it thrown away after that if it didn't sell soon? I felt indignant over the waste of food resources. It made me sad as a sushi gourmet.

Japan must not forget that it is a poor country when it comes to food resources. It must not waste food. When we eat sushi, especially tuna, we must remember the circumstances of less fortunate people abroad and be thankful. I do hope that the Hatoyama Cabinet will give more thought to Japan's future fisheries and agriculture — the most important industries for life.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 17, 2010
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