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from http://www.japantoday.com/ __________ Japanese mercenary tells his story Yohei-no-Hokori (The pride of a mercenary) By Masaki Takebe Review by Takanori Kobayashi Since World War II, Japan has not participated in any war. Its Self Defense Forces have been limited by the constitution in principle. Thus, very few Japanese have had a chance to taste battle. But not Masaki Takabe, who could best be described as a mercenary. Over the years he has fought in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Croatia, and recounts his experiences in "Yohei-no-Hokori" (The pride of a mercenary,) published by Shogakukan Inc. Born in 1964 in Aichi Prefecture, Takabe desired to be a fighter pilot and joined the SDF. Unfortunately, he was injured in training and had to give up his dream. After being discharged from the SDF, Takabe resolved to be a soldier and started a mercenary career in 1988 by traveling to Afghanistan to fight with the locals against the Soviet Union. Takebe fought with the mujahadeen until 1990, before moving to Myanmar to join the Karen liberation army, which was fighting for independence. After that, he found his way to Bosnia and Herzegovina where he became a mercenary for the Croatian army from 1994 to 1995. Takebe says the popular image of mercenaries, propagated by war movies, of being highly paid for risking their lives, is not true at all. He writes that very few mercenaries are highly paid. In fact, he says, it's hard to live on what they get paid. They have to pay their own travel expenses, too, he grumbles. In Takebe's case, when he's not fighting on some far-flung battlefield, he saves money by working as a live-in worker at construction sites or hotels, until he has enough to go off again. Since mercenaries don't fight for any particular country, race or religion, their choice of lifestyle is hard for most people to understand. Why does Takebe live this way? "In my case, the reason why I became a mercenary is quite simple. I just wanted to be strong. There are many other ways to be strong, but I see real strength in the soldiers fighting at the front line. Thus, the location of battlegrounds didn't matter for me, as long as I could join in," explains Takebe. While the definition of strength depends on your point of view, it is clear that Takebe, at least, believes the strongest man is the soldier. For him, surviving at the front line is the sign of a tough guy. One thing Takebe hardly mentions in his book is the ethical nature of his "work." Considering his long career as a mercenary, he must have killed or injured many people. Yet, he sticks to his view that war makes men stronger, even if it means others have to die. In his book, Takebe repeatedly censures journalists whom he met on the battlefields or who have made comments about mercenaries. He says they know nothing about actual warfare and just report at random on TV or in newspapers. Their view is farcical, he claims. Takebe's mercenary life may be interesting for readers, especially young people who know nothing of the actual experience of war, but unless he addresses the ethics of killing, simply blaming journalists lacks the power of persuasion and makes for dull reading. March 24, 2002 Yohei-no-Hokori (The pride of a mercenary) by Masaki Takebe Published by Shogakukan Inc 1,500 yen 4-09-389261-x ____________________ Click the link below to view this article and related discussions on Japan Today http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=book&id=108 ____________________ ===== Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
