EDITORIAL | Glorifying Terrorism and Slander Takes Its Toll on Society

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Tolerance of terrorism and the proliferation of slander online are giving rise to new crimes. We must thoroughly reject terrorism and slander and make every effort to eliminate them from society.

Recently, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested a male teacher at a Hokkaido public high school. He is suspected of sending an intimidating letter to Liberal Democratic Party member Masahisa Sato on or around July 27, 2022. Sato is a prominent member of the House of Councillors. The letter stated, "We have taken down Shinzo Abe," and "Now it's your turn."

Former Prime Minister Abe was assassinated on July 8, that same month and year. Defendant Tetsuya Yamagami is accused of his murder.

Glorification of Terrorists

The Hokkaido suspect described Yamagami as "my guru" and admitted the charges against him during questioning. He reportedly said, "I was angry because I felt that Senator Sato's words and actions [regarding Yamagami] were a disregard for the Constitution of Japan and fundamental human rights."

Immediately after former Prime Minister Abe was shot, there were voices expressing sympathy for the defendant's upbringing. Yamagami claimed the former Unification Church had torn his family apart. (Abe was not a member of the church.) Moreover, the erroneous statement that "the crime was not a terrorist attack" was rampant in the media. The internet was also flooded with posts praising the defendant.

Threats against Representative Sato were likely influenced by such false discourse that affirms and glorifies terrorism. Certainly, Mr Abe's assassination was a clear case of terrorism that resorted to violence to assert political and religious claims.

However, the key to dealing with terrorism is to not listen to what the terrorists say. In this respect, society's response to the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe was also seriously flawed.

Society's Crucial Role in Preventing Terrorist Acts

In fact, the incident prompted a bomb terror attack on then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the following year in 2023.

Elsewhere, the Metropolitan Police Department has referred a junior high school girl from Yokohama to the prosecutor's office. She is accused of intimidation and obstruction of business by force. Specifically, she allegedly sent about 10 emails to a man who lost his wife and child in a car accident in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Moreover, she referred to him by name and said things like, "Shall I kill you?" 

The girl reportedly also sent an apology email immediately afterward saying, "I'm sorry for making such terrible remarks." Once spoken, however, it's difficult to take back such harsh words.

Online space is being flooded with abusive language, such as "Die" and "If you die." Could it be that the bar to tolerating such abuse is being lowered? In the past, many media outlets praised posts such as "Japan, die! I failed to get my child into daycare" as a "cry from the soul." 

Recently, many Olympic athletes have also been the target of defamation and verbal attacks. Where will it end?

Society as a whole needs to pause and think about ways to stop this evil trend.

RELATED:

• A New Era of Terrorism: Comparing Media Responses in Tarrant and Yamagami
• EDITORIAL | Protect Imperial Family with Stronger Measures Against Slander
• Kosei Inoue: Reflections on the Paris Olympics and the Benefits of Competition

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun

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