Japan and Osama

It's interesting to me that in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, the most frequently the word "Japan" is mentioned in media coverage of the event is drawing parallels between the current celebration and that after the end of WWII. While Japan is not as instrumental or relevant as countries like Pakistan, England, or even Germany to the global fight against terrorism, it's interesting that Japan doesn't get mentioned at all, especially since it's one of our closest military allies.

The paradox inherent in the media coverage is interesting: Japan accrues the benefits of being a part, if not an organizing member, of the Western system of government and economics without having to take the blame. There are several potential explanations. First, a low percentage of the Japanese population is Muslim, so there is no fuel in Japan to start a global jihadist fire. Second, Japan was colonized by the West in a manner that may draw sympathy from jihadis. These reasons, while true, really aren't that compelling, since blaming a country as an active or complicit agent against Islam doesn't really require a tremendously sophisticated rationale. Neither of these factors prevent Japan from becoming a target, even if they explain it. The best reason is simply Japan's involvement in the world. Japan's constitution is explicitly Pacifist, and even though it does in some ways enable American military power, it has none of its own, and all of its interventions globally are humanitarian. That, coupled with a generous foreign aid budget, characterize Japanese foreign policy more than any attempt to further the imperialist agenda. So even though coverage of Osama's death barely involves the Japanese, they can't be complaining.