International support for Israel is pouring in from all over the world. President Biden voiced unequivocal solidarity and dispatched US naval task forces to deter other enemies from opening a second front. Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and India are also standing with Israel. Even the free nation of Ukraine, which is fighting for its life against Russian aggression, gave Israel a firm hand, with President Zelensky and Ukrainian fighters on the frontlines sending messages of solidarity and support.

Against this backdrop, many Israelis who are Japan scholars, studied in Japan, and are deeply enamored with the country and its people, were surprised and disappointed by the tepid response of the Japanese government. They "balanced" their condemnation of Hamas' genocidal acts with similar "concern" for Israel's response against the murderers of its civilians. We won't dwell on the legitimate Japanese interests in the Middle East that might be behind this reaction at the moment. It is clear that the Japanese Foreign Office is concerned for the safety of Japanese nationals and embassies abroad, which is understandable.

However, there is a deeper issue at play that we should all reflect upon: the use and abuse by Hamas of the humanitarian impulses shared by most Japanese and other people around the free world. Sometimes, well-meaning people are exploited by terrorists and mass murderers to their advantage, and it is important to understand how and why.

Following the horrors of WWII, many people in the West and in Asia, especially in Japan, denounced war itself as evil and adopted a noble worldview emphasizing peace, reconciliation, and human rights. Protecting innocent civilians during conflicts became paramount, more than selfish state interests and petty ambitions for military advantage. The laws of armed conflict, based on the Hague and the Geneva Conventions, were therefore renamed "international humanitarian law" (IHL). Previously, the laws of armed conflict were supposed to be a mutual arrangement to limit the horrors of war. Even though countries sometimes regrettably fight, one should protect the citizens and POWs of their rival, and vice versa. But after WWII, to prevent countries from violating the laws of war, international courts ruled that many of these humanitarian laws are customary and unconditional. We should protect the rivals' civilians even if they don't do the same, because civilians cannot be blamed for the actions of their government.

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