Thoughts on the War in Ukraine （6/29投稿記事「ウクライナ戦争に思うこと」の英訳）

Progress in the Ukraine war has the entire world`s attention. Russia devised the war to reclaim Ukraine, formerly a part of the Soviet Union. They have taken control over the eastern regions while their nuclear capabilities loom in the background and seem to be vigorously working to make that territory their own. Western countries, as well as Japan, have formed a pact supporting Ukraine. If the precedent is set that having nuclear weapons means taking over territory and claiming borders as you please, other nuclear-capable countries will follow suit. If things go that way, I fear that my own country may face the same situation Ukraine did, as a nuclear-capable country does as they please with it.

However, my own country has in the past worked to expand its sphere of influence over East Asia in the past. Old Japan, Russia, China, and North Korea share points in common regarding regulating information and expression. Using these two means, you can freely `gain` the ability to manipulate your citizens and the citizens of other countries under your influence. In Russia, media not under government control has become a thing of the past. The majority of Russian citizens have been led, through propaganda, to believe that Russia is only attacking Ukrainian military installations and that the ones attacking Ukrainian civilians are Ukrainian militants. Russian Citizens who take in the Western media perspective through the internet are said to represent only ten percent of the population. Due to this, most Russians support the war in Ukraine. However, Western information is reaching some people, particularly the youth. Also, soldiers returning from the field are telling the reality of what is happening. Taking all this in, just how long will information and speech regulation be able to persist?

In China, government scrutiny has led to extensive regulation of speech and information. However, the majority of the children of the Chinese Communist party are receiving overseas education. After finishing their studies overseas and returning to China, surely those children must have doubts about China`s way of doing things? On the other hand, in Taiwan, government scrutiny over the media is fundamentally non-existent. China claims Taiwan to be part of its territory. It is thought that in order to achieve compliance, you must first regulate information and speech. However, I do not think that can ever go well. If they keep trying to force regulation of information and speech, the movement for Taiwanese independence will undoubtedly intensify.

So, in summary, in this age where information can spread across the entire planet in an instant once posted on the internet, are the ways of previous generations, where information and speech are regulated, and the oft-related territorial expansions of countries not having the tables turned on them and being regulated out of existence? I pray that this war will end as soon as possible.