Dear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,

As I look to your future as prime minister, I cannot help but be reminded of a famous scene from the silent film era, namely, two steam locomotives rushing toward each other at full speed. We all know the devastating results.

At a press conference on Dec. 17, you stated: "The (Senkakus are) the inherent territory of Japan. . . . We own and effectively control them. There is no room for negotiations about that."