When U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage reportedly said last week that Article 9 of Japan's war-renouncing Constitution "is becoming an obstacle to strengthening the Japan-United States alliance," nobody, let alone the mass media in Japan, seemed to be too shocked.
However, in Tokyo's trendy Shimokitazawa district, outrage and controversy were very much in the hot summer air in the opening scene of "Lost in the War," by 42-year-old Yoji Sakate which runs until Aug. 4.
The play is made up of scenes re-created from reportage and is made powerful by the fact that a lot of the stories represented here have not been widely discussed by the media, proving that theater, while it remains uncensored, can be a powerful force in airing political debate.