I am merely adding my voice to those abundantly heard elsewhere, but I feel that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should not get involved with the Islamic State group at all. Let those people sort out their own destiny.
Extremism and terrorism are not spontaneous; they have various roots — historical, social, political, you name it.
Islamic State is none of Japan's business and getting involved with the group won't serve Japan's interests.
In the meantime, there are issues involving China and South Korea that need to be attended to in a more levelheaded way than they have been so far. So why go halfway around the globe looking for hot spots where the affairs are less understood and have little or no bearing on Japan?
Abe perhaps is setting his eyes on glory, but international affairs is not a field in which Japan's political body has excelled. Why imitate American warmongering huge distances from home and follow a course that will kill a lot of good will, if not people?
Let's advise citizens of Japan of the dangers in going anywhere near those countries that are in violent upheaval.
Let's make peace in novel ways. Where are those who can?
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.