Tokyo Letter: ‘Pacifist’ Japan is tooling up for war

News Snapshot:

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida speaks to Congress at the US Capitol in Washington DC on April 11th. Photograph: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images This month, Japan launched its upgraded warship, the Kaga, from the port city of Kure in Hiroshima prefecture. The repurposed vessel is now a de facto aircraft carrier, capable of hosting up to a dozen American-built F-35 fighter jets. The symbolism, for those alive to it, was rich. The original Kaga led the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, drawing the United States into the second World War. The conflict...