National Security
7 items
Corporate Tax as Indirect Tax — How the Defense Surtax Reaches Citizens' Wallets
In April 2026, Japan's Defense Special Corporate Tax took effect — a 4% surtax on base corporate tax liability. Framed as a tax on corporations, its burden ripples through to citizens via price pass-through, supply chain pressure, and a 10-year extension of the reconstruction surtax. This article traces the structural pathways through which the ¥43.5 trillion defense plan's three funding pillars reach household budgets.
Closing Libraries, Digging Shelters — The Tradeoff Between Defense Expansion and Cultural Budget Cuts
Defense spending at ¥8.7 trillion, the Agency for Cultural Affairs at ¥106 billion. In FY2025, when defense outpaced education spending by 2.1x, Japan approved a national shelter construction plan. Shelter coverage stands at 370% in Taiwan, 107% in Switzerland, and just 5% in Japan. This article examines the structural asymmetry of protecting citizens from missiles while defunding protection against poverty, information gaps, and social isolation.
Risk Management in the Age of AI Agents — OWASP Agentic Top 10 and Practical Countermeasures
As AI agents act autonomously, ten new risk categories have emerged that traditional security measures cannot fully address. Based on the international standard "OWASP Agentic Top 10," this guide provides actionable checklists for nonprofit staff, small business owners, and public sector employees.
The Structure Behind 38% Food Self-Sufficiency — Rethinking Food Security in an Age of Globalization
Calorie self-sufficiency at 38%, soybean import dependency at 92.4%, food waste of 4.64 million tons, and child poverty at 11.5%. Japan's food security paradox.
Okinawa and Structural Ignorance — The Politics of Mainland Japan's 'Not Knowing'
Starting from Nishiyama Hideshi's (2023) analysis of 'the structural ignorance of mainland Japanese toward Okinawa' in Gendai Shisō, this case study examines how 'not knowing' about the base issue functions politically. The compound mechanism of attention control and epistemic exclusion is theorized.
Who Draws AI's 'Red Lines'? — Anthropic vs. Pentagon Lawsuit Questions Governance Vacuum
Anthropic sued the U.S. Department of Defense over unlimited military AI access demands. An unprecedented confrontation over ethical red lines in AI governance.
Should Military AI Be Permitted? — The Intersection of National Security and Technology Ethics
The military use of AI technology has created a head-on collision between security logic and technology ethics. Through a simulated debate among four fictional debaters, we illuminate the structural points of contention in this issue.