
Yusuke Hirabayashi
1:00 JST, October 30, 2023
A Japanese man living in Tel Aviv is among the parents praying for the well-being of a child serving in the Israeli Army as it fights against the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas.
Yusuke Hirabayashi, 48, who lives in the central Israeli city, received a smartphone message from his 19-year-old son on Oct. 7 — the day Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Israel — saying, “I’m setting off to join the war.”
Hirabayashi, whose ex-wife is Israeli, said he received his eldest son’s news calmly.
The son joined the army in December and belongs to an elite airborne troop.
After learning that his offspring would be responsible for guarding areas near the border with the Gaza Strip, Hirabayashi texted him, saying, “Don’t kill civilians.” His son replied: “Of course I won’t. We’re not like them [on the other side].”
Facing the possibility that his son could enter the Gaza Strip, Hirabayashi wrote, “I hope you won’t get caught up with thoughts of revenge; retain your moral compass under all circumstances.”
Hirabayashi mused: “I can’t help wondering why my 19-year-old son has to step into a battlefield. It’s unthinkable in Japan for somebody’s child to go to war. However, I want people to know that this reality exists in the other parts of the world.”
"World" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japanese Firefighter Who Worked in Quake-Hit Myanmar Hopes Others Will Help in Intl Relief Efforts
-
Glass Stresses Need for U.S.-Japan Alliance to Invest, Innovate; Commends Japan for Taking Leading Role in Region
-
Vietnam, Thailand Aim to Grow Rice Exports to Japan
-
Head of Interim Bangladesh Govt Yunus: Election to Be Held Between Dec. 2025 and June 2026; Cotton, LNG Eyed as Bargaining Chips in Bangladesh-U.S. Trade Talks
-
Egyptian Candidate for Unesco’s Top Spot Stresses Agency’s Role in Times of Crisis
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Aichi Rice Production Under Siege from Warming Climate; Record Heat Stunts Crop Growth, Causes Greater Pest Activity
-
Japanese Researchers Develop ‘Transparent Paper’ as Alternative to Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with Low Carbon Emissions
-
Japan’s Cooperation in Alaska LNG Development Project Emerges in Japan-U.S. Tariff Negotiations; But Industry Concerns Exist
-
Trump: Nippon Steel Will Part Own U.S. Steel, U.S. to Be in Control; Share Distribution, Other Details Remain Unclear
-
Average Retail Rice Price Up for Second Consecutive Week; More Than Double Same Period Last Year