Cyberattacks: We Mustn’t Back Down!

Freedom of speech and expression are the bedrock of democracy, which we must never allow a vile browbeating by anyone to make us abjure on any account.

As well as North Korea's direct involvement in the latest spate of cyberattacks, the FBI has confirmed the direct involvement of the North in threatening a terror attack against movie theaters that would screen a comedy film lampooning the pariah state’s system of governance.

In response to all this, President Obama rebuked the cancellation of the movie as a “mistake,” going on to say, “Imagine if producers and distributors and others started engaging in self-censorship ... that’s not what America is about.”

Understandably, they shouldn’t let their guard down on freedom of expression. I hear that in some quarters of Hollywood, a move is already afoot to reconsider the making of future North Korea-themed works, yet, they must not let the wicked terror mongers sing in triumph. I don’t want U.S. society to be cowed into diminishing its freedom of expression.

The whole flap is about a movie entitled “The Interview,” in which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is assassinated. North Korea lambasted its trailer in July.

In November, someone mounted a cyberattack on the film studio, corrupting its system, stealing corporate secrets as well as personal information of its employees. Then came the terror threats against movie theaters, which resulted in their cancellation decisions, and eventually the film studio’s ineluctable decision to follow suit.

The FBI has brought up the malware used and several IP addresses as some of the proof supporting North Korea’s involvement, but North Korea denied the allegation, calling it “another fabrication.” Yet, at the same time, it defended the attack itself as an “act of justice.”

At the moment, it is still open to question whether the FBI has enough proof against North Korea. Whoever might be the culprit, it goes without saying that if they are not satisfied with it, they should debate it. Meanwhile, since the FBI is criticizing North Korea by name, it should establish the legitimacy of its assertion. I ask that it present the proof in as much detail as possible, and convince the international community of its case.

Mr. Obama has announced his intention to take countermeasures against North Korea. However, cyberspace is an unknown territory with no “rules of engagement.” I ask that he consider his options most carefully, so that things may not get out of control.

On the other hand, this whole sequence of events brought home to me one of the cultural differences between America and Japan. Here in Japan, even as terror threats are running rampant against the university that has on its faculty a former reporter who exposed the “comfort women issue,” the prime minister never resolutely vows confrontation, for all intents and purposes leaving the threats unchecked.

Is the Japanese government in the rightful place to say “we share your values” to America, which finds supreme value in freedom of expression? If it truly does share its values, then, I would like it to show its willingness to resolutely repel wicked intimidation in this country as well.