These observations are based upon the premise that, with war having been a constant feature of humankind’s evolution, a nation’s security and prosperity are inextricably linked with its military strength. To illustrate the point, the author compares the revered historical cities of Venice and Aleppo. Of the two, Venice benefited from having the most advanced military capacity of mediaeval times and thus enjoyed prolonged stability while Aleppo constantly suffered at the hands of more powerful enemies. Japan more closely resembles the latter. In the postwar era, it is the states...