The article March 23, p. 13, from the Catholic News Service quoting Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, Japan, as saying Japan could become a new military threat to other Asian nations is filled with factual error.

The archbishop is reported to have said Japan has the world’s third largest military force. Not so: In size, Japan ranks 43rd in total number of troops, active, reserve, and paramilitary, behind Lithuania and Colombia.

More important, every one of Japan’s immediate neighbors — Russia, North Korea, South Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam—has a larger military force than Japan. Moreover, Japan lacks long range bombers, amphibious transport, and other weapons and equipment that would be required to attack another nation. This list could go on but this is sufficient to make the point.

Japan’s Constitution provides, in Article 20, for a separation of church and state. Archbishop Takami would do well to stay on his side of the wall and not venture into issues in which he lacks both authority and competence.

Richard Halloran

Honolulu