Japanese politics


The LDP shocks Japan and the region with its choice of a new leader

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" ...hawkish views on disputed territory"

There is no such thing as disputed territory between Japan and China. The commie-led China is just trying to make it "diputed" as the first step to rob what they want. Whoever wrote this article is too vulnerable to the propaganda from the non-democratic, belligerent, human-rights-ignoring nation.


Fact Check:
During his premiership, Shinzo Abe did the following:
1. Mend fences with China after the Ice Age of the Koizumi Era.
2. Never visited the Yasukuni Shrine

So, he has demonstrated his ability and willingness to separate personal beliefs from duties of office. Give credit where it is due.


Just after the outcome of the election last Wednesday, I watched Masayo Nakajima’s analysis of NHK World reported by Sherry Ahn. Masayo’s “That’s possible, I think.” got me limited in Joe Hisashi’s “zin-shen no mi-lei gowa” (life’s carousel in Japanese). Five years on, former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, returned to LDP’s top; moreover, Japan is likely to return to Asian glorious dynasty of Koizumi Junichiro.

From 2009’s failure, LDP wanted to recover with struggling for something to say. During DPJ’s government, Japan experienced the adjustment of Japan-US, -Russia, -South Korea and -China relationship, horrible earthquake and the declining economy. At the critical point, prime minister Yoshihiko Noda still raised the consumption tax despite massive opponents. His resolution, on the surface, solved the crisis of national debt but was meanwhile leading to another crisis, politically. First, Ichiro Ozawa and the following left DPJ for People’s New Party (PNP) and Toru Hashimoto reconciled Osaka with other Japan’s local faction turning to Japan Restoration Party (JRP).

On Sep. 28, the result of Nikkei and TBS’s poll, showing the adversity of Noda’s cabinet after the recovery of LDP's Abe, indicated that the 35% be likely to vote in favour of LDP while the only 14% support DPJ and JRP may get 12%. Although the opponents of Abe is more than supporters of him, as Mr. Abe talked to me, LDP is due to actively have Noda hold the re-election for the latest poll while this support ratio becomes more than 40%.

On the contrary, Noda reshuffled his Cabinet. The new Cabinet will retain 8 members, including Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, Trade and industry Minister Yukio Edano and Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura. Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada, also among the group, continuing as Social Security and Tax Reform Minister and Administrative Reform Minister.

In addition, seemingly to buffer the acid-base about Japan’s surroundings and deficit-financial bill with social welfare, Noda appointed professional Koizumi’s former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka - now a Democrat - as education minister and 65-year-old Koriki Jojima, taking over Jun Azumi who turned to DPJ’s acting secretary-general, as the fifth financial minister in 3 years. Ms. Tanaka, the first female Cabinet member in Japanese history, is the important faction’s leader and member in Koizumi’s dynasty. It is her father, the late prime minister Kakuei Tanaka, that signed the normalizing diplomatic tie with China’s late prime minister Zhou En-lai.

Obviously, Noda wanted to express his willingness to keep the image of Sino-Japanese ties normalized from 1972. In the aspect of remaining member, they mostly hold unfriendly-inclination attitude toward China. Noda and Gemba are undeniably good partner with regard to Sino-Japanese relation, but, for me (in front of me) they play a series of “Home alone”. Noda’s these 8 core member, recently, face difficulties of endangered surroundings of territory disputes and they intend to show the national ideology more than law’s logic. On the other hand, Noda had Ms. Tanaka return to Cabinet for her experience. Tanaka was also was a member of the Sino-Japanese Friendship Association who last week visited Beijing and talked with China’s Communist Party (CCP) Politburo member Jia Qinglin (4th posistion in 4th-generation CCP).

This is the third time Noda reshuffles his Cabinet. In DPJ’s governing record, The financial minister is always seen as the index. Former Naoto Kan and the incumbent Noda once sat at this seat. During 3-year period, Toyota and Japan Airline adding to 311 earthquake had Japan be suffered horribly with the following Japanese enterprises like Sony, Sharp, NEC and Nintendo losing too much money. In addition, DPJ wants to exercise better social welfare as national debt elevates while no willingness to cede the power to any other.

Abe, for several years, never gave up the next climax of his political career. At this chance, he appeals for the peaceful relation with US and has the alarm against China but doesn’t want to lose his head. During 2006-2007, he visited China impressively as called “enigma” in international politics. In 2008, he was invited by Taiwan’s chief of legislative Yuan, Wang Jin-ping and he went to Taipei again about a year ago showing his passion to Taiwan. Abe’s family own two prime minister, his grandfather Kishi Nobusuke (1957-1960) and his great-uncle Sato Eisaku (1964-1972) with his father, Abe Shintaro, who was Japan's foreign minister.

Noda is forced to pin a contour line of circle right now. LDP’s enchanting the recovery makes me remember myself who loves listening to Ai Otsuka’s “Renai Shiashin” and “Kinyo Hanebi” with Asian stable prosperity. More and more Japanese is inclined to go back to Koizumi’s dynasty. I hope this Chibaken's congressman remember Yokohama’s dumpling vendor that Zhou En-lai praised very much before any trouble occurred - and no more.

kommonsenses in reply to sharkroro

all this talk of political past details of japan today is rather meaningless.

today, japanese government cannot 'tie its shoes' without the approval of the us, neither does taiwan to a lessor degree.

the problem is that such uniformity in get tough diplomatic policy whipped together under the us 'reentry' to asia doctrine is not really to the best interest of the us and is detrimental to japan.

if and when the push comes to the shovel, the us is not about to sacrifice its core interest in its sino-american stake holding relationship for anyone, and rightly so, thus leaving japan and taiwan holding the bag the morning after. but that's not so good to every party involved, not even to the us and china, yet that's likely how it will end up with.


This article is shamelessly biased and bending facts, and at the same time insulting many people who are suffering from "Inflammatory bowel disease".
I am afraid that writing this kind of dirty an article anonymously would degrade the reputation of The Economist.
This article went far beyond the tolerated line of the morality. This is a suicide of the journalism.


In reply to get real
Please study Korean history. Apart from usual oppression and
injustice accompanying any colonialism, the annexation was not
military occupation at all. (See 19th~20th century colonialism
in Asia by Western powers) No pillage, rape or other vandalism
by military has been reported during annexation.

Get real. Come on now in reply to knaoe

Humbly accepted - and you go study Japanese history, and write me another inspiring article when you're done, deal? Remember to cite your sources this time, because it's hard for me to find the Japanese elementary school textbooks you use outside Japan.


Yes, nothing like stirring up territorial/nationalistic passions to hide the real issues for a countries citizens. This only really applies to two countries in this situation(Korea* My relatives are corrupt and they got caught which makes me worried about my party's re-election chances so lets talk about rocks!
Japan We live in a declining population country that will have a great deal of senior citizens in the next 30 years, not enough young people to pay for the entitlements for those seniors so lets talk about rocks!)
and since Chinese people can not vote who cares what they think so let them trash some stores and maybe a few Japanese factories, those at Foxcomm just keep the nets up and fight for some rocks.
Until the populaces of those countries tell their respective politicians to;
a)not fight but compromise on the distribution of the resources beneath the rocks which is what this is truly about
b)sit down like the Germans and French did over 45 years ago and say "Never again!" to each other and write a common history that(yes that means foreigners having input on domestic education policy which will go over like a lead balloon in these countries)
c)and get the TPP signed to show they should not be butting heads but working together because the pivot is coming quick.
The eligible voters of the countries have to tell the voters this then things will get resolved, not the politicians telling the populace. But with these countries that is probably where the true problem lies.

Mike Tyson Ironman in reply to kohai

There have been efforts to reconcile past history but it will never work. History is for its own people, linking them to their predecessors. Not linking to others. I completely disagree with your dangerous proposition. No thank you.

Besides, Chinese and Koreans are not the same as French to the Germans. They fabricate history like nothing.

Also. No thanks to TPP either. Only to encourage more American bullying in the Pacific and Asia ...

[Mike Tyson reply to 30th, 11:54



It won't work because, unlike the Germany, Japan has not had it Rape of Tokyo yet:

{[Kara no reply to Pacific 15th, 04:30
China never defeated Japan. Japan surrendered only to the United States. ]

There is some truth in your statement and it only confirms what many believe, which is that the Japanese only respects BRUTE FORCE. There is also some eerie similarity in mentality between the Japan of today and Germany between the World Wars.

After WWI, the German army felt "betrayed" by their politicians, who surrendered "without being militarily defeated". As a result the German right-wing did not feel obliged to accept the terms of their defeat. All that changed after WWII, in which Germany was not only soundly defeated but did so by its main victim-- USSR. The Rape of Berlin woke up the Germans so much that the denial of the Holocaust became a crime in Germany.

The fact that the main victims of Imperial Japan-- China, Korea-- did not actually militarily defeated Japan now make the Japanese right-wing arrogant. They feel that they are superior to their former victims while instinctively submitting to their white conquerors. It will have to take a "Rape of Tokyo" to bring them to their senses.

Needless to say, your statement above merely admits that, of the War in the Pacific and East Asia, only the part between Japan and the US is settled. The part between Japan and its Asian victims is still unfinished and remains suspended. Like the war in Europe, it will take a 2nd session to bring it to conclusion. Fortunately, unlike the first session, this 2nd session will be fought when the aggressor, Japan, will be weak while its victims, China, Korea and other Asian countries, will be strong. THAT will be poetic justice done!}


That is why Japan should pursue to become a nuclear power.
They missed their chance in 2008 when N. Korea became a nuclear power. Japan will get more chances ...

Also, I completely disagree that China and Korea were victims of Imperial Japan. Both countries were victims of themselves not being able to stand up on their own to counter European imperialism. Japan engaged in Korea and Manchuria for its own existence. Korea and Manchuria served as buffer against the Russians (later Soviets).

Besides, China started the war against Japan in Marco Polo bridge on the night of July 7, 1937. Japan clearly showed reluctance to escalate in how they handled the events.

[Mike Tyson reply to Devils 1st, 07:57
That is why Japan should pursue to become a nuclear power.


The quicker the better. Build them like the Fukushima nuclear plants.


I agree! As its economic decline continues, Japan will become a victim of itself by not being able to repeat its militarist ambitions. Tomorrow is the time to get even.


It was/is perfectly right and legal to shoot the robber who breaks into your own home. The new policy of China is to shoot those who attempt to break into China's territory.


I am not worried about Fukushima. Nobody died and nobody will. I am pretty sure the Japanese can build a damn good bomb.

You talk about economic decline in Japan, but US, Europe, and China are falling much faster. Yen is the strongest currency in the world, so I would not really start worrying until the Yen starts dropping very rapidly ... although Japanese economy can use massive printing of Yen by Bank of Japan.

Your robber analogy does not apply. The Japanese troops in Beijing at the time were there legally based on 1901 treaty (Boxer Rebellion) just as the US troops today are stationed legally under a treaty. It does not make it right for the Japanese to attack US troops.


[Mike Tyson reply to Devils 2nd, 09:15

I am sure that the 2 Koreas will be able to build "damn good bombs".

[You talk about economic decline in Japan, but US, Europe, and China are falling much faster.]

Yeah. I can see that they are all preparing for another expedition to Beijing.


The only way the strongest can go is down.


The Boxer Rebellion was provoked by the aggressions of the Western powers and Japan against China. All these aggressors were robbers intruded into China's territory.

As I said before, the only way to make people like you to understand is a Rape of Tokyo. A Rape of Berlin worked on the German and a Rape of Tokyo will also work on the Japanese. The rise of rightwing militarism in Japan is preparing ground for that to happen.



That's a business between 2 robbers. I will leave that to themselves.



Abe is back? So there was an end to the potential prime minster supply.

Anjin-San in reply to atashi

Koizumi's son is too young to be PM after the next election, or that's the Kasumigaseki consensus.

Personally, Koizumi isn't ready to become a leader until he experience a major personal crisis or a failure. Life without a crisis breeds fragile personality unfit for leadership (ie. Fair-Weather leaders who break down under stress, just like Abe).


Japan has always behaved double-faced. In his recent speech at UN, Noda said that there is no territorial issue exists over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and there will be no comprise. Then Japan's ally US urges all parties to the negotiation table and comprise. But if there is no issue exists, what are you going to negotiate? So there will be no negotiation.

Noda's point was no strong enough. He should have clearly stated the historical facts so that everybody understands what kind of bogus claim China is trying to make.

He needs to try harder so that UN feels sympathy towards Japan for having such idiotic neighbor.

China will never change ...

For those Japanese invested in China ... go home quickly!


Rhetoric aside, this japanese ‘democracy’ and ‘election’ on major issues are farce. Japan is not a free and independent nation by any western measure. japanese politicians are allowed to roam about and be active within a certain bound not unlike caged animals with its own playground in the zoo.

whenever the japanese government was moving closer to its major asian neighbours, they got pulled right back. and the us master can change japanese prime minister just like that, with 7 yankings in like number of years of late. but right or wrong, that at least was done in the us interest of maintaining security in asia while keeping an eye on an unrepentant japan.

but judging from tough talks of recent new conservatives or right wingers, will japan be content in it subservient and accessory role to the us after almost 70 years of being so?

as such the us should be particularly watchful over the ulterior motive of these japanese politicians under that façade of seemingly abject submissiveness to the us, it may be all fake to fool americans.

Michael Dunne in reply to kommonsenses

They are certainly freer than mainland China.

You can jump through all the logical gymnastics you like, and repeat the same propaganda (like a flat-Earther), but it won't change reality.

7 yankings? Kind of an odd statement since things can be looked up - like one retiring based on party rules (Koizumi), and another losing an election. This stuff can be looked up pretty easily you know? It is public information....

Japan is just playing dead. Do not underestimate the unbroken history spanning 2700 years. Ten times mature as the US.

As the US gets weaker relative to other nations (18% of world economy right now compared 60% back in 1950), Japan cannot survive by piggybacking on the US. Soon Japan will start moving towards complete independence ... for its own security.

I don't think I ever heard the US comprising 60% of the world economy, not with respect to GNP (which they used back then), at least.
Not mentioned in the statement was that in 1950 just about every other society was in a rough patch due to massive poverty or war dislocation.
As for now, I blieve the US was over 20% of world GDP, with a much smaller share of world population.
For 2010 these figures were given: " In 2010, U.S. GDP was just over $14.6 trillion, or about 23.6% of the estimated world GDP of nearly $62 trillion. "
Now has Japan increased defense expenditures, or held them steady?
I understood that their were plans for modest trimming for 2011-2015 fiscal periods (at 280 billion USD)
Has Japan drafted any strategy or concepts to transition towards becoming an armed neutral of the sort that Switzerland and Sweden had traditionally followed?
My sense is not really anything that represents a pragmatic, credible roadmap...but I could be wrong....
Does Japan have the political will for a defense buildup? I find that difficult to believe wants the bills start coming in...

kommonsenses in reply to Michael Dunne

they are freer in individual expressions yes, but as of now and sadly, japanese have no freedom or right to decide japanese fate as a nation, something even some poorest and most despotic nation has the right to do, for the better or worse of that nation.

yes nothing can change history, but some truth is worth to repeat many, many times. they say pledge of allegiance everyday at school, don't they?

as for the 7 yankings, of course there were public info cover reasons for the 'look up'. what about the behind the scene real reasons?

Michael Dunne in reply to kommonsenses

So just making an empty accusation because of China assuming an adversarial posture with a democracy with a higher standard of living?
Sounds like a desperate smear effort.
Maybe a coping mechanism too, to compensate for China's maldroit management of foreign relations?
Or, to deflect from the fact that a competitor has regular elections and representative democracy? (Must seem a little embarrasing in comparison to the old democratic centralism?)


Where there are military bases there are comfort women, whether as camp-followers or set up at brothels, from Marlborough’s Blenheim campaign through American civil war to present day US military bases in Korea, to name a few well-documented cases.
The army did not coerce women to do so, but desperate women and enterprising brothel-owners followed the army. Sino-Japanese war was no exception. It was the Korean brothel-owners with
Korean prostitutes (and later Japanese ones with Japanese women), who first followed the invading Japanese army. Of course Japanese army, like armies of any nationality, required and bought
their services. (Vide Post WWII US occupation forces in Japan and present-day American military bases world-wide, notably in Korea.) These brothel-owners replenished and expanded their
cohort of comfort women by recruiting fresh supply from home country. As testified by many ex-comfort women, most of them were r tricked into believing that they were going to work at Japanese factories. In every case, the recruiters who paid the parents
or deceived the girls were Korean brothels owners, their agents or brokers.
Later, the Japanese army supervised and controlled the brothels which were called comfort stations, for obvious hygienic purpose. In a country with a well-established and thriving sex-industry like Korea at that time, (let us be honest, in any other Asian country in that age) what foreign army should bother to use their soldiers, with no local connections or knowledge of indigenous language, to drag women out from their hiding places.? Common sense will tell that it would be far simpler, and natural, for the army to get in touch with local brothel-owners or brokers who were eager to earn money. If women were tricked or coerced, it was by their compatriots and not directly by foreign army. Of course behind the compatriots there was demand from the army. It may have been strong pressure, but ultimately it was money that motivated the recruiters. This process, far simpler and natural, explains why these women were paid, paid well when compared with Korean (or for that matter Japanese) workers or farmers. No slaves are paid remuneration for their service. Slaves are for life. They were not, and went home after a period(before the end of war). These women were professionals, whatever the circumstances which led to their misery, misery inflicted by their compatirots.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. What armies stationed in foreign countries did not do this?
The line separating the allied or American brothels from Japanese, and condemning Japanese ones as slavery, seems, that at the former the service was provided on one-on-one consent between
a soldier and a girl, while at the latter it was regimented, coercive and abusive. But is it true?
Was there no coercion when it came to relations between brothel-owners and prostitutes?
It was most foolish of Japanese army overtly to control these brothels or run the comfort stations while entrusting the sex-business to the locals. But when the other army did not do this, was it really out of their decency, and not cleverness and cynicism?

Get real. Come on now in reply to knaoe

Why would it be far simpler for an invading army, and especially the Japanese at the height of its empire building and self-endowed sense of racial superiority, to hire the services of prostitutes than to pillage, rape or enslave? I don't know. I think both had their advantages as the Japanese did plenty of both.

Get real. Come on now in reply to knaoe

A few more things. First, what is the difference between one-on-one consent and organized brothels as you mentioned? Scale, support from the military and explicit authorization perhaps? Second, your comparisons are shaky. The Americans are not occupying Korea like Japan occupied it's victim nations. There may have been plenty of one off incidents but the Americans did not need to fulfill the final sexual desires of its Kamikaze pilots before they flew their Zeroes into enemy structures/ships/bombers. Lastly, anyone remotely familiar with Japanese culture can tell you a little bit about its very unique set of views and behaviors on sex, as it is broadly used. This post deserves to be deleted if I were to claim that the comfort women practice had deeper, more intricate cultural roots in Japanese society...without challenging you to find me one other country that produces
more rape, incest or other strangely themed pornographic films titles than Japan. Well at least that's a thriving business in ailing Japan.

kommonsenses in reply to knaoe

what a foolish and nonsense talk of yours?
just because a guy needs a square meal does not justify his robbing and killing in a supermarket. the guy goes to the jail where he belongs. that what those japanese should be subject to.

Noqa in reply to knaoe

Shinzo Abe clearly stated in Japanese magazine that, if grandfather committed adultery or rape, it is father's responsibility to tell his sons a lie that their gradfather was a great person for the honour of his family.
He does not care for the truth of history and the misery of the people who suffered, unless Japanese.
He cared so much for the Japanese abductees to N. Korea, but did not show any sympathy to Korean sex slaves to Japanese army.
Note that racists like Shinzo Abe and Ishihara Shintaro are supported by the main stream in no other advanced country.
Hey knaoe! What you claim is more like that people who should be blamed for slavey in America is black people, because most slaves were beaten by other black slaves.
I think that Japan has no future in the global world, as long as the country is full of small-minded racists like you.

lanius excubitor

What a vulgar title you've put, TE, on this article! You sure aren't any company of yellow press, are you?

Shinzo Abe (as well as Shigeru Ishiba - the new LDP sec. gen.) should be hawk-eyed when seeing current issues in and outside Japan, but not biassed to 'right-wing' rubbish.

You'd better be informed that Abe's articulation with regard to his intention to compete neck to neck against Toru Hashimoto's party has already been reported, and that Abe's been merely opposed to 'TPP' with unrestricted liberalisation - claiming that Japan should seek for a leading role in establishing TPP before scooting off into what will be bulldozed by the North American partner(s).

All Abe & Ishiba need is economic advisers - who can be either among policymakers or researchers - to blueprint ways of Japan's economic recovery under strong Yen (which is possible all the way w/o hindrance from trade unions supporting left-wing members of the current DPJ administration).


Please don't worry too much about Abe, a politician who sways in harmony with perceived public opinions. He can make things worse, but hardly to the extent of devastation.
For decades, Japan has failed to produce one influential political figure with a vision. Given the fact that China doesn't have one either, the near prospect of East Asia can't be rosy at all.

Michael Dunne in reply to Sub-objectivist

PMs often changed over in Japanese modern history. However, in terms of notable political figures, you had:
- Sato Eisaku in the 1960s
- Tanaka Kakue in the 1970s
- Nakasone in the 1980s
- Koizumi in the 2000s

So not a dearth. A little less than one influential PM who exerted some impact a decade.

Sato did the development and peace promotion bit. Tanaka was into development, especially with his pet love of construction. Nakasone was into making Japan a world leader of sorts. Koizumi was into liberalization.


In fact, the senior Bush President idividually compensated for every Japanese American, enforced to enter the concentration camps during WWII, with a sincere apology. Why cannot Japan do?

Mike Tyson Ironman in reply to Akiakich

Because they were Americans (Japanese Americans) ... who were put into concentration camps in America. They put their own people ...

Wow. What a great country ... bunch of racists. Although they did come a long way ... look at Pres. Obama.

An.O in reply to kommonsenses

"japan's dark side of ww2"...which is one-sided story and is pretty much written by the victors of WW2.

I wonder when Americans get the courage or balls to know and confront America's dark side of WW2...

Quotes from "The Wartime Journals of Charles A. Lindbergh".

...'One of the patrol members offered the Jap a cigarette and a light, and as he started to smoke an arm was thrown around his head and his throat "slit from ear to ear."'
The entire procedure was thoroughly approved by the general giving the account.'

...'Supper with Phil La Follette. (...)At one point, the conversation turned to the atrocities committed by the Japanese and by our own men. It was freely admitted that some of our soldiers tortured Jap prisoners and were as cruel and barbaric at times as the Japs themselves. Our men think nothing of shooting a Japanese prisoner or a soldier attempting to surrender. They-treat the Jap with less respect than they would give to an animal, and these acts are condoned by almost everyone. We claim to be fighting for civilization, but the more I see of this war in the Pacific the less right I think we have to claim to be civilized. In fact, I am not sure that our record in this respect stands so very much higher than the Japs'.'

...'We hold his examples of atrocity screamingly to the heavens while we cover up our own and condone them as just retribution for his acts.'

...'(...)our Marines seldom accepted surrender of the Japanese troops on the island. It had been a bitter fight; our men had lost heavily; the general desire was to kill and not take prisoners. Even when prisoners were taken, the naval officer said, they were lined up and asked which ones could speak English. Those who were able to speak English were taken for questioning. The others "simply weren't taken."'

...'A long line of such incidents parades before my mind: the story of our Marines firing on unarmed Japanese survivors who swam ashore on the beach at Midway; the accounts of our machine-gunning prisoners on a Hollandia airstrip; of the Australians pushing captured Japanese soldiers out of the transport planes which were taking them south over the New Guinea mountains ("the Aussies reported them as committing hara-kiri or 'resisting' "; of the shinbones cut, for letter openers and pen trays, from newly killed Japanese bodies on Noemfoor; of the young pilot who was "going to cream that Jap hospital one of these days"; of American soldiers poking through the mouths of Japanese corpses for gold-filled teeth ("the infantry's favorite occupation" ; of Jap heads buried in anthills "to get them clean for souvenirs"; of bodies bulldozed to the roadside and dumped by the hundreds into shallow, unmarked graves("where they’re so close we can’t stand ’em, we have to bury ’em"'

...' We, who claimed that the German was defiling humanity in his treatment of the Jew, were doing the same thing in our treatment of the Jap. "They really are lower than beasts. Every one of ’em ought to be exterminated." How many times had I heard that statement made by American officers in the pacific!

...'What the German has done to the Jew in Europe, we are doing to the Jap in the Pacific. (...) It is not the Germans alone, or the Japs, but the men of all nations to whom this war has brought shame and degradation.'


Mr. Abe must honestly reconfirm Mr. Khono's official acknowledgment of "sex slaves", organiztionally enforced by Japan's wartime military, and individually compensate, based on human conscience and human right. Never repeat Japanese-style ambiguity, failed in the past visit to the US!

Jasiek w japonii

Let me introduce myself this time as one who finds The Economist's view on Japan to be biased - and often extremely - while its view on Poland is always well-balanced thanks much to Mr Edward Lucas.

I would like The Economist to adopt positivist approach to topics related to Japan as well, as it does to ones related to Poland, rather than presenting an enumeration of allegations.


Just as seen in Japan's very popular song by Japan's very popular singer, Sachiko Kobayashi, the words of "Endure, Endure---" reflect the real voice of most common Japanese who coninued to endure the undurables during the past decades and even worse will continue to endure the undurables unforeseeably. Do Japan's leaders, especially politicians, know this really serious or bitterest feeling or mind of common Japasnese?

Mike Tyson Ironman

Abe will win back conservative votes and form 2nd Abe cabinet which represents the conservative voice.

This article forgot to mention many things, so I will mention a few of the things he has said he will do.

1. He will not implement sales tax increase in 2014 if the economy is still in deflation.

2. He will cooperate with Bank of Japan to get the economy out of deflation and into mild inflation. That means quantitative easing, and increased government spending in public infrastructure. This implies $1 = 120 yen and Nikkei average will climb back to 20,000 yen.

3. He will take back "Kono discourse" and issue a new discourse stating there was no evidence that Japanese Imperial Army were involved in mistreatment of comfort women.

4. He will build facilities on Senkaku Island.

5. He will make further steps to revise or replace the constitution.

These are pretty important things ...

He will also piss off all of Asia, which includes many US/UK allies (SK, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, SG, etc) by denying Japanese war-sex crimes.

Will the Americans back Japan over South Korea or the Philippines? I doubt it, because SK and the Philippines have never actually fought against the US and there are far more Korean and Filipino Americans than there are Japanese Americans.

Voting for Abe is a good way to get Japan isolated.

BTW I don't actually care if Japan chooses to deny war crimes, as you love to do, because while you can deny it to yourselves, you can't convince the rest of the world to buy your propaganda.

But as a purely strategic move, denying war crimes does not seem to serve Japanese interests whatsoever.

People of the Philippines have not forgotten 600,000 murdered by the Americans during Philippines American war (1899-1913).

War-sex crimes are groundless, and Abe will make a clear statement that there are no evidence for those accusations.

Filipinos seem to overlook casulties from that insurgency during WWII.

Aside from some minor collaboration in leadership circles, the Filipinos stuck by the Americans, participating in heavy fighting at the beginning and conclusion of the Pacific War, as well as pursuing by all accounts some broadbase insurgencies.

Quite a few Japanese soldiers died in the Philippines. Many more than in other territories, with the exception of China.

You are talking about a person who by his own admission had become psychologically unfit.

If the Economist is correct here, Abe even aquired a strange mental illness that brought on serial defecation.

He couldn't do his job because he had to hit the benjo too much if I am reading this correctly..

You really think he is going to cut it a second time round?

"Abe will make a clear statement that there are no evidence for those accusations."

Well, of course there isn't. Smart criminals destroy evidence, and the Japanese government had plenty of time to do that in 1945 before McArthur arrived.

McArthur and Tokyo tribunal prosecution came up with bogus evidence anyway like Nanjing. Western barbarism at its best ... not surprising knowing what the US and UK repeatedly did ... genocide of native Americans, atrocities committed in the Philippines (1899-1912), India and other UK colonies.

Yes, the USA and the UK have done some pretty odious things. I'm not seeking to deny that. You should be more grateful, though. If we'd hanged a few more Japanese war criminals like Nobusuke Kishi instead of letting them get back into power and done more to create the same sort of post-war government in Japan that Germany now has, comments like the sort you make would land people in prison. The idea of Shinzo Abe, with his family links to war crimes that I'm sure he'd love to pretend never happened, having any sort of political career would be even more laughable than it is at the moment.

Michael Dunne

Interesting article. I think the LDP is on its way towards snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Abe Shinzo had a pretty checkered tenure as Prime Minister (with cabinet ministers committing suicide, or getting caught up in scandals), and left under some really odd circumstances. There was mention of psychological exhaustion for instance.

Seems like the equivalent of McGovern having a VP pick that went through psychological treatment (shock therapy possibly).

As for decentralizing politics from Tokyo, I don't believe any life long politician and scion of a political family is truly for that, unless they are like Robert Byrd, and looking to move facilities and services to their districts/regions.


Nationalism has been taught in china for decades. Now they can't control it. And they want to introduce it in Hong Kong.

guest-injnoos in reply to penjorethinley

Nationalism has been taught in japan for decades. (Denial of war crimes, rape, etc.) Now they can't control and are about to really piss off the South Koreans, the Philippines, and the rest of Asia, many of which countries are close allies of the US/UK.

Perhaps Japan will alienate themselves not only from Asia but also from the West by denying war crimes?

Sachi Mohanty

The tension between Japan and China amply proves if proof were needed that nationalism is a poisonous affliction of human nature just like religion.

I wonder if China and Japan have outgrown their infantile proclivities to resort to meaningless jingoism over silly disputes.

But clearly when there's a dispute which might be solved via a give-and-take approach, there often is many slip between the give and the take.

Here's hoping that there won't be too many or too dangerous slips.


Twitter: @sachi_bbsr



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