Same Tactics, Different Location

Wary Eye Cast on Abe's 'New Japan' is a shallow overview of Japan's new prime minister, Abe Shinzo.

It isn't comforting but also not surprising to see that the attacks taking place in this country are also taking place elsewhere. In the U.S. it is some sort of mythical, christian America. In Japan, the politicians leading the attacks against working people are vocally calling upon bushido, the old samurai code that allowed the elite to cut down peasants as part of their social rights. For a wonderful commentary on bushido, I recommend the film Harakiri.

These politicians aren't subtle, either. They focus their energies on "left-wing" education and "brainwashing" — this despite the fact that their party has dominated Japanese politics for the whole period they say is the problem. At the same time, they claim that their cronies who are right-wing terrorists aren't a threat. It's obvious pandering to these groups which openly harass and commit violence against the population (and have done so for some time).

The LDP has had the remilitarization of Japan as a goal for some time now. What isn't reported on here is that there's obviously been a shift in the Japanese population. For decades, leading politicians wanted the constitution changed, but knew that the population wouldn't support it. Economic desperation and social breakdown over the last fifteen years, however, have shifted people's opinions. In the absence of another voice, the demagogues have gained ground. This subtext is throughout the article, but not mentioned clearly.