WIT Life #223: Return to LDP rule with Abe at the helm
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
The parliamentary election in Japan two Sundays ago restored the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP or 自民党) to power after three years of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or 民主党) being in charge. LDP leader and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is now the incoming Prime Minister, and current Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned as head of the DPJ. A particular focus will be the new administration’s handling of issues such as relations with China and other Asian nations (in particular the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands), possible restarting of nuclear power plants and Japan’s energy policy (the LDP favors the nuclear option), and socioeconomic challenges (such as the low birthrate/increasingly aging population and combating deflation).
Abe is known to be a hawkish conservative, and he emphasizes both Japan’s ownership of the Senkakus and the importance of economic cooperation with China. He looks to strengthen the relationship with the U.S., and he has announced that his first official visit will be to America. In regard to Japan’s economic doldrums, Abe is prescribing radical monetary policy steps. He will be Japan’s 7th prime minister in six years, and it has been said that his party’s victory was less a matter of voters’ approval than of their expressing displeasure with the job the DPJ has done.
In his previous tenure as Prime Minister, Abe was accused of perpetuating a culture of cronyism, so this is something his critics will be watching for. At the time, Abe’s view was that Japan’s largest problem is “escaping the postwar regime,” a legacy of the U.S. occupation that is said to have deprived Japan of national pride and weakened traditional mores. Abe stands by that conviction, and in his comments during an appearance on a Japanese news show this weekend he indicated that he does not regret his visits to Yasukuni Shrine despite how much this angers Asian neighbors. Abe resigned mid-term in 2007, so it remains to be seen how he will fare in today’s tougher political climate.
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