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News PM Abe throwing in the towel again

thomas

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It appears PM Abe has decided to resign: press conference to be held at 5 PM today.

安倍首相 辞任の意向固める 持病が悪化したことなど理由に | NHKニュース

【NHK】安倍総理大臣は、持病が悪化したことなどから国政に支障が出る事態は避けたいとして、総理大臣を辞任する意向を固めました。安倍…
www3.nhk.or.jp

【詳報】安倍首相、辞任「月曜日に自分一人で判断した」：朝日新聞

7年半におよぶ長期政権を築いた安倍晋三首相の突然の決断――。辞任の意向を固めた安倍首相は28日午後5時から、首相官邸で記者会見を開きました。永田町などの動きをタイムラインで詳報・解説するとともに、会…
www.asahi.com
 
I think our online paper has already reported it 1624), citing health concerns.
 
Luckless Abe: after his colitis forced him to resign in 2007 after less than a year as PM it's the same chronic disease that will end his second tenure, this time after a record-breaking 2,800 days in office. Sadly, Abe's second cabinet ends as unfruitful as his first:
  • Abenomics: his "three arrows" will soon be forgotten, as they didn't hit their target, or were never even shot. Promised structural reforms were never implemented as lobbies and cronies, such as JA, successfully stonewalled from the beginning. Japan's economy is now in a deep recession, the GDP shrank by 27.8%.
  • Female empowerment: mere lip service, his last cabinet of 20 sported one female minister.
  • Foreign policy: his hamburger & baseball cap appeasement of Trump yielded no significant results; the bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea are as sour as never before, and while Japanese and Chinese politicians do meet regularly, Abe has failed to contain the territorial dispute around the Senkakus. His desperate efforts to meet Kim Jong-un were unsuccessful.
  • Coronavirus: his cabinet's handling of the pandemic was unassertive and contradictory, useless and costly "abenomasks' were only delivered after stocks of regular masks had already been replenished; financial subsidies were paid out late and after several amendments forced by his coalition partner, the Komeito. His lack of leadership resulted in several local politicians taking over the initiative (Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, and others).
  • Constitutional reform: Abe's attempts at amending, or rather, "reinterpreting" Art. 9 of the Japanese Constitution failed due to political resistance; it never gained popularity among the Japanese.
  • Cronyism and corruption: while never directly involved, Abe's tenure was riddled with graft and bribery, though it reached as far as his wife, Akie.
Personally, I wish him a swift recovery. Hopefully, his successor will deliver more tangible results in a shorter time and not shy away from essential reforms long overdue. Now waiting for the press conference.
 
I think you nailed it there, Thomas. There have been promises to do everything from female empowerment to seriously tackling CO2 emissions, which have been faithfully reported by NHK, giving the impression of an ambitious and modernising PM, but then nothing happens after that, with nobody from the media later saying "What about that promise you made about...". I'll give him credit that he hasn't made things much worse, which puts him above Trump, Johnson, and Bolsanaro. Faint praise though.
My relief at seeing him go is tempered by the fact that all the candidates for the job will probably be cut from a similar cloth.

I was looking through some of the comments on Facebook and was rather surprised by the number of foreign people who appear to like him, because he doesn't seem to be popular with Japanese people at all, despite the electoral success of the LDP.
 
Last edited:
thomas said:
Female empowerment
Click to expand...

The idea that Abe believes in female empowerment is a joke. Abe is a member of the Nihon Kaigi (日本会議), an ultra-right group that wants to return Japan to the pre-war days of women walking three steps behind their husbands. (Don't forget that Abe threatened to refuse to allow the Emperor to abdicate.)

Note the word "misogyny" appears in the following webpage.

Nippon Kaigi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org
 
To be fair, that's on Wikipedia and the term is taken from an opinion piece clearly against the 日本会議. What does their actual platform say about women and gender equality? Is it that blatant?
 
The next caretaker has been chosen (with the approving nod of LDP's grey eminence, Nikai). No surprises here, and no surprises to be expected.

Abe right-hand man Yoshihide Suga emerges as a top pick to replace him

Suga conveyed his intention to run to LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, who will be influential in selecting the crucial election format, sources said.
www.japantimes.co.jp

A Kyodo poll sees Ishiba in the lead:

Shigeru Ishiba seen most fit as Japan PM Abe's successor in Kyodo poll - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Former defense chief Shigeru Ishiba is the most popular choice to be Japan's next prime minister, gaining 34.3 percent of support and
mainichi.jp
 
Does Yoshihide Suga remind anyone else of Gollum, or is it just me?
 
Now here's a token of excellence.

Trump lauds Abe as Japan’s ‘greatest prime minister’ as bromance set to end

In their phone call Monday morning — the pair’s 37th such call — Abe said Japan would continue working to develop new national security policies.
www.japantimes.co.jp

It seems that the race for PM will be decided between Suga and Ishiba. Though not exactly dovish, I was hoping for Kono to take a more prominent role, but I guess he will try to position himself for the general election next year.
 
I wonder if cozying up to the worst political leader of the 21st century will be something he regrets as part of his "legacy"
 
nahadef said:
I wonder if cozying up to the worst political leader of the 21st century will be something he regrets as part of his "legacy"
Click to expand...
Now now Angela Merkel isn't that bad.
 
I would love to see the three take an IQ test, or just a basic high school equivalency test. I would confidently wager a lot of money on who comes out on top, and who can't figure out how a mechanical pencil works.
 
Not really related to IQ, but, at least, one of them has a doctorate in quantum chemistry and worked as a researcher. And has been seen frequently shopping for groceries in supermarkets.
 
Buntaro said:
Perhaps EQ is just as important as IQ?
Click to expand...
Both a high IQ and EQ are needed, but if IQ primarily measures processing speed and retention, and EQ primarily measures the ability to 'read' people and situations, then EQ is more important for this position.
 
An interesting look at all three contenders in the race for premiership (though it appears the winner has already been decided):

The ‘Iron Wall,’ the ‘prince’ and the ‘military geek’: A look at the trio vying to lead Japan

Shigeru Ishiba, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida are aiming to become party president — and by default, the nation’s next prime minister — in the Sept. 14 election.
www.japantimes.co.jp

Sadly, all female candidates had no chance from the outset:

 
Now that was a surprise. NOT!

Japan’s next leader: How Yoshihide Suga beat the odds to succeed Shinzo Abe

The current chief Cabinet secretary won by a landslide in the party poll, all but guaranteeing his spot at the top.
www.japantimes.co.jp

And with snap elections in October the new status quo will be cemented: no chance for the opposition to consolidate their forces nor for rival LDP candidates (Ishiba, Kishida, Kono) to gain more support.

What I like in Suga is the fact that he's not blue-blooded, as he doesn't hail from a political dynasty. I doubt, however, that he's the right man to initiate political and economic reforms so urgently needed.

 
thomas said:
What I like in Suga is the fact that he's not blue-blooded, as he doesn't hail from a political dynasty. I doubt, however, that he's the right man to initiate political and economic reforms so urgently needed.
Click to expand...
From the politics in the US, and those here, I believe that leaders are more of an empty vessel (so it doesn't matter who gets in) and that you are essentially running with what the Party allows you to do. So, it's Suga, it's Suga walking in the pants of the LDP and nothing more.
 
What left me totally flabbergasted was how fast our oh-so cosmopolitan and globally well-connected Mr Abe showed his true colours, visiting Yasukuni Shrine last Friday and posting it to Twitter.


If this was really between him and the spirits of the war dead, why TBH couldn't it stay private??


Shinzo Abe visits war-linked Yasukuni shrine after stepping down

Move, announced by tweet, comes following resignation as prime minister
asia.nikkei.com

Abe’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine blasted by Chinese netizens - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 
thomas said:
Mr Abe showed his true colours,
Click to expand...

Abe wants to return to a pre-war Japan state where the emperor is a god and wives must walk two steps behind their husbands. He probably thinks Tojo is a hero. Furthermore, he is not embarrassed by such ideas, he is proud of them and wants to push these ideas on the Japanese people. Yes, he continues to show his true colors. Why any Japanese woman would vote for the LDP is a mystery to me.
 
Flabbergasted? I wasn't in the least surprised.
 
Lothor said:
Flabbergasted? I wasn't in the least surprised.
Click to expand...

Yes, I should have said, "infuriated". I wonder how Mr Suga will handle the whole Yasukuni issue. It seems he's already reached out to the South Korean PM, they had a 20-minute phone conversation.
 
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