Purge against Trump supporters has started in Japan

[misternada]

First victim: Maya Kobayashi

 

[thomas]

How is her sacking Trump-related? Because of her critical Biden remarks? It seems she has been earmarked for dismissal for quite a while and finally got sacked by her agency/TBS for totally different reasons.

 

[nahadef]

Assuming it was Trump related, how is one person the start of a purge? It's not even a coincidence.

 

[misternada]

Did you watch the video ? She says she prefers Trump over Biden, and she get sacked the next day for "totally different reasons" ? Come on...
And today you had the despicable Pakkun praise Biden the whole morning on TBS, very strange.
Btw what she said is what most Japanese people think.

 

[thomas]

So it's not her history of discrepancies with the channel but a conspiracy of anti-Trumpists?

Also, do you have any sources or data on what most Japanese think of the issue?

 

[nahadef]

I don't think it's most Japanese by any sane understanding of the word "most", but I am surprised at the support Trump has among fairly apolitical Japanese. They don't know him, or how he is, or anything about his policies, but he is translated as being tough on China, and that is pretty much the one issue Japanese get neurotic about.

If they only knew how full of talk he is... He is happy to rile up his racist crowds with anti-Chinese talk, but when it comes to dealing with Xi, he's a pussycat who wants what Xi has.

 

[mdchachi]

I don't think it's most Japanese by any sane understanding of the word "most", but I am surprised at the support Trump has among fairly apolitical Japanese. They don't know him, or how he is, or anything about his policies, but he is translated as being tough on China, and that is pretty much the one issue Japanese get neurotic about.

If they only knew how full of talk he is... He is happy to rile up his racist crowds with anti-Chinese talk, but when it comes to dealing with Xi, he's a pussycat who wants what Xi has.

 

[thomas]

Someone posted a report of a MAGA event in Hibiya last weekend. This is a highly interesting read!

However, while well-organised, only 500 people attended.

 

[Petaris]

That is quite an interesting read @thomas.

 

[nice gaijin]

Trumpism is a lukewarm wet sock you can slide over just about any extreme ideology. It'll cover you and keep you warm briefly, before it saps your body heat and leave you with trench foot.

We are truly in one of the dumbest timelines. Hold me tight, fellas.

 

[thomas]

Here's a commentary weighing a few theories as to the identity and the motivation of some of those Japanese "Trump supporters".

Who were the organizers?

Such large-scale demonstrations with so many well-crafted banners and flags could not have take place spontaneously. The marches certainly were not the work of an individual or a group of amateurs. The protests had to be the brainchild of a big and affluent organization or a group of such organizations. A Mainichi reporter identified one Japanese organizer as a member of a small religious group in Japan. No matter who the Japanese organizers were, they certainly don't support Trump because they are white supremacists or QAnon activists. I suspect the organizers must be either strongly conservative or right-wing, anti-Chinese activists who are suspicious of the establishment — such as a so-called Japanese "deep state" — and who are not satisfied with the current situation in Japan in general.

Who were the demonstrators?

While the great majority of demonstrators were Japanese citizens, journalists reported that Chinese, Koreans, Americans and Poles also participated. Are they all Trump lovers? Hardly. Reportedly, some marchers only spoke Chinese and were not fluent in Japanese. In fact, the identities of those demonstrators are still unknown. Regardless of who they were, it's difficult to discern exactly why such a disparate group of people came together over the results of the U.S. election. Some may be expat Americans or Europeans living in Japan who really loved and supported Donald Trump. Others may be anti-Chinese Communist Party citizens of China or anti-Japanese government Koreans. As for the Japanese demonstrators, their motives in joining the demonstrations seem to be much more complicated.

Who were those Trumpists marching in Tokyo?

There were at least two demonstrations organized by Trump supporters in Tokyo last month. The question is who organized the events.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[nahadef]

@misternada Any word on the purge that began? How many heads have rolled?