It’s a hot summer in Japan. The public is outraged by a set of security bills proposing to overhaul the country’s postwar defense policy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is sweating over a record dip in his approval ratings.
Despite several television and radio appearances, Mr. Abe has not managed to convince Japanese people that these reforms are necessary. Anti-militarist sentiment is stronger than ever, with protests not seen since the 1960s, when students demonstrated against the United States-Japan security treaty. The backlash is partly due to the government’s weak attempts to explain that Mr. Abe’s new defense policy is not the radical departure it appears to be, and to the bills’ having been rushed and rammed through the lower house of Parliament. Mostly, however, the resistance is the result of the country’s demographics, particularly its aging population.
Read Full Article »