Why Shinzo Abe Blinked on 'Comfort Women'

Why Shinzo Abe Blinked on 'Comfort Women'

Since taking office, Abe has slowly re-militarized Japan, which he seems to earnestly consider both necessary and part of his legacy. But those policies have been unpopular among Japanese voters. Perhaps Abe initially thought that stirring up nationalism (for example by downplaying Japan's enslavement of comfort women) would generate popularity for his militarism policies. But that didn't really work, and it worsened relations with South Korea and China, which just ended up making his militarization policies even more controversial. So, regardless of what Abe really believes about comfort women, he may have concluded that apologizing for them would grant him more space to continue growing Japan's military, which is likely what he cares about more.

Read Full Article »
Comment
Show commentsHide Comments

Related Articles