Aso Likes Nazis, Ach So

The Deputy Prime Minister of Japan and Minister of Finance, Taro Aso, on Monday proposed introducing Nazi method in Japanese politics. “Weimar Constitution had unnoticeably been replaced by Nazi Constitution. How about learning that lesson? They did it without disturbance. The amendment should not be determined in a turmoil,” told Aso on the issue of constitutional amendment. He possibly wanted to discuss it in a moderate circumstance. But, it is usual that his somewhat extreme style of talking invites unnecessary argument.

In 2008, Aso asserted that then opposite party, Democratic Party of Japan, was close to Nazis in its political rigidity over bills. “In 1930s, emerging Nazis frequently stopped the discussion in the parliament led by Weimar regime. The attitude of ‘no way, let them do it’ brought that history,” Aso told in his speech. At that time, Fukuda administration suffered from opposition of DPJ, sealing its fate to a gridlock. Now, five years later from resembling DPJ to Nazis, Aso is in turn on the position of being criticized as Nazi admirer.

There is an argument that current situation in Japan is close to that in Germany in 1930s, when Nazis expanded power. The first thing is that the administration is emphasizing the necessity of economic growth. Nazi government poured resources into mixed economy, the mixture of market and planned economy. Abe’s economic policy also has an aspect of mixed economy, concerning stock market and foreign exchange, while expecting +2% target of commodity price. As Hitler encouraged public investment, represented by the construction of Autobahn, Abe puts the priority on building infrastructure.

As its result, the unemployment rate in June marked 3.90%, the lowest in these four years and eight months. The tendency of giving certain satisfaction with job creation is just the same as Nazi administration, which experienced a significant growth soon after the Great Depression.

Another element of Abe administration is exclusiveness of its political basis. In the last night of the election campaign earlier this month, a huge amount of people showed their support to Abe, chanting frustration against China and Korea. Although it is not so strong and systematic as in Nazi anti-Semitism, invisible racism against those neighbors has existed underground of Japan’s society. Abe and Aso are political figures, which are liked by those groups with exclusive concept.