Only Looking to Future

In his policy speech to the Diet of Japan on Tuesday, Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, tried to make the nations see future, not look back past. Stressing that he would seek both growth and fiscal rebuilding at the same time, Abe showed his determination to go forward to a hope, in which Japan would be active in the center of the world. Not clear where the center of the world is, though, it is questionable whether Japan is on the right course.

He boasted of good reputation about Japan in the world. “Now, the world is closely watching the revival of Japan.” “I have introduced Japan’s agricultural projects in my foreign visits. They were amazingly popular everywhere.” “We should be proud of our history as a peaceful nation.” Those were what he emphasized in the address. How many truths are there in his words?

What we have been seeing is not a revival, but a change of mood in Japan economy. The world is still skeptical about Japan’s fiscal situation with huge accumulation of debt. Although some agricultural products of Japan might be popular, there are many other popular ones in the world. Whether they were amazingly so was up to individual feelings. Yes, we are proud of peaceful history, but it is the prime minister who is changing that tradition.

Undoubtedly, Abe did not care about those arguments against him. He insisted that Japan would become the most preferable country for companies to be active. For that goal, he said he would establish the special strategic districts, in which regulations would thoroughly be eliminated. However, this new initiative is already unpopular for some, because it may make workers dismissal easy for employers. Unstable employment was one of the most unpopular policies of former administrations of Liberal Democratic Party.

Abe, in the speech, also upheld “positive pacifism” as Japan’s banner to the world in the twenty-first century. While telling his willingness to contribute to the world peace and stability, it was obvious that he intended to change restrictive policy over collective self-defense right in the name of contribution to the world. But, if he wanted to contribute to the world peace, the first thing he needed to do was finding a break thorough in the dispute with China over Senkaku Islands, which he did not mention in the address.

He finished the speech with an amazingly optimistic point of view, saying “If we only have power of determination, we can achieve reconstruction from the great disaster, getting rid of deflation, economic recovery, fiscal rebuilding, social security reform, education rebuilding, building disaster-proof society, regional revitalizing and restoration of diplomacy and security policy.” One may say he’s a dreamer, and he is the only one.