Unpopularity on Personal Agenda

A poll showed unpopularity on a personal agenda of Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. National poll operated by Kyodo News Agency on Saturday and Sunday revealed nearly a half people opposed Japan to exercise collective self-defense, while less than four out of ten supported it. The negative opinion increased after Abe announced his willingness to unleash Japan from the restraint. People are getting aware of nature of the issue set by a basically warmongering leader.

Kyodo poll found 48.1% of responders opposed exercising collective self-defense right, while 39.0% supported it. On vesting that right on Japan Self-defense Force by reinterpreting, not amending, the Article IX of the Constitution of Japan, 51.3% answered they were against it, and 34.5% were supporting. The ratio of responders who thought Abe did not have to insist on making his decision by this fall amounted 79.3%. Supporting right for Abe Cabinet was 54.7%, declining by 5.1% from the survey one month ago.

Those numbers meant that the prime minister failed in dialogue with the public. Abe looked serious in persuading the public behind TV camera in his press conference on Thursday. He drew two panels that tried to explain how it was important to rescue Japanese people on United States vessel or to help foreign colleagues in a peace-keeping operation conducted by the United Nations.

However, he made the same mistake as he had done in his first term. He was derided by the public of both Japan and U.S. in contemplating “true fact” of comfort women in World War II. On forcibility of Japanese Imperial Army to take the women into slavery, Abe denied it in “broad meanings,” while admitting it in “narrow meanings.” With that dualism, he attempted to dismiss major direct responsibility of the Government of Japan by admitting minor indirect involvement. That attitude invited broad criticisms. For the public of Japan and U.S., comfort women issue was something happened under control of Japanese military anyway, regardless broad or narrow meanings.

That kind of trivial reasoning came back again. People held serious questions on his theory. In which situation would Japanese people board on a U.S. vessel? Why Japan cannot protect that vessel, or foreign PKO colleagues, under current interpretation of the Constitution? Why do we have to allow Self-defense Force being able to go everywhere in the world to make it happen?

Abe made no answer to them, while reiterating security for Japanese people. That was possibly because he had an unspeakable answer or nothing. If he had one, it should be “Because I wanna do that for my legacy.” That is no longer a democracy, Prime Minister.