New Year Impression

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe released annual new year impression on Friday. He listed a number of his achievements in these three years, indicating his great satisfaction on his job record. Based on those achievements, Abe defined this year as the year of challenge, stressing his devotion to his political agenda, One Hundred Million Dynamic Engagement. What is he challenging, anyway?

Abe quoted an old proverb, three years on a stone, which was paralleled with “perseverance prevails.” He seemed to say that these three years as Prime Minister were the days of patience. “In the suffered area in Northeastern Japan, people are moving to permanent houses and new industries are growing. Reconstruction is getting onto new stage,” said Abe in his comment.

What he mostly appealed was new security legislation. “By peace and safety legislation, we are ready to every situation and prevent war. We could establish a basis to hand over peaceful Japan to the generation of our children and grandchildren,” told Abe. Following that, he insisted on his economic success, getting rid of deflation. He raised one million additional jobs, the highest salary level in these seventeen years and the highest job offers-to-seeker ratio in seven prefectures.

Abe did not reply to a question that new security legislation with reinterpretation of Constitution of Japan would damage internal legal system based on pacifism and constitutionalism. Even how pacifism has been recognized in international society as a waning concept to avoid war, post-war Japan has been identified itself with that principle. There is no reason for weakening legal system topped by the constitution, even how security situation around Japan has changed.

As a new year resolution, Abe declared his determination to deal with aging society with low birthrate. “Everyone, including elderly, young, woman, man, once failed, obstinately sick or handicapped, can step forward. It is our responsibility to next generation to create a society where one hundred million people are dynamically engaged,” said Abe. While one of the pillars of Abenomics has been to achieve 2% inflation within two years starting April 2013, Abe looks like replaced “three pillars” to new ones.

Before challenging new policies, Japanese Prime Minister needs to open the balance seat of his agenda. What he has been challenging was post-war regime of Japan, which has been keeping distance from use of force as a measure of settling international conflict. While Abe stressed Japan’s leadership in the world society, this country has been exercising its leadership through various non-military efforts. War-mongering does not make sense as a challenge.