National Crisis Shifts

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered New Year’s Reflection on Monday. Uniquely defining Japan as in a national crisis, Abe insisted on building a new nation, which was to justify his personal agenda, constitutional amendment. He argued that the government had to invest on the future of children. But it had not been social security, but building infrastructure, that Liberal Democratic Party was focusing, causing poor support for the weak people in the society.

With no clear reason, Abe quoted the words of female educator, Umeko Tsuda, who visited United States and Europe at her age of six and promoted higher education for women with establishing a women’s school, a basis of current Tsuda University. “With nobler desires, greater earnestness and wider sympathy not limited to just a few…the weakest of us may attain success,” quoted Abe of Tsuda’s thought. Abe introduced Tsuda as devoted her life to bringing the potential held by Japanese women into bloom.

Abe defined the time of Tsuda, Meiji Restoration 150 years ago, as in a national crisis, which was brought by the Western countries’ colonial rules surging into Asia. He seemed to parallel that time with current situation of Japan. “Japan now once again faces a critical situation that should truly be called a national crisis: our dwindling birth rate alongside our aging society,” argued Abe in his new year’s reflection. Skipping Japan’s experience in World War II, current low birth rate would be more critical crisis for him than abrupt reduction of Japanese population in the wartime.

Last fall, national crisis meant growing tension of security in Northeast Asia, which was seen in consecutive nuclear and missile provocation of North Korea or in maritime advance of China in East China Sea. Abe named dissolution of House of Representatives last September “breaking national crisis dissolution.” Although he argued that North Korea issue would face critical moment later last year, justifying his dissolution in advance, no big event happened. So Abe shifted the substance of “national crisis” from security situation to low birth rate. But the shift proved that it can be changed every one half year.

There is a criticism in cyber space that Abe is the national crisis itself. He promotes unnecessary constitutional amendment based on his personal resentment. He denied dialogue with North Korea to plant strong skepticism in the mind of Japanese people and justify unconstitutional security policy of his administration. He left intentional maneuver of the bureaucrats, which policy was preferable to the interest of his acquaintances. This quasi-dictatorship has to be ceased this year.