Japanese Politics Thread

[South Odreria 2]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN25O0HI
Japan’s longtime prime minister has long suffered from ulcerative colitis. He was in the hospital recently, and apparently feels that he can no longer do the job he has held for eight years effectively. Presumably someone will replace him.

[Purpelia]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Japanese politics I want to know if anyone can tell us what kind of a guy he was. Like I am genuinely curious. And just google searching for data on political figures tends not to give unbiased or even sane results most of the time so I won't even try. Better to ask someone who is actually familiar with the situation.

[Cordel One]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Japanese politics I want to know if anyone can tell us what kind of a guy he was. Like I am genuinely curious. And just google searching for data on political figures tends not to give unbiased or even sane results most of the time so I won't even try. Better to ask someone who is actually familiar with the situation.

The Wikipedia page says he's a right-wing WW2 revisionist who leads their Liberal Democratic party.

[Purpelia]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Japanese politics I want to know if anyone can tell us what kind of a guy he was. Like I am genuinely curious. And just google searching for data on political figures tends not to give unbiased or even sane results most of the time so I won't even try. Better to ask someone who is actually familiar with the situation.

The Wikipedia page says he's a right-wing WW2 revisionist who leads their Liberal Democratic party.

Wikipedia is a very, very bad source on anything in regard to anything remotely controversial like politics. It's good for stuff with no controversy like math or science but that's about it.

[Cordel One]

The Wikipedia page says he's a right-wing WW2 revisionist who leads their Liberal Democratic party.

Wikipedia is a very, very bad source on anything in regard to anything remotely controversial like politics. It's good for stuff with no controversy like math or science but that's about it.

Pretty much, but we get a vague idea of who he is.

[South Odreria 2]

The Wikipedia page says he's a right-wing WW2 revisionist who leads their Liberal Democratic party.

Wikipedia is a very, very bad source on anything in regard to anything remotely controversial like politics. It's good for stuff with no controversy like math or science but that's about it.

It’s actually very even handed for the most part.

[Sundiata]

The end of an era.

[Luziyca]

As someone not knowledgeable about Japanese politics, I hope he enjoys his retirement.

[Kowani]

Every dinosaur has his day...

[Slaughter None]

Every dinosaur has his day...

Why do you call him a dinosaur?

[Kowani]

Every dinosaur has his day...

Why do you call him a dinosaur?

Mate's the longest serving PM in Japanese history, and he's been in power even longer.

[Duvniask]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Japanese politics I want to know if anyone can tell us what kind of a guy he was. Like I am genuinely curious. And just google searching for data on political figures tends not to give unbiased or even sane results most of the time so I won't even try. Better to ask someone who is actually familiar with the situation.

He's a useless piece of shit, in terms of doing anything that helps regular people, that is. Smoke and mirrors are par for the course, as he's an all-talk, little action kind of politician; keeps "urging" this and that, has raised the consumption tax, which hurts regular people and is entirely counter to his ideas of stimulating the sluggish Japanese domestic economy. His structural reforms, the "third arrow of Abenomics" have never taken off. He has done very little to support (working) women, per his promotion of "womenomics", which just further drags out the demographic collapse Japan finds itself in. He's been much more focused on using political capital to revise the post-war Constitution.

He's a member of Nippon Kaigi, which is an openly revisionist organization that outright denies or claims Japanese war crimes were exaggerated, supports state shinto, opposes LGBT-rights, etc. They are ultra-conservative reactionaries who want a return to pre-war Japan.

[Whitemore]

Good riddance to him, I'm happy he is safe but Japan deserves a better leader then Shinzo Abe. He's had 8 years to improve Japan's place in the World but all he's done is talk and not do anything to better his citizen's lives or help the Economy boom. I hope someone young is elected Prime Minister when he leaves eventually, it's time for the younger generation to take up the reigns of Japan and help lead it.

[Duvniask]

Why do you call him a dinosaur?

Mate's the longest serving PM in Japanese history, and he's been in power even longer.

More than 8 years of toothless government.

[Duvniask]

Good riddance to him, I'm happy he is safe but Japan deserves a better leader then Shinzo Abe. He's had 8 years to improve Japan's place in the World but all he's done is talk and not do anything to better his citizen's lives or help the Economy boom. I hope someone young is elected Prime Minister when he leaves eventually, it's time for the younger generation to take up the reigns of Japan and help lead it.

I doubt the old boys' club would ever allow someone young and forward-looking to come into office.

[Kowani]

Mate's the longest serving PM in Japanese history, and he's been in power even longer.

More than 8 years of toothless government.

It's interesting for me. Japan is the vindication of a lot of MMT, which is extremely helpful for advancing reforms within the capitalist superstructure.

But like...he sucks at practically every other aspect of government.

[Whitemore]

Good riddance to him, I'm happy he is safe but Japan deserves a better leader then Shinzo Abe. He's had 8 years to improve Japan's place in the World but all he's done is talk and not do anything to better his citizen's lives or help the Economy boom. I hope someone young is elected Prime Minister when he leaves eventually, it's time for the younger generation to take up the reigns of Japan and help lead it.

I doubt the old boys' club would ever allow someone young and forward-looking to come into office.

Oh I know, but I have to hold out hope. They can't stop us 100%, perhaps a good compromise candidate could be reached?

[Nuroblav]

Hope he has a good retirement. Not that he's done much though, or was really that good at the job anyway.

[Region of Dwipantara]

I doubt the old boys' club would ever allow someone young and forward-looking to come into office.

Oh I know, but I have to hold out hope. They can't stop us 100%, perhaps a good compromise candidate could be reached?

Does anyone know a potential candidate? So far I only know about Abe's rival, former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, and the current deputy PM Taro Aso. Both are hardly reformists. Masayoshi Shido would very quickly make Japan great again, though.

[Purpelia]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Japanese politics I want to know if anyone can tell us what kind of a guy he was. Like I am genuinely curious. And just google searching for data on political figures tends not to give unbiased or even sane results most of the time so I won't even try. Better to ask someone who is actually familiar with the situation.

He's a useless piece of shit, in terms of doing anything that helps regular people, that is. Smoke and mirrors are par for the course, as he's an all-talk, little action kind of politician; keeps "urging" this and that, has raised the consumption tax, which hurts regular people and is entirely counter to his ideas of stimulating the sluggish Japanese domestic economy. His structural reforms, the "third arrow of Abenomics" have never taken off. He has done very little to support (working) women, per his promotion of "womenomics", which just further drags out the demographic collapse Japan finds itself in. He's been much more focused on using political capital to revise the post-war Constitution.

He's a member of Nippon Kaigi, which is an openly revisionist organization that outright denies or claims Japanese war crimes were exaggerated, supports state shinto, opposes LGBT-rights, etc. They are ultra-conservative reactionaries who want a return to pre-war Japan.

So basically he has some good projects overall but his economic policy is a failure. Got it.

[New haven america]

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Japanese politics I want to know if anyone can tell us what kind of a guy he was. Like I am genuinely curious. And just google searching for data on political figures tends not to give unbiased or even sane results most of the time so I won't even try. Better to ask someone who is actually familiar with the situation.

He seems nice and polite for the cameras but in reality he's generally an ultra-nationalist, sexist, homophobic, pro-big business (IE: Why should it be illegal to force employees to work 12+ hours a day?), anti-immigrant, historical revisionist who's an open member of a Japanese ultra-nationalist political club.

However, he's almost completely ineffective and has barely gotten anything done in the past decade or so he's been in office.

[Kyundao]

If there's one thing I have to give Shinzo Abe credit for, it's that he finally got the National Diet (Japanese parliament) to start using budget surpluses to pay off Japan's already massive debt. Other than that, he was just meh according to my observations.

[Xiaodong]

Oh I know, but I have to hold out hope. They can't stop us 100%, perhaps a good compromise candidate could be reached?

Does anyone know a potential candidate? So far I only know about Abe's rival, former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, and the current deputy PM Taro Aso. Both are hardly reformists. Masayoshi Shido would very quickly make Japan great again, though.

Some of the front-runners to take over are former foreign minister Kishida Fumio, current Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide and current defence minister Kōno Tarō. Suga I believe would be very similar to Abe albeit more deferential to the demands of bureaucrats; Kishida is similar on most policy but more moderate in his approach and is noticeably more dovish in foreign policy; Kōno is the most reformist in the sense he differs most to Abe especially on foreign policy and government spending, although would still be a right-wing conservative. Current foreign minister Motegi Toshimitsu's name has sometimes come up and is probably the biggest Abe continuity candidate option but he would struggle to get factional backing. Environment minister and son of "maverick" prime minister Koizumi Jun'ichirō, Koizumi Shinjirō, is considered popular and a reformist somewhat in his fathers' mould, but is unlikely to run for LDP president at the moment.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

I have this theory that his health problems were brought on by always having to have awkward and uncomfortable meetings with the president. He couldn't take it anymore.

There was nothing that we could do about it. Trump was a dumbass, and Abe wasn't. And he had to sit still and take it. It was among the leaders. It was real greaseball shit.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

A whole lot of nothing has happened under his Prime Ministership. So I guess he didn't do too much wrong.