ed Whither Abe's Japan?

World must not let extreme right control No. 3 economy

By most appearances, Japan’s controversial prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is unlikely to change his thoughts and behavior on his own.

The conservative nationalist leader says he paid tributes to Class A war criminals to “renounce war,” and compared Japan and China to Britain and Germany on the eve of World War I to “prevent the recurrence” of a global calamity. So the real problem is that the rest of the world is failing to understand his real intention, as the Japanese premier sees it.

Abe is exploiting his high approval rating, thanks to his success in bringing vitality back to the Japanese economy and stabilizing society, to push for his nationalist agenda, although the majority of Japanese people don’t approve of his historical regression and diplomatic farce, foreigners have thought.

It was astonishing in this regard that the new head of NHK, Japan’s largest public TV network, made a remark Saturday that justified his country’s wartime sexual enslavement of foreign women.

The comment itself ― forced prostitution was everywhere in Europe, including France and Germany, during the war ― does not even deserve counterargument because it was simply not true. There was only one country ― Japan ― that coerced or cajoled women into sexual slavery, a fact that the entire global villagers know.

It becomes less surprising to know the 70-year-old former businessman was picked by Premier Abe, who reportedly has been dissatisfied with the public broadcaster’s criticisms of his government. The new NHK head also made it clear the public broadcaster would “not go left when its government goes right.” One can hardly believe a man with such questionable level of intellect and glaring views of media will lead Japan’s largest and best broadcaster?

Nevertheless, his ludicrous remark comes as a shock and disappointment, as it was made by neither a politician nor an extremist but a former business leader. We hope, and think, the new NHK chairman does not reflect an overall shift in the Japanese people’s sentiments but was only one of Abe’s several mistakes, which should be rectified by pressure from the majority of conscientious Japanese people.

In the same vein, the Japanese voters need to think not just about economic and domestic affairs but how the rest of the world views their country. Japan’s leader vows to normalize his country but his strategy and specific actions are backfiring abroad. Only the Japanese people can put the brakes on their anachronistic leader.

Outside of Japan, the United States may be the only country that can exert influence on the world’s third-largest economy. Some unconfirmed reports say Washington has begun to restrain its Asian ally, bearing in mind that Tokyo’s “crossing of the red line” would not help the U.S.’ interests. It would be far better, though, if Washington acts not just in its own strategic calculations but based on a sense of justice by telling Tokyo what is right or wrong in universal and historical viewpoints.

The Korean government should be the one that should remain most wide awake amid the regional cataclysm. It is understandable Seoul’s diplomatic rhetoric against Tokyo is increasingly harsher than ever. Rather than riding on popular sentiments, however, the government should remain cool and try to find ways to induce Japan back to become a more moderate and rational country in concerted efforts with foreign governments and all reasonable groups in the world.