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© 2017 AFPAbe sees devastation in flood-hit area
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© 2017 AFP
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Cricky
Another pledge! Well we know he and the government will do nothing to help. Ask Fucashima about pledges. Kudos to the Army/Defence personal and all those who can and do help. For a man who has never done any work to speek of, wearing those clothes are an insult to actual workers who through tax pay his wage.
Goodlucktoyou
He only went to Fukushima after the disaster because there was an election. The emperor went many times out of care. I think I know the very smart marketing agency that ordered our dear leader to go there for PR reasons, but not sure. Maybe begins with D?
Disillusioned
I notice he has a nice new uniform on, which is probably more than the survivors of the floods have left. He should have been giving them cash, not more pledges and hollow promises.
theeastisred
Dis,
Exactly. What's with the pretentious cos-play thing Japanese politicians always find so necessary?
TumbleDry
Abe could hardly ignore the situation. Also I believe this is sincere (while I call for his resignation)
toshiko
It is not tailored new uniform for him. He is wearing a uniform for rescue mission crews. Are you guys eligible to vote for LDP selection procedure? If not, join LDP. Voice your opinion, Resign. A lot of people have been doing. You guys sound opposing any help for disaster.
Disillusioned
Is that so? How does parading around in a rescuer's uniform help those effected by this disaster? How is yet another hollow pledge going to help them? Will they have to wait decades to receive any financial help, like those in Tohoku? Why were people not evacuated before the floods? Japanese people should consider themselves very lucky that foreigners are not permitted to vote because they would not put up with half of the garbage your government feeds you. Furthermore, if foreigners were permitted to vote they actually would, unlike the 50% of the Japanese voters who prefer to sit at home watching the idiot box and complaining about the government instead of actually voting to get rid of the LDP's fascist regime once and for all.
Dango bong
What's with the pretentious cos-play thing Japanese politicians always find so necessary?
I was thinking the same thing, they always try to dress like the common folk in times of disaster. I guess it beats wearing a suit but looks silly
Britlover
Did they get his name right this time? Remember at Dat-ichi his Chinese characters were wrong? LOL. Brilliant, wrong, like his policies.
The Imperial couple CARE are sincere and genuine, I don’t support ‘rights by privilege’ but they truly DO care. Abe is a seller of oil from snakes and has a bag fashioned from carpet. Resign!
smithinjapan
The guy's in political trouble and THAT is why he's "rushing" down there to vow to help.
Dan Lewis
Wow. Politician doesn't go, people say he's ignoring the people in distress. He goes and they accuse him of cos-play and showing off.
Be happy he's there and not making people carry him over puddles!
Disillusioned
Other countries where voting is not compulsory, of course. There are more countries in the world than just the USA and Japan, you know?
The Tohoku residents had a large part of their compensation spent on sending Coast Guard vessels to the southern oceans to protect Japan's whaling fleet. Most people have still not been compensated or their houses rebuilt. Then, add all those still waiting to be compensated by TEPCO, which is 51% owned by the government.
You want me to say something nice? Abe looks great in worker's clothes. That is the job he should have!
I'mhereforanessayonJapan
Hello!
Can anyone please explain me in what kind of "political trouble" he is in?
Thanks!
thepersoniamnow
While I don't like Abe, to state that he will do nothing for victims of this flood is false.
Undirected anger just makes you look....well, angry and bitter.
Abe will definitely take your and my tax money and ship some over nad take as much credit as he can.
mmwkdw
I've seen the TV footage of the devastation, and the question I have is why, were these buildings built where they were, why did the mountainsides on those areas simply slide down without warning, ... lots of Why questions that would need to be answered in order to prevent similar annual events going forward in our current Climate change environment.
Black Sabbath
Climate change
Alexandre T. Ishii
Everywhere he is going is from our tax, let me see just once in a time he is giving money from his pocket and never to be scandalized, as much the action is from his "heart".
Blattamexiguus
Blue Mario to the (belated) rescue.
yawn.
Citizen2012
Looks as fake and staged as a DT tweet
CyburneticTiger
The Prime Minister and ruling coalition are handling the situation far better than the SDP would have. This situation would have been far worse if they were in power as history has proven.
sf2k
He's been accused of being out of touch, so here's a photo-op of him in work clothes at the front of the crisis to try to boost his poll numbers. It's the most cynical of politics
toshiko
@sf2k: He goes out, still foreigners accuse him. I don't see any foreigners helping any disaster in Japan.
Schopenhauer
Those who criticize here. Are you going to pay any donation to the victims or going to Kyushu to help people as volunteers?
bones
Seems like Abe is not wasting any time to take advantage of a photo op.
Hey look at me in my nice clean uniform being humble and sincere to these victims, make sure you take pictures of me showing how kind and generous I am!
Alfie Noakes
Not true, as you know. People from all over the world donated vast sums to help relief efforts in Japan for the several disasters the country has suffered recently. And many foreigners have helped with volunteer activities. As you also know.
Abe went to Okinawa and got booed. By Japanese people. He went to Akihabara recently and got booed. Again, by Japanese people.
He's a crooked, cynical, clueless hypocrite with no human empathy. None. He's never done a proper day's work in his life ( because stuffing money in envelopes isn't a real job ) and is using human tragedy as a photo-op. Contemptible.
Nicholas Poetker
I live in this area!
Many of my students and close friends are evacuated and their homes are full of mud now.
This area of Japan has been survive as is without this kind of disaster for a long time, the cities are potting cities and they rely on the natural resources to keep surviving and producing fine pottery. The people living in these area never leave and have been living here for hundreds of years. Some of the homes are very very old and the people here are very old. I was in Toho-mura two week prior to this disaster. I bought locally grown rice, mochi, umeboshi that was hand made by the grandmother working there. She was about 85-90 years old.
I don't know about why Abe was here or what help that actually offered but the people here are suffering. All the shops are closed down, they were out of electricity for 3-4 days and are STILL out of running water. They just got internet service back up 2-3 days ago now.
The facts and truth, the people living in these areas are mostly elderly people and don't have the ability to get back on their feet physically or finically. Their homes are very old and have been either flooded which means lots of mold and rot that is now setting in or they have been washed away from the flood and mudslides. Its hard to direct when a natural disaster will happen in any area and its something you can not predict. They do send out warring of areas that are potential mud disaster sites but you never know.
The military has been here for a week and they are doing a lot of good!
But is a very slow progress! I fear for the cities and people as these are already dying cities with a very low population. The people here are farmers and their yearly crops have been totally wiped out!! No money equates to no food and no lively hood. I don't know what else to say!
toshiko
Volunteers be good. Not you guys but there were some gaijin who created donation collection agency on Fukushima. majority group disappeared. So if you want. to. ornate in Japan, I prefer to use local government. Abe gets booed everywhere but he has thick skin. Btw,, Northern Japanese dislike Yamaguchi prefecture people since Meiji Ishii era.
japan127
Wow I wish more of y’all will atack the stupid commenters that think saying “I pray for you”, “Hope things get better” and all of that fake stuff. You can’t do anything either. Other than handing out your blessings to everything that sounds bad.
Paris Attack: “Oh gee pray for Paris”
Concert Shooting: “All of the victims are in my thoughts”
Flood: “Dang I hope this comment will help them”
(Each of those comments gets 10 upvotes)
Soon as a politician says stuff: “Oh wow, I’m going to comment on how he is pulling a political stunt when he has no power to do anything. At the same time let me voice my political frustration.”. Quit bluffing you yourself are powerless.
Tell me! What did you expect the Prime Minuster to where? Shorts? Khakis? A white T? Tennis shoes? He is a world leader. He doesn’t have those things. He just wears exactly what he always wears. Stop making something big of it. This article itself is written with that slight nuance as well. Can people grow up and stop assuming?
cucashopboy
japan127 - I agree - Much as I loathe Abe and don't believe a word of anything he says, he's done the right thing here - cut his trip abroad short, visited the disaster area, and promised help from the government.
Realistically, there's not much else he can do at this point.
taj
toshikoToday 05:50 am JST
That is only because you're not here to see it.
Alexandre T. Ishii
I know that the top leader ought to be there, but this time any thankfulness for his action? Just to say he is clean using our taxes, but I don't believe he is using for us with all scandals now and others that I know!