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A message for the PM

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Hundreds of people stage a rally outside the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office in Tokyo, on Thursday, opposing a set of controversial bills intended to expand Japan's defense role at home and internationally. Banners read "No War," bottom center, and "Don't destroy Article 9 of the Constitution," bottom left.

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Very bad news for Japanese voters. History repeats itself.

Prime Minister Abe is forcing through laws which violate the Constitution before the revisions to the Constitution are approved by the required two-thirds majority in both houses and approved by a majority of voters in a referendum. Japan is becoming more and more like a dictatorship, like that of Hideki Tojo and Adolf Hitler.

This is what happens when too many voters do not bother to VOTE.

I wish you protesters GOOD LUCK in prison, charged with violating the new national security laws.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

And as usual their protest will fall on deaf ears unfortunately.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

"If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it." Mark Twain.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Japan is becoming more and more like a dictatorship, like that of Hideki Tojo and Adolf Hitler.

Good lord, that's a bit of an extreme over reaction. Yes Abe's government is making some stupid decisions, but it's hardly a dictatorship. Japan is still a democracy, there are still upper and lower houses, people are still free to go about their daily lives without fear of persecution. There are no soldiers on the streets or AFVs parked at intersections. The protesters will not end up in prison... they are not violating security laws.

As I said, an over the top reaction to what's happening in Japan. The UK has stricter laws than Japan has and I don't feel like I'm in a dicatatorship!

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

it seems that the security bills would pass in the Diet but LDP would not be able to get the approval of 1/2 of all people because most people still want to keep the current constitution ever which Abe and his fellow conservative lawmakers want to amend soon. Abe may become a first war starter/maker after peaceful 70 years.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Hundreds of people stage a rally outside the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office in Tokyo

Let's hope it is just the beginning and the numbers turn into the tens of thousands soon

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Hundreds of people stage a rally

'Hundreds of people is dismally low considering that greater Tokyo has 13 million plus people, considering how momentous the decision is to revise Article 9, and considering the implications of the change on the current and future generations of people in Japan.

Should the lack of outrage and dialogue be marked up to apathy, or is it possible that these bills really aren't all that 'controversial' in Japan? (rhetorical)

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Abe may become a first war starter/maker after peaceful 70 years.

Good post. However, I don't think Abe will start a war. Lets remember the two beheaded japanese by ISIS last Feb. The assertive Chinese navy and the senkaku is. Issue. Then you got a forever hostile NK regime across the sea of japan. How many wake-up calls will it take for there to be no response at all by J-gov?

70 + yrs of peace is one way of looking at it, freeloading of the US military muscle and about 3 decades of the "checkbook" policy is another-

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Japan is a peaceful nation but with a guy like ABE he is putting a big bulls eye on that island! I see WWIII coming soon!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

thats why if u choose a politician whos trying to compete with china on gdp by making rich people richer and blocks migration in japan has a downside on the other hand where the government will be waisting money on what its called "the wartime spending". i hope japan thinks to create a better living for the japanese residents rather than giving 70 billion dollars to the ghost asia bank that has never been used and money on army which gives bad impression around the world

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I still think you're all over-reacting to Abe the war starter, Abe the dictator, etc... No-one I've spoken to in Japan (Japanese people anyway) think that. They don't like the way the constitution is being tampered with, yes, but they certainly don't think Abe is going to start a war... and who with? Why on Earth would Japan go to war with a country that could wipe them out (China) or is so unstable that they would launch waves of nukes at Japan (NK) for even thinking about such an action.

A country can take a more pro-active defence strategy without becoming a warmonger.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

A country can take a more pro-active defence strategy without becoming a warmonger.

That's quite the euphemism there. The fact is, Japan already has an extremely powerful self-defense force, and is constitutionally allowed to defend itself. If all they want is defense, they don't need to change the constitution at all. The only reason for changing article 9 is to allow for attack without first being attacked. And no matter how you word that, it's not defense, it's offense.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Thunderbird2: "Good lord, that's a bit of an extreme over reaction. Yes Abe's government is making some stupid decisions, but it's hardly a dictatorship."

Even if it's 'hardly', it's still too much.

Japan is still a democracy,"

In name only. In reality it's not much different than how things are going in Hong Kong -- the government will allow an election at their discretion, and their time of choosing (ie. Abe and his snap elections) so long as their favored candidate is guaranteed to win. How is what Abe did last year different?

"...people are still free to go about their daily lives without fear of persecution. There are no soldiers on the streets or AFVs parked at intersections. The protesters will not end up in prison... they are not violating security laws."

They will if the government decides to push for it given the vagueness of the Secrets law, and in particular with the new things Abe wants to add to the security of the nation.

So, no, the comparisons to Hideki Tojo's time or Hitler's is not that outrageous at all, especially given the fact that Abe holds those times very near and dear to his heart, and there are so many in his cabinet that have expressed admiration for Nazi methods, and Abe wants a return to the days of old. Do you know how deluded he is? he would literally stand in front of these people and say, "Shush, shush... this is what you WANT, people! Shush... my majority reelection PROVED that!".

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Smithinjapan. Oh that's right, that ole' "Snap Elections" gimmick (Dec. '14) actually fooled em' all. Good point-

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

As I said, an over the top reaction to what's happening in Japan. The UK has stricter laws than Japan has and I don't feel like I'm in a dicatatorship!

Maybe you don't. Not yet.

But then the UK doesn't have a wartime history of the scale of Japan. Mind you, that doesn't mean that the UK doesn't have its own share of oppressive action against other countries so we can hardly be a role model to the Japanese in that respect.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Sakoku, Meiji Restoration, Imperialism, War, Defeat, Withdraw, Rebuild, Prosperity, Collapse, Coast Along, Rebuild National Pride.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Majority of japan's young adults just don't care... most of them are ignorant and indifferent to atrocities of Japan's past aggressions. More than likely kids will glamorize the idea of War and defending the Country with arms in hand.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Majority of japan's young adults just don't care... most of them are ignorant and indifferent to atrocities of Japan's past aggressions.

Yeah, good point. Why aren't they taught the truth in those classrooms?

In Germany children are taught; war is a terrible thing, they committed genocide, they started both World Wars and finally, they are taught they lost both wars.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

In Germany children are taught; war is a terrible thing, they committed genocide, they started both World Wars and finally, they are taught they lost both wars.

The question there is whether Germany fought two wars or just one war with a large pause in the middle. Consider that one of the reasons why Germany returned to war in 1939 was the privations brought on by the Armistice of 1918. While the instrument used to bring Japan out of the second war was a surrender rather than an armistice and the gap is 70 years rather than 21 years, could the same thing happen again?

Also, given the fate of Germany after 1945 when compared with Japan, and the attitude of either country to armed engagement, whether in war, national defence or peacekeeping, are there really that many differences between the two that they should be treated differently?

Personally I believe that the issue is a bit too complex to discuss in this kind of forum but one hint is that few of Germany's neighbours, most of which were overrun by German troops during the last war, are griping about Nazi aggression while many of Japan's neighbours are. Another would be that Japan has some unstable nations as neighbours, though you could argue that Germany was its own unstable neighbour until 1989.

Either way, I still believe that Japan should be wary of rewriting its history to attempt to justify it and to justify rearming itself.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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