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© KYODOAbe becomes 3rd equal longest-serving PM with 2,720 days in office
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Yubaru
Quantity does not equal quality!
SaikoPhysco
When you consider that he's really faced with a massive amount of problems. Declining / ageing population, rising national debt, shortage of labor, China, Russia, trade, Trump, and on, I think he has done a great job holding things together.
jcapan
I'm no fan but compared to my home country this guy is FDR.
Yubaru
When you consider HE is directly responsible for the rising national debt, he has done little if anything to improve the lives of the average Japanese person.
He is directly responsible for the worsening of the quality of life here.
His legacy will be one of "the longest ever", but that does not equal "the best"! Far from it!
Strangerland
I don't think he's that bad. I don't think he's that good either. He's done some things I really don't like, he's done a few things I do like, and he does a bunch of things I understand, but don't think they are the best way to do them.
I'm just some guy though, and I can't even vote. But as someone subjected to the laws of the nation of which he is a leader, I don't lie awake at night stressing about him.
Serrano
the planned consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent in October
There will be another big surge of buying stuff in the month or two leading up to the tax hike and then another big drop-off like when it was hiked from 5% to 8%. I think this time it will be worse.
dbsaiya
Can't say that I'll be celebrating. Exactly what were his campaign promises? Abenomics? Abduction problem? Remember him and the LDP if another nuke disaster hits, they eased the regulations and started them up again. Also remember the recession that is bound to happen after the Olympics. All the money and resources that should have been used to clean up and assist the displaced from 3/11 was squandered for the Olympics. Don't forget to celebrate the surge in oil prices if his buddy Trump goes to war with Iran and I'm sure the Japanese auto manufacturers in Mexico are celebrating Trump's Mexico tariffs right now. These things will hit the everyday Tanaka-san on the street, so you can't just say, it's cool, I'm still partying in Shibuya.
semperfi
.
the problem is - there is no alternative.
Simon Foston
semperfiToday 07:38 am JST
There are plenty of alternatives. They just don't put themselves forward. Abe is a dull, insipid non-entity who is only good for inane platitudes and conning gullible old folks in his over-represented, inherited constituency into voting for him. Just about any Japanese politician could probably wipe the floor with him if they put some effort into it.
Alfie Noakes
Hiding in plain sight.
Wallace Fred
The changes this toad has made in the bureaucratic establishment will require a mass overhaul of the entire system that will take generations at best. This is his contribution. Everything else is hot noise.
Arrrgh-Type
Japan needs fresh leadership to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. However, after Abe, we'll probably get another well-heeled, 60 or 70 something lifetime LDP automaton stuck with a Showa mindset, and the cycle will continue.
Aly Rustom
I'll second what simon said
Yubaru
What in the world has Abe done that anyone COULD like? Increase your taxes?
Simon Foston
StrangerlandToday 07:15 am JST
I doubt it would make much of a difference even if you could. It certainly wouldn't where I live, where the choices are LDP or wannabe LDP.
Arrrgh-TypeToday 07:57 am JST
I don't think the LDP care nearly as much about the challenges of the 21st Century as they do about winning elections. They way they're gaming the system all they need for that is another hereditary professional politician like Abe.
alwaysspeakingwisdom
Abe Shinzo is the Goat (Greatest of all Time).
Disillusioned
One should not judge Japanese politics on modern ideals. Very few (if any) Japanese politicians have any education in political sciences. They are mostly retired bureaucrats who believe they know what is best for Japan. This makes Japan closer to a fascist state than a democracy.
That photo reminds me why I haven't watched Japanese TV for the nearly twenty years of living here.
jcapan
This is true of politicians in most countries isn't it? Certainly is in mine, a few outliers notwithstanding. Of course, the LDP isn't breaking the mold for progressive change, unless you count the bland talking points they regularly spout. Stuff that plays well in the press, only to be followed up by complete inaction or toothless enforcement.
But things could be far worse--here's looking at you America, the UK, Australia, Brazil and yes even places like France that continue to embrace the tenets of neoliberalism which paved the way to this reactionary moment. Abe and co. seem downright enlightened compared to some of the right wingers taking power in the west. And ironically enough most of those countries have a functioning opposition. The LDP, wholly without checks on their power, seems to churn along much as they always have. In some ways, this place, deeply conservative and averse to change on virtually every level, might avoid some of the worst excesses we've seen elsewhere. Hard to imagine the Japanese, even if they could vote for their PM, embracing a loon like Trump. However, as we all know, there are a lot of endemic problems that the Japanese approach will not address. As someone said, Showa solutions to Reiwa problems.
I don't know. Maybe b/c I'm not going to be here much longer, I'm less animated by Japanese politics than I used to be. Or maybe b/c we all know how futile it is, expecting a visionary leader to arise in a one party state whose primary function is to destroy unorthodox thinkers long before they'd ever get close to power.
papigiulio
Ugh, nothing to celebrate. Just because he is in office the longest doesnt mean he was the best choice. Time for an overhaul in kasumigaseki.
Aly Rustom
excellent quote
Bugle Boy of Company B
Regarding the much-discussed sales tax increase, I learned just yesterday that the sales tax increase has already come in to effect for new homes! Did anyone else hear about this, or did this sneak completely under the radar??
mu-da
Meh.
Simon Foston
alwaysspeakingwisdomToday 08:33 am JST
That's not something you can convincingly argue though, is it. I always thought the... "Goat" would be able to fix all of a country's problems within six months, as that kind of thing is generally what makes a leader the greatest of all time. But here we are, six years later, and without any serious obstacles your goat hasn't even managed to get the constitution revised.
jcapanToday 08:47 am JST
Indeed, but the LDP is particularly adept at manipulating the system to keep itself in power. They've made just about everything that's wrong about Japanese elections work to their advantage.
nandakandamanda
Yoshimoto Kogyo rocks. The guy on the right must be their Abe lookalike...
redelmotalking
changing leaders (of different political stripes) on a regular basis, although disruptive, is actually a sign of a healthy functioning democracy. It shows the people are ultimately in control not career politicians. Not sure why they are celebrating this feat of longevity in power.
Hallowed
And easily one of the most successful out of Japan's woeful record of PMs. If he's causing the unskilled and low quality of society to weep each night, that's more a problem with them than him. The economy has been in rude form for the rest of us
browny1
semperfiToday 07:38 am JST
.
the problem is - there is no alternative.
Actually there are alternatives. plenty of them - 1,000s. I've met a couple of the local members (non-ldp) - one who occasionally puts forward hard questions in the diet - but they and others never get a look in esp by the conservative, ill-informed stilted voters.
Adverse to making any decision that they, the voting public, perceive to be a "risk", continually elect the same old same, using worn out excuses like "It's better the devil you know" or "No one else is better". How would they even know if they don't take up the challenge, inform themselves and make choices based on reality rather than "Oh well....you know.....it can't be helped".
The scandalous nature of Abe's grab of the wider political arena and the lackeys that surround the "Core" would have seen Abe tipped out in almost any other democracy.
Change refreshes. Sure it can come with risks, but then that's life isn't it, You'll never never know, if you never never go.
The staid, indifferent electorate here just plays into the hands of the Masters of Manipulation, essentially giving them a free ride for decades.
Japan is an exercise in Control , little changed from Meiji, and the populace happy in their own comfort zones, play along willingly giving Abe and his ilk supremacy.
showchinmono
So among you all posters here, who else would think any parties are much better than LDP and any leaders of such parties better than Abe? I know one literally said that.
Anyone else?
Ganbare Japan!
Congratulations PM Abe! Get that record in November, and carry on for at least one or two more terms. PM Abe sure was right when he announced to the world 2012 that *Japan is back**! *Economy is booming, tourism at unprecedented levels, unemployment nearing zero, The USA Japan alliance is stronger than any other two world nations, super close relationship with the excellent Trump, and Rugby World Cup 2019 And Tokyo 2020 Olympic is just around the corner.
What a legacy. But, there is still more to do. Go, go PM Abe!
kohakuebisu
I've been in Japan 28 years and in that time, UK politics has fallen to Japan's level or below. Modern British politicians are idiots and the level of debate is hopeless compared to the 1970s and 1980s. The difference between 1970s footage of debates about entering the then EEC and recent footage about leaving the EU is stark. The main debate show, BBCs Question Time, is now unwatchable.
Modern Japanese politics seems like an exercise in keeping the money printer going but not doing very much intervening. No shakeups of health, education, labour laws, welfare etc. There is corruption, but only of the same level you get in the Anglo countries. My main criticism would be the lack of progress for women (I have two daughters), but part of that is women's own fault. Many Japanese women are happy with their lot and are not clamoring for change.
Aly Rustom
I don't think that will ever happen
Agree Simon. Heck I'll take a real goat over the current Goat if possible. Personally, I'd like to the Edano and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan take over. I'd support them.
exactly
nandakandamanda
Yoshimoto Shinkigeki rocks. The guy on the right must be their Abe lookalike, but who is that guy in the middle?
smithinjapan
"I will fulfill my responsibility by moving forward every policy that I promised the Japanese people (I would carry out),"
That's a nice way of saying, "I'll do whatever I want and you cannot stop me." Abe may well be carving out a dictatorship for himself, but doesn't he also have the shortest reign as well? Or was that Fukuda?
Ricky Kaminski13
Whatever your thoughts on the PM you have to admit, to stay in power that long, promising so much and delivering so little in terms of concrete and tangible progress the guy must be a political genius. Mr Stability. Many countries around the world look at Japan with admiration and envy. The story on the ground and how we see the nation as expats is obviously more complex and challenging, but you have to admit, he is holding this grand old ship of the sea together quite nicely. Credit where credit is due. Running a country in turbulent times is hard, and when I look around I’m still happy to be living here! Usher in some sound and well timed decisions that reflect the sophistication you claim to represent Abesan and your legacy will be secured. The final phase will make or break your story.
Simon Foston
showchinmonoToday 10:20 am JST
Right, keep pushing that "there is no alternative" line until everyone's convinced it's true.
Well, I think any party would be better than the LDP except LDP clones like the DPP, and that any other party leader could do a better job.
Ganbare Japan!Today 10:21 am JST
Isn't this just the same stuff you're always repeating? Well, I don't see much evidence of the booming economy - when's that virtuous cycle supposed to start? What about salaries going up and more private consumption, or a reduction in the deficit? Tourism? Employment? Tourists don't come here to see old men with dyed black hair, and low unemployment has more to do with the falling birthrate and ensuing labour shortage than any of Abe's policies. Abe's grovelling relationship with Trump is universally mocked and has achieved little for Japan, and the upcoming sports events are plagued by rising costs and corruption scandals. Yes, what a legacy.
Aly RustomToday 10:50 am JST
Right. I'm not knocked off my feet by Edano but he doesn't appear to be brazenly autocratic and corrupt, and I respect the way he's refused collaboration with parties that don't have the same ideology. The CDPJ really need more candidates though.
showchinmono
Well said. You judge any other parties better without any track records whatsoever, you would even prefer Makoto Sakurai and Japan First Party over Abe and LDP.
Kenji Fujimori
AND no one wants him in office, but everyone is scared to speak up
sf2k
It's just a party term limit I think, so they could just get rid of it and let Abe be leader for life
itsonlyrocknroll
The comic insinuation in the portrait of Abe san 2,720 day as Prime Minster is almost surreal......
"We will proceed with policies to achieve a virtuous cycle of growth and redistribution and make sure the economy grows," …...
There certainly has been a succession/stream of pledges and promises that have failed to address fundamental policy flaws.......
Depopulation, the continued contractual inequalities between full and part-time employment, the lack of quality child care facilities.
In all honesty "Abenomics" along with “Womenomics” continues to be devoid of any clear direction or substance other than a meaningless sound-bite or press release.
Is the reality, 2720 day caricature performed by a comedy theatrical troupe in a satirised situation comedy?
Certainly fooled me.
Jimizo
That pretty much nails it although I was never animated by it in the first place. I’m not sure democracy has really succeeded in Japan - terrible voter turnout and apathy with a shrug of the shoulders about the LDP churning out virtually unbroken victory after victory for decade after decade.
The only time I take any interest these days is when a mad old dinosaur bellows out offensive nonsense or some nationalist crackpot forgets to take his medication or gets rat-arsed.
u_s__reamer
Abe with his impeccable credentials as scion of the "Choshu Mafia" ( Sato Eisaku, Kishi Nobusuke) is the "Godfather" of the LDP, a party that has cobbled together and cemented a corrupt, gerrymandered electoral system that effectively gives many folks the illusion that there is "no alternative". The overworked people of Japan have little time or energy left from the daily grind to spend on political activities which would require reading, discussing and thinking in order to make sensible choices for their future and challenge the empty rhetoric of right-wing blowhards that spring up like mushrooms from the moldy remnants of Japan's feudalistic past. Add to all this the formidable inertia of deeply-entrenched cultural memes and social structures that work against any change disturbing the entitlement of elites and you have a population that is comfortably numb led by Abe, the "Good? Shepherd".
browny1
Again no realistic details of accomplishments of the Abe regime or discuss with earnest the points mentioned by posters concerning many things from the failed pension scam system to de-funding education to scaremongering defense spending to cronyism scandals etc etc.
No it's just more and more of the cheerboy stuff, confirmed by the large numbers of downvotes on critical posters with no semblance of anything to offer to the discussion.
No substance.
The fact that Abe wiill soon be the longest serving PM in Japan is not cause for celebration rather it's an indictment of a system hell bent on scurrying anyone or any view or cause that puts them (the Nippon Kaigi Alliance) under scrutiny.
A One party country can never be called a Democracy.
Serrano
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C)
Good thing the (C) for center was written, when I first saw the headline then looked at the photo I thought the impersonator on the right was Abe, well, he does look like him, lol.
Simon Foston
browny1Today 12:57 pm JST
Indeed, if Abe supporters had anything credible to say some of his critics might re-consider their views. Maybe there's just nothing they can convincingly defend.
Aly Rustom
Don't tell me who I prefer over Abe. I'LL tell YOU who I prefer over Abe
exactly. Well said
Simon Foston
SerranoToday 01:11 pm JST
Abe's laughing so I'm sure it's pretty tame "comedy." I suspect they'd find themselves short of work offers if they went for him the way satirists do in the US or UK.
lostrune2
Everybody wants a strongman these days
Jtsnose
Do you think it is good for the Japanese political system?
Patricia Yarrow
2,720 days. I wonder where we would be now if instead of elitist Abe there had been several PM from the working class, some women in there, someone raising a family on regular wages. /Must be my tsuyu rainy season affected dream...
alwaysspeakingwisdom
"I wonder where we would be now if instead of elitist Abe there had been several PM from the working class, some women in there,"
The same place as the UK with its female P: in the proverbial toilet.
Abe Shinzo banzai!!!!!
Akie
The leaders of nations should not be judged by how many days they served, but by how many good things they have done, and by how many bad things they have avoided. Unfortunately, Abe doesn't get it.
Yubaru
I agree 100% I am a staunch opponent of Abe and his policies, with one personal glaring exception, the landfill project at Henoko in Okinawa. I support Abe's stance on moving MCAS Futenma to Henoko, and closing Futenma.
I am not a supporter of his desires and urges to change the constitution, nor the military buildup, nor his robbing all of our great-great grandchildren, who have yet to be born, to pay for all his, free money (waste) money policies. I do not support his cronyism, and believe he should have been removed from office for a number of different scandals that would have brought down just about any other PM.
If people think that Abe's ability to "blind them with his bullshite" makes his a "great" PM, I believe they are the one's who need the "mental help" as they have been brainwashed.
However, for one to be brainwashed, one has to have had a brain in the first place, and I often wonder..........!
Simon Foston
alwaysspeakingwisdomJune 7 09:53 pm JST
Do you think that only men from privileged backgrounds have what it takes to be Prime Ministers?
Patricia Yarrow
Not at all, Simon. The keyword is "privilged"...
Patricia Yarrow
Nuts..."privileged"..
trinklets2
I agree with some of the posters, staying for so long despite of all the bashings and scandals by some govt officials, his presence as a buffer in international relations and putting to end to what some called revolving door policy are I think worth commending. It's just hard and maybe lonely at the top. All of my congratulations to him!
Simon Foston
Patricia YarrowToday 07:15 am JST
I never supposed for a moment it was you who thought only rich men like Abe could be PM.
Simon Foston
trinklets2Today 07:33 am JST
Japan might as well have had a different PM every year for all the good Abe's done.
trinklets2
@Simon, I'm sure the bashers if ever were in the highest position of the land could not implement all the changes they're proposing. It's easier to bash but once in there you'll realize you can only do so much. Still my admiration to PM Abe for holding on.
Simon Foston
trinklets2June 8 08:06 pm JST
Abe's had six years with pretty solid Diet majorities and he's done hardly anything.
Not that admirable when he's not really had much of a challenge from anyone. If another politician like Koizumi came along gunning for the LDP leadership, a vapid non-entity like Abe would be gone in a matter of weeks.
Jason Tan
It is a pity that Abe and his Cabinets are unable to solve most of the major issues like low birth rate and aging population during his 6 years plus in power.
However, credit where credit is due, Abe did bring about stability in a time where Chao is the norm. And some reforms of Abe Cabinets did bring about some positive effect to the Japanese economy.
Overall, I think that Abe in power is good for Japan. If Japan continues to have a different Prime Minister every year, the economy would definitely be worse than it currently is. Of course, if a leader better than Abe will to be Prime Minister instead, that would be preferable. But now that Abe is Prime Minister, we can only judge how Abe govern and not what if someone else govern. We can only guess how well or how badly the alternative leader of Japan will govern Japan.
Simon Foston
Jason TanJune 10 02:15 pm JST
Such as...?