Thousands rally against Abe gov't amid cronyism scandals

A Kyodo News poll in mid-May showed the disapproval rating for Abe's cabinet stood at 50.3 percent, against a support rate of 38.9 percent.

And yet unfortunately, he's still here. Where are the abe apologists?

"Prime Minister Abe is making a fool of us...I hope more young people will come to have an interest in politics."

Charity starts at home. If children are not given some sort of introduction to the way governments run, can't expect some sort of miraculous interest in it.

Who is the protesters thinking about Abe's replacement? Abe's scandals are ignorable levels. So long as the economy runs good, all is OK

Shinzo, Aso the whole LDP are scum, protesters are right to regect theses people. Sadly due to the voting system we will see these scum continue to drive Japan into obscurity.

Good on them! Keep it up!

I agree with Schopenhauer, do these protesters think clearly or at all. There is no one capable of taking over as PM, no other candidates have the support or experience. As I have already stated many times, Koizumi Shinjiro is still 2 years away from being capable of being handed the job. Also, I dispute whether 27,000 people were there, pictures on news looked more like 10,000.

"Japan's parliamentary democracy has been destroyed," Satoshi Kamata, a well-known journalist told the participants. "We need to make efforts day by day to put an end to the Abe administration."

Couldn't agree more!

Prime Minister Abe is making a fool of us...I hope more young people will come to have an interest in politics."

YES! YES!

Funny, when there are large protests like this here in Okinawa there is ALWAYS a picture included as "proof"

@Ganbare

I agree with Schopenhauer, do these protesters think clearly or at all. There is no one capable of taking over as PM, no other candidates have the support or experience. As I have already stated many times, Koizumi Shinjiro is still 2 years away from being capable of being handed the job. Also, I dispute whether 27,000 people were there, pictures on news looked more like 10,000.

Think clearly? Do you honestly think 'Oh well, no one else is capable, so we just may as well put up with the corruption'. I think that you might be surprised to find that there would be many capable ones out there, the system is the problem. Too much of the 'old-way' of thinking is dragging Japan down into the abyss.

Those who decry Abe and the LDP and have childish idealistic images about the power must be people who are paid by left wing forces who want to bring Japan in confusions. Ideal person and ideal government do not exist. All people are more or less sinners. We have a government to control balances of people's demands. A saint cannot become a good politician.

Ganbare - "... I dispute whether 27,000 people were there, pictures on news looked more like 10,000..."

Ganbare are you a crowd expert? If not other than a cursory glance at a picture, what do you base your estimate on? And if you are an expert, what do you base your estimate on?

The fact that such a large crowd assembled in inclement weather outside the parliament for the sole purpose of protesting Abe Inc., says a lot about the feelings of the public. Such an assembly would have been unheard of a decade or so ago.

These demonstrators are the people who really love Japan. The haters of the ordinary people - like Aso & co and their supporters - will never cease to hate. They only view Japan in their narrow outdated vision. They will always have disdain for the people who love Japan and want to see it grow positively in the 21st C.

SchopenhauerToday  08:43 am JST

Those who decry Abe and the LDP and have childish idealistic images about the power must be people who are paid by left wing forces who want to bring Japan in confusions. 

They "must" be?

I trust that if you're going to make a ludicrous accusation like that you can prove it.

SchopenhauerToday  07:27 am JST

Abe's scandals are ignorable levels.

Abe himself doesn't think they're "ignorable." He said he was prepared to resign over them if any wrongdoing was proved.

So long as the economy runs good, all is OK

However corporate balance sheets look the economy isn't running "good."

This isn't a Japan-only problem, nor an Abe-only one. Doubtful there's a politician in the world who doesn't help a relative or friend in some way, shape or form. People help out friends and family. It's done in government and in the private sector.

Sam WhitteToday  09:11 am JST

This isn't a Japan-only problem, nor an Abe-only one. Doubtful there's a politician in the world who doesn't help a relative or friend in some way, shape or form. People help out friends and family. It's done in government and in the private sector.

Doesn't mean we shouldn't root out the problem wherever we find it.

Those who are criticizing politics of Japan as corrupt might have come from countries where the leaders and politicians are impeccable and the government practicing ideal policies.

"Prime Minister Abe is making a fool of us..." Enough to say that Abe is the most fool persona ingrata where LDP and supporters think he is a "Japan's savior" , mediocre LDP of no reactions to replace to a persona grata who is one of them. It will cause self-declining to them soon or later, and late to them.

Schopenhauer - you normally provide better arguments than you are doing today. Just two points.

That attitude toward corruption may have understandable in the 1980s when Japan was experiencing high growth and many people were benefitting from it. That hasn't been the case for 30 years. Japan has only recently returned to very modest growth (and the last growth figure was negative). It is also a much more unequal society than it used to be.

it would appear that shinzo abe and donald trump have more in common that just a love of playing golf, proposing bogus economic policies and wasting taxpayers money. if abe had any children, he'd probably have appointed them to his cabinet.

@Schopenhauer

The Japanese economy isn’t running well, is it?

More part timers in Japan than full timers is just one indicator that shows that the economy isn’t running well.

Then there’s the high debt,offshoring, declining population, economic contraction,lack of investment in education,taxation of food and basic necessities.

I could list more....

Assuming the "estimated" number of protesters is actually honest, let's apply some elementary school level mathematics,

27,000 protesters / 130,000,000 people = 0.0002% of the population.

Let's go one step further - 27,000 protesters / 9,000,000 people = 0.003% of the population in Tokyo. My calculatii

Cars overturned, shops set on fire, etc = 0 anything to get excited over. What I had for lunch is more interesting.

reformed basher - so what is your point? Your thinking is exactly as your calculations - elementary school level.

Just because 1 million people (omg only 0.8% of pop.) don't protest for arguments sake, the bullying problem in schools, doesn't mean they are not concerned about it.

Tens of thousands is a pretty big turnout for Japan. The problem for the naysayers of protest here, is that they love their own little conservative world so much that they don't accept any change in any form. Which is why I say they actually are the haters of the ordinary good folks of Japan.

Political Spooner lovers will get no accolades from me. And that's in any country.

How economy or any of PM's policies are running is irrelevant - period!

He have broken the law and should be answering to the prosecutors instead of making PR campaigns over and over again!

@ reform Basher

spot on. This is a tiny “protest”. Possibly paid protestor amongst them. And I need proof 27,000 people really came.As you state, it is a tiny percentage of Tokyo people agsinst PM Abe, and all probably opposition party members. Stay on the course, Prime Minister.

@Sam Whitte

From your comment: "Doubtful there's a politician in the world who doesn't help a relative or friend in some way, shape or form. People help out friends and family. It's done in government and in the private sector."

It could be in the third world or in a dictatorship regime. The issue Abe did is giving privilege to his "old-mate" where there was a competition to others and it's illegal to a politician or a family-member to be involved. Of course, he did and Abe has to deny his involvement or he will be prosecuted not to be under the law. The media only highlighted one, two or three pages of many others to come up.

This is a tiny “protest”. Possibly paid protestor amongst them.

Just the same as the way people are paid to pollute public opinion in open forums...

27,000 people are just the ones who had the nouse to a) think for themselves b) take a risk that they won't lose their jobs c) see through all the smoke and mirrors, government aligned, reporting in mainstream media, and d) where in proximity to go there (and were even aware of the protest).

And I need proof 27,000 people really came.

No one needs to prove anything to you that corruption is rife in this 'democracy'. It's starting to look worse than China. As for LDP support, get your proof from the disapproval ratings... nuff said.

It's starting to look worse than China. 

Hilarious! Oh wait, you're serious?

Whether you support Abe or not, he doesn't even come close to being a tyrant. Even if there was proof of impropiety, I still think he's one of the best PM Japan has had in years.

If he gets voted out in an upcoming election, the usual malcontents will be whining about the the next PM within days, if not hours. No matter who he/she is or what party is in power.

 reporting in mainstream media

If you actually followed the news, you'd see most channels aren't friends of Abe, or any other politician. The more mud, the better, as far as the media is concerned.

We're in Japan and Its the LDP. Abe isnt gng away.

going away, I mean.

ReformedBasherToday 01:55 pm JST

Whether you support Abe or not, he doesn't even come close to being a tyrant.

Right, he's just an incompetent, mediocre, sleazy fraud.

Even if there was proof of impropiety, I still think he's one of the best PM Japan has had in years.

Why? No one ever seems to be able to make a convincing argument that he's anything better than bland.

Whether you support Abe or not, he doesn't even come close to being a tyrant.

What's the difference between the two systems? Ohhh, I got it! Democracy, right...?? Anyone who knows Japan, knows that Japan only parades as a democracy.

If he gets voted out in an upcoming election, the usual malcontents will be whining about the the next PM within days, if not hours. No matter who he/she is or what party is in power.

I just want a just and competent leadership at the helm. But clearly our expectations differ...

If you actually followed the news, you'd see most channels aren't friends of Abe...]

You are just flat-out wrong there and I think you know it. There are actual (albeit, obscure) laws against the media going after the government too hard. The only one muddying the waters here is you.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/27/the-silencing-of-japans-free-press-shinzo-abe-media/

Thumbs up!

Japanese Abe Government pretended to hear voices of the bereaved of "Karoshi" victims,

But,actually,They worked to defend Profit of greedy economy Group "Keidanren" merely.

and Minister K.Kato do nothing but repeat deceptive or evasive answer despite Labor Minister.

Ruling coalition-backed candidate wins Niigata gubernatorial election. That says it all. The people are with Shinzo Abe. The Japanese people know they have a winner.

Amazing, yet again these thousands of Japanese protesters refute the tired stereotype and notion of them as being meek sheeple, afraid of speaking out publicy and standing against the grain.

econstatsToday  07:53 pm JST

Ruling coalition-backed candidate wins Niigata gubernatorial election. That says it all. The people are with Shinzo Abe.

No, that says the people in Niigata are with the LDP-backed candidate they elected as governor. Interpreting that kind of result as indicative of widespread support for the Prime Minister smacks just a bit of desperation.

SchopenhauerToday  10:42 am JST

Those who are criticizing politics of Japan as corrupt might have come from countries where the leaders and politicians are impeccable and the government practicing ideal policies.

Who knows, perhaps they think the politicians in their own countries are corrupt and incompetent as well but refrain from commenting on them here as foreign politics are not relevant to this discussion.

"No, that says the people in Niigata are with the LDP-backed candidate they elected as governor. "

If the LDP had lost, I don't think you would have used the same line of reasoning. A small protest in Tokyo says nothing but an election speaks volumes.

econstats - the Niigata election was NOT about Abe.

Yoneyama the then governor resigned after being outed on paying women for sex ( prostitutes?). This certainly left a bad taste in the mouth of the electorate, esp women. A protest vote was to be expected.

And Japan Nuclear Inc certainly played a huge part in the election, even if it did so from the shadows. Yoneyama would not approve for a re-start to the largest Nuclear facility in the world - Kashiwazaki-Kariwa - until more details emerged of the failings of the Fukushima plant. To state Yoneyama was a thorn in the nuclear world's eye would be an understatement. As much as the LDP endorsed candidate underplayed nuclear power in the lead up, it was the silent "bulldozing" by J. Nuke Inc. that underscored the victory. The fact that on the day Yoneyama resigned, TEPCPO shares rose 4% in a few hours, suggests vested interests.

Abe's popularity was not on the line in this election. As the article indicates, Abe's approval rate is low, and probably equally so in Niigata, but Inc will roll over anyone to prove otherwise.

econstatsToday  07:47 am JST

"No, that says the people in Niigata are with the LDP-backed candidate they elected as governor. "

If the LDP had lost, I don't think you would have used the same line of reasoning.

Ah - someone else who apparently knows what I think better than I do. It turns out you're completely wrong. I would never imagine that an opposition victory in a gubernatorial election was any indicator of their nationwide popularity, no matter how desperate I was to find nice things to say about them.

Japanese will rally, cry & rage !

But at the end of the day they still vote LDP & Abe !