The yin of the ninja

 

 

He is the youngest Prime Minister in the history of modern Japan. He has political genes that could well make him a part of a ruling dynasty. He was immensely popular and widely expected to lead a resurgent and more combative Japan in the 21st century.

Yet, Shinzo Abe is realising that his honeymoon with Japanese citizens could be rapidly coming to an end; and all too soon. He is finding it a hard act to sustain the ‘reform’ momentum started by his popular predecessor Junichiro Koizumi, considered by many to be the ‘rock star’ of Japanese politics.

On the domestic front, the public seems to perceive that Abe is either not willing or not able to reform the ruling LDP party (that has ruled Japan virtually for the entire post World War II period). The common citizen perceives LDP as a party of vested interests, led by entrenched politicians who accept and indulge in corruption as all in a days work. This perception was reinforced when many ‘tainted’ leaders of LDP were given important posts in the party and the government. Abe badly needs support at home because the foreign policy challenges that Japan faces are even more formidable.

North Korea has gone nuclear and the obvious target of the nukes is Japan. Japan’s history of Imperialism in Asia continues to infuriate the two most dynamic economies in the region – China and South Korea. How Abe manages them will determine how Japan can emerge from the shadows of being a ‘pacifist’ nation and a virtual subsidiary of the US to a leading global power, apart from being the second largest economy in the world. Latest ratings show that Abe’s popularity has dropped from the 70 point high in September to 48.6. Abe is countering this by going aggressive in foreign policy. He is even toying with a full-fledged Defence Ministry. But that could trigger old fears.