In news that shocked Japan and the world, Shinzo Abe is dead. He is a man who has had a sizeable impact on the world around him and has definitely left behind a legacy.It is that very legacy that we will be unpacking in today's edition of D&D.
Abe was a firm right-wing Japanese nationalist. One of the greatest things that he had ever did for Japan was render article 9 obsolete. Article 9 is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. It was instituted by the Americans when they achieved unconditional defeat from the Japanese after world war 2. He knew that he would nevermget the 2/3 majority in parliament required to amend the constitution so he got the government to approve a reinterpretation of the article, allowing them to increase the powers of the Japanese Self-Defense Force( Basically the Japanese military but with limited powers because they are technically not allowed to have an army ). In other words, he got his country's freedom back because let's be honest, a country that is constitutionally unable to have an army would be incredibly vulnerable and open to exploitation in this day and age.
Another thing that should be appreciated about Abe was his confidence. When he entered office in 2012, Japan had suffered an earthquake, tsunami and a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. This resulted in their economy being in a downturn and slipping into recession . He entered with great energy and proposed 'Abenomics' an economic plan that would save japan. Did the plan work? That is questionable, but the stock markets swelled and employment increased because everyone thought that the man in the office knew what he was doing bolstering their confidence in the system, enabling the country to recover.
However, one of Abe's most epic moments was during the North Korean Hostage Crisis. In the 1970s, there were several abductions of Japanese by the North Koreans. After much diplomacy and effort, they finally managed to convince the North Koreans to allow 5 of the abductees to travel to Japan on the condition that they return to North Korea. After the Japanese arrived back on Japan, Abe kindly let the Koreans know that the abductees would not be returned. It stalled the diplomatic efforts but Abe managed to save the lives of 5 Japanese citizens with his bold actions.
But, at the same time , there were times where Abe's nationalistic tendencies leant abit too far, this was evident from when he attempted to convince the children of Japanese Superiority. He did this by pushing for heavy textbook reforms in japan. In fact, he managed to remove references to Japanese war time sex slaves from all junior high school textbook. In fact, at one point there was even another version of the history textbook called the " New History Textbook" in 2005.That cover rewrote the Nanjing Massacre, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity sphere. These corrections to the Japanese History was meant to breed a generation of patriots who believed firmly in their country but it was also Abe's downfall as it was against the desires of his base who were worried that it would the damage the rhetoric that helped Japan maintain their peaceful existence since World War 2, leading to his defeat in the election.
Abe also initially refused to acknowledge any of the darker moments of Japan's past. One such instance that made it onto the global stage was the concept of South Korean Comfort Women. Until 2015, there was a great refusal by the Japanese government and Abe that the comfort women debacle took place even in the face of mounting evidence.(As mentioned earlier, he even removed references about it from textbooks) .However, in 2015, he moved his position to officially respect the pain and suffering that the Japanese women underwent and apologised as well as paid one billion yen in compensation. Hence, highlighting how despite his love for his country, he was still able to put it aside when it came to making the most pragmatic decision for his country.
At the end of the day, Shinzo Abe was not a perfect man but he certainly did love his country and he served her loyally to the end. He was in it for his country and not for personal gain, a rarity in this day and age.
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