Japan's rising star driven by nationalism Hawkish politician has made a career out of bashing North Korea By Geoffrey York in Tokyo The Globe and Mail (Canada) | 17 March 2005 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/200503 17/JAPAN17/TPInternational/Asia When Japan tightened the screws on North Korea by choking one of its economic lifelines this month, it marked another victory for a charismatic politician whose hawkish stand has made him Japan's most popular leader. Shinzo Abe, a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has emerged as one of the front-runners to become Japan's next prime minister. And the key to his success is his relentless campaign of sharp words and tough actions against North Korea, the rogue state that is widely seen as the biggest threat to Japan's security. Mr. Abe, the grandson of a former prime minister, is a youthful and telegenic populist who has made his career by bashing North Korea at every opportunity. His rise to prominence is a sign of the nationalist mood that is gaining stronger influence in Japanese politics as the country becomes increasingly disenchanted with the pacifism of the past 60 years. "Japan used to just repeat world peace like a Buddhist chant," he once said. "Now we have to think about how best to pursue the national interest." For years, North Korea has depended on the Japanese market for its seafood and other exports. But this month, Tokyo banned most of North Korea's ships from Japanese waters, dealing a blow to its neighbour's weakened economy. Officially, the ban is not aimed specifically at North Korea. But the new law, which prohibits ships weighing more than 100 tonnes from entering Japan unless they meet strict insurance requirements, is having a much heavier impact on North Korea than on any other country. And politicians have privately acknowledged that it is a form of economic sanctions, targeted directly at North Korea. The ban is the latest tactic aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its failure to give a full explanation of the fate of a dozen Japanese who were kidnapped by North Korean spies in the 1970s. In earlier moves, Japan slashed its foreign aid and cut off an estimated $38-million (U.S.) in remittances sent back home by North Koreans who are living in Japan. In some ways, Tokyo's actions are more hawkish than anything proposed by the United States. Despite the U.S. accusation that North Korea is one of the countries that make up the "axis of evil," Washington has asked Japan to refrain from imposing an embargo. But the mood in Japan is increasingly hostile to Pyongyang, and the hard- line rhetoric of Mr. Abe is one of the biggest reasons. At 50 he is still remarkably young by the standards of Japanese politics, where key posts are usually held by much older politicians. But he has already served as secretary-general of the ruling party, and polls have consistently found him the most popular politician in the country. He has helped Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi wrest control of foreign policy from the bureaucrats who previously set the country's foreign-policy tone. Together, the two politicians have given them a more populist and nationalist tilt. When five of the abducted Japanese citizens were allowed to make temporary visits to Japan in 2002, it was Mr. Abe who fuelled it as a political issue, insisting that the five would remain in Japan despite an official promise to return them to North Korea. The episode made him a hero for many people in Japan. "On the North Korea issue, Abe has been hugely influential," said Jiro Yamaguchi, a political scientist at Hokkaido University in Japan. "He's a kind of jingoistic politician. He gains his popularity by attacking North Korea." But his hawkish views have gone beyond the reclusive Communist state. He once suggested that Tokyo could develop small nuclear devices without violating its constitution, an idea that was long considered taboo in Japanese politics. He also reportedly put pressure on Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, to tone down a documentary about the sexual enslavement of thousands of Asian women by the Japanese army during the Second World War. As a result, testimony from the former sex slaves was deleted from the documentary. Despite these controversies, Mr. Koizumi seems to be grooming Mr. Abe as his successor. After being plucked from the lower ranks of the ruling LDP to become the deputy cabinet secretary, he was promoted to LDP secretary-general and unofficial campaign manager for Mr. Koizumi's successful re-election bid in 2003. Certainly, he has the skills to thrive in Japan's new political climate, where the most popular leaders are outspoken new-generation reformers and nationalists who communicate well on television. He is tall and charismatic, noted for his stylish suits and his blunt manner of speaking, in sharp contrast to the cautious tone of most Japanese politicians. He studied politics at the University of Southern California, which may have influenced his style. "He speaks his mind very clearly," said Toshiyuki Shikata, a retired military general who is now a university professor in Tokyo. "Most LDP politicians, you can't understand them." Another key to his popularity is his image as a blue-blood prince of a famed Japanese political family. His grandfather, Nobosuke Kishi, was a prime minister in the early 1960s. His father, Shintaro Abe, was a foreign minister who was on the verge of becoming prime minister when he died in 1990. As the scion of this family, Mr. Abe enjoys the kind of mystique that surrounds the Kennedy family in the United States. While his family connections have helped, Mr. Abe's biggest strength is his sense of the political mood. Some analysts worry that the new populists, led by Mr. Abe, could give Japan a narrower outlook on the world. "It could be very dangerous," said Katsuhiko Mori, a professor of international relations at International Christian University in Tokyo. "They are not really debating policy; they are just supported by nationalist sentiment." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> �������������������������������������������������������� This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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