Japan Press Weekly

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2016 September 28 - October 4 [POLITICS]

PM Abe’s ‘morale-boosting’ performance attracts widespread criticism

“Members of the Self-Defense Forces are carrying out their duties day and night. Right here and now, let’s express our respect to them.”

At the Lower House opening session on September 26, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo suddenly stopped his policy speech and called on the lawmakers present to express their support for the troops. In response, legislators from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party stood up and began to applaud. Then, the House Speaker hastily prompted them to sit down and ordered silence.

This showy performance has drawn criticism from the general public as well as opposition parties. An ex-principal of a private high school said, “I recall a scene during World War II where many people were enthusiastically applauding college students being sent to battlegrounds. The prime minister probably aimed at boosting morale by calling for a standing ovation to SDF members.”

PM Abe’s call reminds us of the ovations repeated under Japan’s military government and Hitler’s Nazi regime. These are examples of abnormal behavior forcing power holders’ militaristic values on the public.

When PM Abe gave instructions to high-ranking SDF officers on September 12, he referred to the enforced national security legislation and the revised Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation. “The systems are established. The need now is for the SDF and the Defense Ministry to implement them,” he said.

Under the unconstitutional war legislation, the Abe administration assigned new missions to the SDF which entail a serious danger of involving SDF units in combat. The prime minister’s conduct reflects his fear that it will be impossible to maintain high morale among dispatched SDF personnel and thus no one will join the SDF.

Usually, when a U.S. President expresses his/her respect to the military in Congress, both Republicans and Democrats give a standing ovation. This practice is based on a similar reasoning.

The latest incident in Japan’s Diet reveals PM Abe’s ambition to turn Japan into a military power like the United States.