Status: 08.07.2022 11:52 a.m
Longtime Japanese Prime Minister Abe pushed his country to the right. He did not shy away from the pacifist constitution. In the West he became known for his “Abenomics”.
“Lets’ go, let’s go,” shouted Shinzo Abe in 2006. That was when the Liberal Democrat was sworn in as Japan’s head of government for the first time. It won’t be the only time – the right-wing conservative politician will shape the country. “I set up a cabinet to create a beautiful country,” Abe said. But nothing came of it at first. After a bitter electoral defeat, he had to resign a year later.
In 2012, after the triple disaster of Fukushima and hapless Democrats, Abe returned as prime minister. He promised economic reforms, the so-called Abenomics, which should ensure the continued existence as the third largest economic power in the world and give 126 million Japanese a better life.
Trump’s first foreign guest
Under his leadership, the country shifted to the right. He changed security laws and strengthened the alliance with the US. After the election of US President Donald Trump, he was the first foreign guest in the White House – the two politicians played golf together.
At home in Japan, Abe and, to some extent, his wife were involved in various scandals. But despite overwhelming evidence, he got off with a black eye. There were protests against him and calls for his resignation. But Abe was always well connected and a mastermind – he stayed in office and was even re-elected.
“We have won five elections in the past, which give us the mandate for a stable economic base. Everyone has found a decent job through them and Japan has asserted itself in foreign policy,” Abe said confidently in 2018.
He met Chancellor Merkel, Putin, Xi – he shook hands with all of them, but it was often nothing more than that. He hoped the Russian President would give him two of the Kuril Islands, which belong to Russia but are claimed by Japan. Abe was confident of victory, but Putin turned him down coldly.
Investing in Japan’s military
From the beginning, Abe wanted one thing above all: to arm Japan. Defense spending increased annually. And he planned to abolish the pacifist constitution: “With the new government that is now in office, we Liberal Democrats will have a vigorous discussion about changing the constitution,” he announced in 2019.
The Olympic Games were supposed to be held a year later. Although the Covid numbers also rose in Japan, the then prime minister held on to the games until there was no other choice. And then sold the postponement as his idea: “IOC President Bach agreed to my proposal. We are postponing the Olympic Games and the Paralympics to summer 2021.”
Then the Corona state of emergency was declared – and Abe officially left office for health reasons. Until his death, however, he pulled the strings in the background.