Is Abe a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

The big question in Japanese politics now is who will succeed prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. The two main characters for the job are chief cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe and foreign minister Taro Aso. So far Koizumi has not endorsed any of them. So, the question is: what will they do different?

Taro Aso is a bit of a mean looking man. He has gotten into trouble by making various controversial statements that can be interpreted as racist and as supporting Japan’s colonial past. From 1973 to 1979 he served as president of the Aso Mining Company, started by his father. It has been documented that the company used slave labor from Korea, China and even allied prisoners during various wars. So, is this man going to be a hard liner as prime minister? A hawk that starts wars?

Shinzo Abe has a friendly and a little sad face. He comes across as a nice person when I’ve seen him on TV. Even if Koizumi hasn’t officially endorsed him yet the general feeling is that Abe is the real successor. Maybe because of the bold style of Taro Aso, Abe has came across more like a dove than a hawk. The “nice” successor, the man who will clear up relations with Korea after Koizumi’s visits to Yasukini shrine. Now, what are these gentlemen actually saying?

I think that Abe with the sad eyes is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is proposing a closer military co-operation with the United States, this by installing a Japanese security council with a direct line to the one in the US. He also wants to change the law to make Japan eligible for international military operations. The last thing he said was that he was going to be tough on North Korea. Hawkish stuff in my world.

Aso on the other hand has made no such claims. On TV last night he said that he wants Japan to be less dependent on the US for defence. He also stresses the importance of education and that Japan needs to make an effort so be number one in business and knowledge in Asia. Ok, the guy has produced a few gaffes, some more worrying than funny. And he came from business to politics with his fathers money in the same way George Bush did. But is he really a hawk?

Maybe it really will not make a big difference after all, Aso or Abe. Both of them need to keep the US close and happy. Even if the Japanese troops now are officially out of Iraq there is still a lot of money going there and Japanese support troops working in the neighbouring countries. Anyway, If Abe will be the one starting wars I am sure Aso will be happy to find a place for the POWs to work. Mahalo.

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