hankyoreh

The Dec. 16 election for Japan’s House of Representatives ended pretty much as expected, with a triumph by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The decision of the Japanese public should be respected, but as residents of a neighboring country, we cannot help worrying about the effects this hard right turn will have on peace in Northeast Asia and relations between Tokyo and Seoul. Under leader Shinzo Abe, the party has pledged to amend the country’s Peace Constitution, which renounces the right to wage war, and openly stated its plans to respond sternly on territorial issues with neighboring countries.

In the August 2009 elections, the Democratic Party of Japan claimed a sweeping victory with policies emphasizing citizens’ livelihoods and relationships with other Asian countries. It ended up stumbling badly as the limits of its leadership abilities became clear. It failed to answer the public’s hopes for change, and it bungled its response to national crises like the Fukushima disaster. It cannot avoid bearing some of the responsibility for pushing the Japanese public so far to the right so quickly. Other factors in this shift include frustration with politicians over the country’s long-term recession, as well as a sense of alarm about the rise of China. The LDP took full advantage of this, riding back to power on the back of pledges for the return of a strong Japan.

Abe, who is now a shoo-in to return as prime minister, is well known for his far-right views. He is the grandson of another prime minister, Nobusuke Kishi, who was held as a suspect for Class A war crimes for his deeds during the Second World War. During his previous term, Abe faced severe criticism at home and abroad for his right-wing politics, including his refusal to acknowledge the forcible drafting of “comfort women” from Japanese colonies to serve as sex slaves to the country’s military. Now he is going even further, announcing that in addition to amending the Constitution to allow the exercise of collective self-defense rights, he also plans to make Shimane prefecture’s Takeshima Day - a celebration of supposed Japanese sovereignty over the disputed Dokdo islets - into a national event. He pays respects at Yasukuni Shrine, where many war criminals are enshrined, and he is waiting for an opportunity to revise the Kono Statement of 1993, which recognized the forced mobilization of comfort women.

Another worrisome development is the boost the election gave the Japan Restoration Party, which is led by former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, a figure who has openly called for Japan to arm itself with nuclear weapons. He has also proposed a coalition government with the LDP based on a revised Constitution. That amendment is not likely to happen right away, but the twin rise of Abe and Ishihara is a signal that frictions with neighboring countries over historical and territorial matters are only going to intensify.

The LDP’s economic policies are also very likely to hurt South Korea. The party has pledged unlimited quantitative easing in order to bring the ailing economy back from the brink. This would involve reviving exports and manufacturing by devaluing the yen, an approach that puts South Korean exporters at risk. The party should understand that Japan cannot expect to be treated like the world’s third largest economy by the international community when its policies show such a complete lack of consideration for its neighbors and contribute so much to tensions. Whoever is elected president in South Korea on Dec. 19 will need to prepare for this right-leaning Tokyo with a clear understanding of the historical issues at play.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]