Shinzo Abe's Militarism

by Stephen Lendman

Assassinated on Friday while delivering an election rally address, former prime minister Abe — the nation's longest serving one from 2006 to 2007, then from 2012 - 20 — will be remembered as a working class enemy and for reviving Japanese militarism in cahoots with hegemon USA's anti-China policies.

In March, he called for Japan to host US nukes, saying:

"Japan is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has its three non-nuclear principles, but it should not treat as a taboo, discussions on the reality of how the world is kept safe."

Nukes make the world profoundly unsafe.

According to the International Campaign To Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), their use may be just "a temper tantrum away" — notably by the empire of lies, Britain, France and/or apartheid Israel.

Yet Abe falsely claimed that if (Nazi-infested) Ukraine kept its Soviet era nukes, the Zelensky regime could have deterred Russia by threatening their use — as well as deterring nonexistent Sino/DPRK threats.

Abe also urged Washington to abandon its one-China policy by declaring its intention to defend Taiwan if a conflict occurs between the mainland and what Beijing considers a breakaway province.

At the time, China's Foreign Ministry said the following:

"Japanese politicians frequently spread fallacies related to Taiwan and even blatantly made false remarks that violate the nation's three non-nuclear principles."

"We strongly ask Japan to deeply reflect on its history." 

Last December, Abe repeated  fabricated US claims about alleged Chinese human rights abuses in Xinjiang by making stuff up.

During his tenure as prime minister, Japan increased military spending annually — to defend against nonexistent threats.

Yet Tokyo allied with hegemon USA's Asia pivot over the past decade to challenge China and Russia by advancing the Pentagon's military footprint in a part of the world where it doesn't belong — what risks unthinkable East/West confrontation. 

Japan's current Fumio Kishida regime allies with hegemon USA's militarism in similar fashion to Abe's agenda when prime minister.

Kishida's reported intention to greatly increase military spending will rank it third worldwide behind hegemon USA and China in the amount spent on their armed forces if follows through on what he vowed.

Like Abe, he and dominant Japanese hardliners aim to soften or eliminate Japan's constitutional Article 9 pacifist clause, what forbids deployment of the country's military abroad, stating:

"Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."

"In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained."

"The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."

During Abe's tenure, Japan shifted from non-belligerence to "collective self-defense" as an appendage of Washington Indo/Pacific drive for hegemony.

His regime and successors sought to airbrush Japan's imperial war crimes from its history.

Tokyo's domestic policy follows US/Western neoliberal harshness, serving privileged interests exclusively by exploiting the vast majority.

If conflict erupts between the empire of lies and China, Russia or both nations, Japan may cross the line entirely from post-WW II pacifism to allying with hegemon USA's aim to dominate other nations by brute force.

A Final Comment

According to head of police in Nara, Japan, Tomoaki Onizuka, where Abe was shot and killed:

"I believe it is undeniable that there were problems with the guarding and safety measures for former prime minister Abe." 

"The urgent matter is for us to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify what happened," adding:

"As the regional police chief responsible for safety and security of the region, I took necessary steps and built structures for security and guarding."

He left unexplained why a gunman was able to lethally shoot Abe.

According to Nikkei Asia:

"Questions swirled in security circles over how the suspect was able to get so close to Abe as well as why police officers were not able to jump in and protect" him. 

Videos of the incident show no police "surrounding him as a barrier or rushing to protect him as human shields between shots."

An unnamed "Metropolitan Police executive" was cited, saying that "the event appeared to lack sufficient (security) preparation."

Abe was allied with Washington's imperial agenda.

He was Japan's prime minister for nearly a decade.

The CIA is infamous for assassinating independent foreign leaders.

Given Abe's alliance with the empire of lies as Japan's PM, it seems unlikely that hegemon USA would target him for elimination.

Yet unacceptably lax security begs the question.

Did he have internal enemies wanting him eliminated?

If so, it's highly unlikely for wanting once again to become Japan's PM.

In August 2020, he stepped down voluntarily for chronic health reasons.

At the time, he called it "gut wrenching to have to leave my job before accomplishing my goals."

He referred to not having eliminated Japan's constitutional Article 9 pacifist clause because of public opposition to the move.

In the fullness of time, more will be known about the motive behind his fatal shooting.