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Mr Abe was never a real reformer in the same way his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi at least tried to be. He looks backward, not forward.

11 Comments

Financial Times commentary, criticizing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a backward-looking leader interested in a military revival.

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11 Comments
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Oh really !!!??? Koizumi was so in love with Elvis Presley - perhaps that is why he seemed to be "progressive". LOL - - - - Any sovereign nation needs to have a strong military - not for aggression but for a credible defense of its sovereignty . . . . . .

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Oh really !!!??? Koizumi was so in love with Elvis Presley - perhaps that is why he seemed to be "progressive". LOL

semperfi -- what in the world does that have to do with anything? The comment is about policy here, not taste in music. IMO, the Financial Times is spot on. Koizumi was totally willing to stake his entire political career on reform, which he did by calling a snap election and making Japan Post reform the litmus test. Abe's "reform" consists to simply printing more money to fund pork-barrel projects to benefit LDP-tied construction firms, and going back to nationalistic views held by his grand father.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Oh boy that's gotta sting!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

How's it gonna sting?

Financial Times is UK magazine.

Wouldn't any Japanese readers tilt towards Abe already, and dismiss the article?

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Yes, Abe is not living in the same century as the rest of us.

Makes you wonder why he is in the position he is.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

jerseyboy :

Koizumi was totally willing to stake his entire political career on reform,

Koizumi was GW's puppet . . .....The ywere / are EST friends . . . . . . He introduced a lot of reform (copied from USA) that worked in USA but was insidious for Japanese infrastructures. . ..... His infatuation with Elvis Presley is a metaphor of his lack of vision, lack of taste, and possibly stunted development.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

The whole 'commentary' can be found here.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4cbeb78e-2a12-11e4-a068-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3BpSp2LRT

It's in regards to Abenomics. Don't know why Koizumi is mentioned but it's typical western jounalism in regards to Japan where these people can only come up with one example because he's recent and well known but not for economic reform.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Celebrate the glorious new past, and bugger the consequences!

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

There exactly is the remarks from the Chinese and RoK government, so who is escalating the tensions in asia is very obvious , this is Japan's fault !

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

The Financial Times editorial suggested that the Bank of Japan buy yet more government bonds or increase the purchase of other assets such as equity and real estate funds, that is, Japan should print more money and gush it into the market. That is what a real reformer seems to mean, according to the paper. It also urged Abe to postpone the next scheduled increase in consumption tax from 8 to 10 per cent. It even wrote that Abe's decision to go ahead with April's three-point rise to 8 per cent, though brave, may have been foolhardy. I remember that the Financial Times in line with IMF lectured Japan for the necessity to increase sales tax to readjust the state finance. The press journalism anyway seems rather freewheeling.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes, Abe is not living in the same century as the rest of us. Makes you wonder why he is in the position he is.

Maybe the voting public are in the same century as Abe?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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