Shinzo Abe

Be careful who you praise and the degree of zeal you do it with. The slain Shinzo Abe, shot dead in Nara on July 8, towered over Japanese politics.

“Nobody was willing to investigate the Unification Church and the close ties with Japanese politicians because the constitution guarantees freedom of religion.” These included the impoverishment of his family at the hands of the Moonies. The special treatment offered this excommunicated Presbyterian minister was emblematic of the broader approach to religious groups in Japan. Kishida justified the decision on the basis of political longevity: Abe had proven to be Japan’s longest serving leader. The decision has stirred a rash of demonstrations, even encouraging an attempt at self-immolation. “Mr Abe was a remarkable leader, a catalyst for change in Japan and the region, a true friend of Australia,” A number of citizens even went so far as to argue against its legality, petitioning the Tokyo District Court to block the event. The claimants in that case also argued that the measure would propagate a situation obligating the public to mourn Abe’s death. Several opposition politicians are also irate about the way the decision to hold a state funeral was reached. His “great leader” credentials might be celebrated in some circles, “but his personal vision for rewriting Japanese history, of a glorious past, created a real problem in East Asia”. In her effusion, the US Secretary of State had ignored Abe’s problematic position on Japan’s use of “comfort women” or sex slaves during the Second World War. The tribute was a classic reminder of how the late Japanese leader could mislead, in this case on the rights of women and the policy of “Womenomics”.