The political comeback of Shinzo Abe is one of the stranger twists in the recent, convoluted history of Japanese politics. Five years – and five prime ministers – ago, when he suddenly resigned after an ignominious year in office, few would have predicted a return. Back then, his mission to create a “beautiful Japan less ashamed of its wartime history was out of kilter with a population more exercised by continued economic stagnation. 安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)卷土重来,在日本近年来错综复杂的政治史中是一个比较独特的事件。五年前(五年间日本产生了五任首相),在就任首相的一年间声名狼藉的安倍晋三突然辞职。当时,几乎没人预料到他会回归。当时,安倍晋三提出要将日本建设成一个“美丽国家,更坦然地面对二战时期的历史,但在更担心经济持续停滞的日本民众面前,这一目标有些不合时宜。 Much has changed since then. Most important is China’s more assertive push to reclaim the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls Diaoyu. The so-called “Senkaku shock, the latest bout of which unleashed violent anti-Japan demonstrations across China, has convinced many Japanese that a newly risen China is something to be feared. That plays into the hands of Mr Abe, who has argued that Japan should ditch its pacifist constitution, which forbids it from having an army or a navy. Mr Abe would also like to increase military spending. His view looks reasonable. |