2013年4月24日 星期三

Japan PM Abe's Nationalist Rhetoric 日本的民族主義 以及 18 new results for Japan (Google Alert)


 當這樣的論述碰到了邏輯的瓶頸時,鷹派的人就選擇騎上民族主義的虎背。嚐過民族主義災難的日本作家大江建三郎,把操玩民族主義比成喝劣酒,酒醒時只有劇烈的頭痛留下。---康定怡


Japan's Unnecessary Nationalism

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Instead of exacerbating historical wounds, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should focus on enhancing its role as a leading democracy in Asia.


2013年 04月 26日 09:09

日首相民族主義言論考驗與鄰國關係


本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)重提日本戰時歷史的行動進一步升級﹐發表了新一輪言論來回應亞洲鄰國提出的批評。這些言論加劇了日本同韓國和中國之間的緊張關係。

安倍晉三內閣成員參拜靖國神社(Yasukuni shrine)已經引發了憤怒情緒﹐安倍晉三此時又明顯質疑日本在二戰中對該地區一些國家的侵犯和佔領行為是否應該被稱作侵略。這進一步激化了鄰國的憤怒情緒。

週二﹐一名議員詢問安倍晉三是否支持時任日本首相在1995年對日本殖民主義行為的道歉﹐安倍晉三在國會上說﹐在學術領域和國際社會﹐什麼行為構成“侵略”的定義還沒有最終確立。如何看待國與國之間發生的事﹐取決於你站在哪一方。

鑒於形勢已經如此敏感﹐韓國外交部週四召見了日本大使﹐對上述言論提出正式抗議。而就在三天前﹐由於上週末日本內閣成員參拜靖國神社﹐韓國外交部長已經取消了原計劃對東京的訪問。

韓國外交部發言人趙泰永(Cho Tai-young)週四說:在這種形勢下﹐我們對日本、日本政府和日本政治人物曲解歷史以及發表落伍言論的行為表示極度失望。他補充說:我們希望日本的領導人可以用誠實適度的思維反思其殖民主義和侵略行為﹐糾正過時的看法和言論。

日本1910年正式吞併朝鮮半島﹐並在1945年二戰結束前一直佔領該地區。

儘 管安倍晉三及其助手的行動和言論在日本外部引發不滿﹐這名受歡迎的領導人已經吸引了他的政治支持者力挺他的立場。安倍晉三的秘書在安倍晉三的官方 Facebook賬戶上發佈了週三國會辯論的視頻﹐主要展示了他充滿激情地為議員參拜靖國神社的權利進行辯護。靖國神社供奉了被定罪的戰犯﹐以及超過 200萬在日本現代戰爭中死去的人。

Reuters
週四,首爾的抗議者對日本首相安倍晉三近期的言論表達了不滿。圖為其中一位戴著安倍晉三面具的抗議者。
這個帖子很快獲得了數千個來自保守派支持者的積極評價﹐他們對安倍晉三的立場表示稱讚。一名支持者說:你的聲明感動了許多人。另一名支持者說:我77歲的老母親感謝你在靖國神社的問題上說了一些其他首相不會說的話。

在週三的辯論中﹐一位反對派議員問安倍晉三內閣成員參拜靖國神社造成的影響。安倍晉三回答說﹐向為國捐軀的英靈表達尊崇之意理所當然﹐日本內閣成員不會屈服於任何威脅。

他還說﹐認為削弱日本祭拜陣亡者的權利會改善與鄰國的關係﹐這種想法是錯誤的﹐暗示最近韓國和中國的不滿存在國內政治動機。

儘管安倍晉三的內閣成員說﹐他們是以私人身份而非政府官員的身份參拜靖國神社的﹐但中國政府不接受其中的區別。中國外交部發言人華春瑩說:不管日本領導人以何種形式和身份參拜靖國神社﹐其本質都是企圖否認那段日本軍國主義侵略歷史。

包括副首相麻生太郎(Taro Aso)在內的日本內閣成員上週末參拜了靖國神社。之後﹐168位來自各個黨派的議員週二參拜了靖國神社。這是自1989年以來參拜靖國神社議員人數最多的一次。

眾所周知﹐安倍晉三支持強硬的防務政策﹐力圖重新解讀日本戰時的歷史。2006年至2007年他首次出任首相﹐外界普遍認為那次的任期以失敗告終﹐因為他試圖優先考慮修改日本和平主義的憲法。

去年底﹐安倍晉三再次當選首相後﹐他下決心不再犯同樣的錯誤。直到最近之前﹐他從很大程度上一直掩蓋自己的民族主義立場。他還努力使自己的內閣成員一致專注於經濟事務。

但隨著他的支持率高達70%左右﹐在網上也重新獲得了支持﹐安倍晉三的膽子變大﹐他似乎越來越多地將關注點轉向個人日程。

不過﹐廣大民眾是否願意支持這種改變又是另一回事。《朝日新聞》(Asahi Shimbun) 4月16日發佈的一項民調顯示﹐有50%的受訪者支持安倍晉三的經濟政策﹐但只有14%的受訪者支持他在外交和安全事務上的立場。僅有6%的受訪者支持他的憲法觀點。

擔心政府調整日程的不僅限於批評人士﹔安倍晉三的一些密友也心存擔憂。

麻生太郎上週五接受採訪時說﹐我們說服安倍晉三將自己的個人利益放到一邊﹐首先專注於經濟。兩天後﹐麻生太郎也參拜了靖國神社。麻生太郎說﹐他擔心一旦在夏季的上議院選舉中獲勝﹐安倍晉三可能走上不同的方向。

但安倍晉三可能不會等那麼久。他最近接受《讀賣新聞》(Yomiuri Shimbun)採訪時說﹐修憲將是即將進行的選戰活動的核心。

TOKO SEKIGUCHI



Japan PM Abe's Nationalist Rhetoric Tests Ties With Neighbors
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stepped up his campaign to revisit Japan's wartime history, responding to criticism from Asian neighbors with a new round of comments that have further aggravated tensions with South Korea and China.

With emotions running high over visits by members of his cabinet to a wartime memorial, Mr. Abe stoked passions further by appearing to question whether Japan's World War II aggression and occupation of countries around the region could be labeled an 'invasion.'

'The definition of what constitutes an 'invasion' has yet to be established in academia or in the international community,' Mr. Abe said in Parliament on Tuesday, after a fellow lawmaker asked whether he supported a 1995 apology issued by Japan's prime minister at the time for Japan's colonial behavior. 'Things that happened between nations will look different depending on which side you view them from.'

The situation has become so prickly that South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned Japan's ambassador Thursday to lodge a formal complaint about that comment─three days after the South Korean foreign minister canceled a planned trip to Tokyo over the weekend war-memorial visits.

'At this occasion, we expressed strong regrets with regards to the distorted understanding of history and anachronistic words from Japan, its government and politicians,' South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said Thursday. 'We hope Japan's leaders will reflect upon its colonization and invasion with an honest and modest mind-set and correct its anachronistic understanding and rhetoric,' he added.

Japan officially annexed Korea in 1910 and occupied the peninsula until the end of World War II in 1945.

While the actions and comments of Mr. Abe and his aides are stirring antagonism outside Japan, the popular leader has appealed to his political base in Japan for support for his stance. His secretary posted a video of Wednesday's parliamentary debate on the prime minister's official Facebook page, highlighting his impassioned defense of parliamentarians' right to visit the Yasukuni shrine, where convicted war criminals are enshrined alongside more than two million others who died in Japan's modern wars.

The post quickly garnered thousands of expressions of praise from conservative supporters applauding Mr. Abe for his stance. 'There are many of those who were touched by your statement,' wrote one supporter. 'My 77-year-old mother thanks you for putting into words what other prime ministers wouldn't' about Yasukuni, said another.

During the Wednesday debate, an opposition lawmaker asked Mr. Abe about the effects of visits by cabinet ministers to Yasukuni. The prime minister responded: 'It's only natural to honor the spirits of those who gave their lives for the country. Our ministers will not cave in to any threats.'

He added that it was 'wrong to think chipping away' at Japan's right to honor its war dead would improve relations with neighboring countries, suggesting recent South Korean and Chinese complaints had domestic political motives.

While Mr. Abe's cabinet members said they were visiting the shrine in a personal role, not as government officials, the Chinese government rejected that distinction. 'It doesn't matter how or in what role Japanese leaders visit the Yasukuni shrine,' Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Thursday. 'We feel it is in essence a denial of Japan's history of militarist invasion.'

The weekend visits to the Yasukuni shrine by cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, were followed Tuesday by visits of 168 parliamentarians from various parties to commemorate the shrine's spring festival. It was the biggest group of lawmakers to visit since 1989.

Mr. Abe is widely known for supporting a strong defense policy and for reinterpreting Japan's wartime history. His first premiership of 2006-2007 is generally seen to have failed because of his attempts to prioritize amending the country's pacifist constitution.

Determined not to make the same mistake after returning to office late last year, the prime minister had, until recently, largely kept his nationalistic views under wraps. He has also taken steps to keep his cabinet members in line and focused on economic matters.

But emboldened by approval ratings hovering around 70%─and by a newly found online fan base─Mr. Abe seems to be increasingly turning his focus to his personal agenda.

Whether the general public is ready to embrace this change, however, is another matter. A poll by the Asahi Shimbun published April 16 showed that 50% of respondents backed Mr. Abe's economic policies, but only 14% his stance on diplomacy and security issues. A mere 6% were in favor of his constitutional views.

It isn't only critics who worry about the government reorienting its agenda; some of the prime minister's close confidants have concerns, too.

'We have persuaded Mr. Abe to set aside his pet interests and focus on the economy first,' Mr. Aso said in an interview last Friday─two days before he made his own visit. Mr. Aso said he was worried 'that once we get a victory in the [summer] upper-house election, Mr. Abe might go in a different direction.'

But the prime minister may not wait that long. In a recent interview with the daily Yomiuri Shimbun, he said constitutional change would be central in the coming election campaign.



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Japan's Unnecessary Nationalism
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