Tuesday, November 6, 2018 | The Japan Times | 11 opinion A contextual look at the Heisei Era

The articles in this series were compiled helped to stabilize the Asia-Pacific order major shift in the security situation sur- pessimists are inclined to do, misses the from contributions by members of the and facilitated the rise of a stable two-party rounding Japan could have a decisive impact big picture. Japan still has one of the larg- Political and Diplomatic Review project of parliamentary system in Japan during the on the domestic political climate. est economies in the world, and its living the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research second half of that decade. In contrast, the In the wake of the Meiji Restoration, Japan standards rank near the top. The reason to the forum on “Japan since the Meiji global instability of the early 1930s fueled set itself apart from and above the rest of the Japanese economy no longer looms so Restoration” held to reassess the 150 years the rise of right-wing “reformist” elements Asia, modeling itself after the Western pow- large in the region is simply that the region since of the start of Japan’s modernization. within the military. ers. Within a few decades, it had earned a as a whole has made rapid progress in recent In Part 3, Taizo Miyagi focuses on Japan’s After World War II, Japanese party politics position as the only non-Western country years. In fact, Asia’s overall growth and dyna- political path during the three decades of congealed into a static configuration loosely among the major powers and was building mism presents a tremendous economic the Heisei Era in the context of interna- reflecting the global Cold War system. On its own colonial empire to replace the Sino- opportunity for Japan. tional trends. one side, the conservative, pro-American, centric tribute system that had dominated Still, we should not be surprised if some pro-business Liberal Democratic Party was East Asia for centuries. elements of the public view the decline in founded in 1955, and controlled the govern- This fundamental To lament the Japan’s relative status with mixed emotions. Japan since the ment continuously until 1993. On the other orientation contin- ‘fall of Japan,’ Political leadership can play a critical role in Meiji Restoration side was the opposition Japan Socialist Party ued after World War keeping such feelings within bounds. (later renamed the Social Democratic Party II. Detached from the as some This is particularly important when it pessimists do, Taizo Miyagi of Japan), which advocated a peaceful transi- The Hesei Era began on Jan. 8, 1989, following the accession of Emperor Akihito. the japan times turmoil and stagna- comes to historical and territorial disagree- tion to socialism and a neutral foreign policy. tion that was holding misses the big ments with our neighbors. These hot-button I would like to explore two topics as they This “1955 system,” as it is known, persisted LDP coalition (led successively by Prime ble alternatives to the LDP. Ichiro Ozawa’s back much of Asia, picture. issues have a tendency to fuel nationalistic pertain to the 150-year arc of modern until 1993, shortly after the end of the Cold Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and Tsutomu Shinshinto staked out a “realistic” stance on Japan worked single- sentiment on both sides and can easily esca- Japanese history since the Meiji Restora- War. Hata), which collapsed in June 1994. The issues of security and the Constitution, while mindedly to achieve late into damaging disputes. We should tion (1868) and to our current Heisei Era In contrast, the post-Cold War years, cor- LDP then cobbled together a coalition with the Democratic Party of Japan explored economic parity with the industrial West. remember, also, that our American allies or (Since 1989), now in its 30th year. The first is responding roughly to the Heisei Era, have the SDPJ (formerly the JSP) and New Party options for scaling back the Japan-U.S. alli- By the 1970s, it had emerged as the world’s others outside the region may not share our the impact of international affairs on domes- been a period of political realignment and Sakigake, which likewise ran aground over ance, such as by limiting the U.S. military’s second-largest economy and Asia’s only eco- interest in these issues. Steady, level-headed tic politics, and the second is Japan’s position shifting coalitions. Looking closely, we can security issues (specifically, the U.S. military use of Japanese bases to emergency situa- nomic power. In fact, until fairly recently, this leadership will be more critical than ever as within the East Asian region. see that many of these shifts pivoted on presence in Okinawa). The impetus for the tions. It seems safe to surmise that security descriptor was central to Japan’s identity. Japan adjusts to its new role in the East Asian Ever since the mid-19th century, interna- security issues and the constitutional ques- LDP-Komeito coalition forged in 1999 was a issues will continue to play a pivotal role But Japan’s unchallenged regional preemi- region. tional affairs have exerted a decisive influ- tions they raise. The left-centrist opposi- Diet standoff over a package of government- in the realignment of opposition forces nence is a thing of the past; over the last 20 or ence on political developments within tion alliance between the JSP, Komeito, and sponsored bills to expand the role of the henceforth. 30 years, China and other rapidly developing Taizo Miyagi is a professor at Sophia Uni- Japan. The threat from the industrial West, Democratic Socialist Party splintered over SDF under revised Guidelines for Japan-U.S. The international situation today is Asian countries have closed the gap. In this versity’s Department of Global Studies. This symbolized by the arrival of Matthew Per- the 1992 International Peace Cooperation Defense Cooperation. fraught with uncertainty. Do the “Amer- sense, the Heisei Era has marked a dramatic series of articles first appeared on the website ry’s “black ships” in 1853, helped precipitate Law (permitting limited participation by From the late 1990s on, with the Social ica First” policies of U.S. President Donald change in Japan’s regional status. After a cen- of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the the Self-Defense Forces in United Nations Democratic Party (formerly the SDPJ) in Trump represent an anomaly or signal a tury as East Asia’s unchallenged economic (http://www.tokyofoundation.org/en/arti- rise of the Meiji government. The multilat- peacekeeping operations). a tailspin, security issues emerged as a key long-term trend? How will those policies and industrial leader, Japan has become just cles/2018/japan-since-meiji-restoration3) eral treaties and pacts concluded during the The North Korean nuclear crisis of 1993- focus of policy debate among opposition impact the U.S.-China relationship and the one of several important regional powers. and is reprinted in an agreement with the Washington Conference of the early 1920s 1994 helped undermine the short-lived anti- forces striving to position themselves as via- situation on the Korean Peninsula? Any To lament the “fall of Japan,” as some think tank. U.S. drones and the Khashoggi murder

Michael Brenner tronic Intelligence critical to the mission. macy of extra-judicial murder as a standard where the parade of American commanders Pittsburgh, Texas Never mind that U.S. military personnel combat tactic. In the U.S., this approach is now numbers 17, not due to attrition but The Globalist sit in the very command rooms from which accepted as such. Since targeted assassina- rather to an odd ritual of rotation. the operations are conducted. In addition, tion involves no U.S. casualties, it makes the Anyway, those personnel changes have In Washington, there is not much mystery Washington provides unqualified diplo- prosecution of war more palatable to the U.S. been a totally irrelevant factor — like quar- about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed matic cover and justification. public. That is why it is now an integral part terbacks for the Cleveland Browns or man- bin Salman’s (MBS) behavior. He is an ego- This Yemen “policy” was inaugurated by of the playbook. agers of English football clubs. Robots would maniac, somewhat unhinged. He is drunk U.S. President Barack Obama and was then The chain of “command” is as follows: have done as well — or as badly. (In World with power and accustomed to torture and continued by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Israelis inaugurated it. The Americans War II, political leaders of extraordinary stat- kill at whim. In legal terms, the United States is an acces- refined it and extended it. MBS now emu- ure could make a difference: Hitler, Stalin, His campaign of annihilation against the sory before, during and after the fact of MBS’s lates the U.S. Count on others to follow it. Roosevelt, Churchill). Houthis of Yemen indicates the depths of crimes in Yemen. Of course, the level of inhibition varies Multiple assassinations as a method for his depravity and the scope of his ambition. The U.S.’s main responsibility lies in help- from leader and by target. America’s singular thinning the enemies’ leadership ranks So, too, did his imprisoning of 400 wealthy ing instill MBS’s deep sense of impunity. In influence in setting global “fashions” means is something new. This novel notion has Saudis in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton where they addition, the U.S. encouraged the Saudi alli- that the inhibition will weaken most every- emerged from the endless cogitations on were physically abused until they coughed ance with Israel. This gave MBS further con- where and the range of individuals targeted how to eliminate insurgent movements, 2. Anonymous murder on a mass scale is dominance — by means violent as well as up their riches for his personal use (e.g., fidence that active lobbying in Washington will widen. especially jihadist ones of the Islamic somehow less repugnant than the murder of peaceable. Americans remain wedded to the spending $500 million for a mislabeled and the media would insulate him from The tactic of knocking-off the enemy’s persuasion. one readily identifiable person by identifi- belief that we are a moral people following “Leonardo” painting). MBS thus presents a any retribution. Hence, feeling that he pro- chief has deep historical roots. In the age of Its net effectiveness is immeasurable to able individuals. the course of righteousness in the world. good imitation of Caligula and Nero. So, too, tected all his relevant flanks properly, he is kings and emperors, it was tempting to think date. It is fair to say that never before in the 3. This common human trait is exagger- “When conquer we must, for our cause it is did his kidnapping and physical abuse of the now furious that some people in the West of decapitating the opposition. Normally, it annals of warfare has a fighting force been ated by the decision of the mass media to just; let this be our motto: In God is our trust.” prime minister of Lebanon (Saad Hariri) — (not including the White House) are making was a vain hope, though. They were out of found to have so many (nominal) com- ignore the human suffering in Yemen. This unthinking mental universe has per- who owed MBS money and, therefore, politi- such a fuss over the pedestrian act of whack- reach. Also, there was always some inhibi- manders and sub-commanders, treasurers If their fate had been given the same mitted Americans so far to perpetuate many cal fealty. ing an annoying critic. tion since the prospect of retaliation in kind and propaganda chiefs, as recorded on kill graphic 24/7 publicity as deaths in Aleppo myths about our place in the world. But In these ruthless ventures, he has been Furthermore, from the Saudi crown was unappealing. lists and successful executions, as among and East Ghouta, it would have registered. In eventually, we must look at the dark truth: encouraged by the American government. prince’s perspective, the U.S. has set the There was opportunity when a valiant jihadists. the former case, you had a seemingly black- The America that so many people around The Saudi bombing of Yemen to smith- relevant precedent for the assassination of leader took to the field at the head of his The public reaction in the U.S. to Jamal and-white story line pushed by the U.S. the globe looked to for guidance in seeking ereens, literally, could not happen physi- political enemies. Witness the U.S. program troops — as did Alexander the Great as well Khashoggi’s grisly murder reveals some government — however confected — and enlightened political truth has become the cally without the active participation of the of drone killings in Afghanistan, Pakistan, as several others. The annals are replete with singular features of the prevailing attitude colorized by the CIA/MI6 agents: The White model and inspiration for those who seek Pentagon. Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Mali, Chad tales of armies breaking and running when toward morality in foreign policy: Helmets. There was neither the political nor to evade it. The U.S. military flies the refueling planes and a number of other countries. their champion was killed or incapacitated. 1. The wide difference between the killing commercial motivation to lend the Yemeni without which MBS’s air force could not It is hard to deny that, via its drone strike In contrast, in modern warfare, it is gener- of one man in Istanbul and the decimation atrocities similar treatment. Michael Brenner is a professor emeritus of reach their targets in Yemen on two-way “policy,” the U.S. government has gone a long ally felt that no one leader is indispensable — of thousands in Yemen by the same hand Despite Trump’s rhetorical pullback, the International Affairs at the University of missions. It also provides the detailed elec- way toward establishing the de facto legiti- certainly not generals. Think of Afghanistan, stands out. U.S. has committed to a strategy of global Pittsburgh. Midterm campaigns skirted the hard issues

ROBERT J. SAMUELSON no one can attribute these deficits to a weak should be debating the role of government fuels (oil, coal, natural gas), which now sup- WASHINGTON economy. Put simply, Americans want more and how it can be financed. Instead, our ply roughly four-fifths of the world’s energy. government benefits and services than political leaders are making proposals that Prices would rise; and government regula- We’ll know soon who won the fiercely con- they’re willing to pay for in taxes. would worsen deficits. Trump backs more tions would become more intrusive. tested midterm elections, but we already Next, there’s immigration. The “wall” is tax cuts; Democrats advance expensive new Candor would have compelled our politi- know who lost: We all did. This election has a symbol for both sides. Opposition allows health benefits and guaranteed jobs for all. cal leaders to warn us that sensible policies been a referendum on U.S. President Don- Trump to accuse Democrats of favoring Or consider immigration. As a society, the — on the budget, on immigration and even ald Trump, which suits both Republicans “open borders,” raising the specter of a United States has a decent record in assimi- climate change — require patience and sacri- and Democrats just fine. Democrats are bet- country overrun by foreigners. For pro- lating millions of newcomers. But — as fice. We no longer have the luxury of simply ting that the public has increasingly tired of immigration groups, the wall symbolizes today’s turmoil demonstrates — too much ignoring what we don’t like or what we find Trump’s lies and his vile style. Trump and his the simplicity and cruelty of Trump’s poli- immigration can fracture society and radical- inconvenient or expensive. supporters believe that Democrats are again cies, highlighted by the separation of chil- ize politics. The magnitude of immigration This is, of course, among the hardest chal- underestimating his popular appeal. dren from parents. is undeniable. One in four people living in lenges facing democracies: to accept short- What’s been missing is any realistic Finally, global warming. For many Ameri- the U.S. is either an immigrant (41 million, 13 term costs for long-term gains. Under the engagement with the difficult issues facing cans, this is the great moral issue of our time. percent of the population) or the U.S.-born best of circumstances, it would be difficult America. In democracies, elections serve not But their fervor is not a policy, and the target child of immigrants (37 million, 12 percent), to achieve. Politicians want to win. By and only to select a country’s leadership. They of preventing global warming from exceed- reports a study by the National Academies of large, they tell voters what voters want to also aim to gauge public opinion on the hard ing 1.5 degrees Celsius, measured from the Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. hear, even if it is exaggerated, selective or issues and to see whether any consensus is pre-industrial era, is enormously difficult. Against that backdrop, reasonable com- dishonest. possible. The present campaign has featured What these three issues have in common is promises should be possible. We ought to But the fixation on Trump and his antics very little of this constructive politics. this: They’re all politically explosive. be debating the terms: a path to citizenship turned a long shot into an impossibility. It What are some of the hard issues? There’s Take the budget. To eliminate the existing for most of today’s illegal immigrants; some destroyed the prospects of anything resem- no secret. Start with budget deficits. In fiscal deficit would require tax receipts to increase sort of wall; strict penalties on employers for bling rational debate. Indeed, public opin- 2018, the gap between federal spending and by nearly 25 percent. Or we could reduce hiring illegals; a switch from family connec- ion may be worse informed at the end of revenues was $782 billion, nearly 4 percent spending by a similar amount — that’s tions to skill-based immigration. this campaign than at the beginning. In this of gross domestic product. That’s up $116 bil- nearly $800 billion. The cut would exceed all Similarly, any realistic effort to deal with sense, the campaign may have been wasted. lion from 2017. Based on current spending military spending. Of course, we could also global warming would be difficult and, quite and taxes, the Congressional Budget Office do nothing and gamble that permanently probably, unpopular. Stabilizing the atmo- Robert J. Samuelson writes a column on expects large deficits forever. large deficits won’t someday cause a huge spheric concentration of carbon dioxide business and economics for The Washington With a 3.7 percent unemployment rate, financial crisis. All the choices are bad. We would require replacing virtually all fossil Post. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group

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