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2015 1.1 Emperor Akihito Released a Statement for the New Year. in The

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2015 Emperor Akihito released a statement for the new year. In the statement, he mentioned 1.1 both continuous struggling from the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and also the 70th anniversary of World War II. He said “I think it is most important for us to take this opportunity to study and learn from the history of this war, starting with the Manchurian Incident of 1931, as we consider the future direction of our country.” The full statement is available on the official website of the Imperial Household Agency. (http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-okotoba/01/gokanso/shinnen-h27.html accessed 5/27/2015) Professor Jeff Kingston interpreted the Emperor’s statement as having a deliberate meaning to restrain the government led by PM Abe, which is regarded as revisionist, despite the Emperor’s use of very careful and ambiguous expressions in order to avoid a political stand. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/01/10/commentary/japan- commentary/peoples-emperor-speaks-truth-power/#.VWYbwEZKCUl accessed 5/27/2015) 1.5 PM Abe said that he will reflect on the essence of the Murayama statement in his statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Murayama statement is known for expressing apologies for Japan’s wartime aggression. (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201501050087 accessed 5/27/2015) 1.9 Former Asahi reporter Uemura Takashi filed a libel lawsuit against Bungei Shunjyū and Nishioka Tsutomu, a large publisher and a scholar of Korean studies. According to Uemura, he has been threatened by right-wingers and historical revisionists for his 1991 report on comfort women that Asahi Shimbun officially recognized as poor coverage in 2014. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/09/national/former-asahi-reporter-files- libel-suit-over-comfort-women-issue/#.VWYQ30ZKCUl accessed 5/27/2015) 1.9 It was reported that Sūken Shuppan, a Tokyo-based publisher, deleted some descriptions of comfort women such as “military comfort women (jūgun ianfu)” and “forcibly moved (kyōsei renkō)”, from text books the publisher made for high school students. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT, approved the textbooks in December 2014. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/09/national/tokyo-based-textbook- publisher-to-delete-depictions-of-comfort-women/#.VWYTnkZKCUm accessed 5/27/2015) 1.10 Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide appeared on a TV program on BS Asahi and said that the discussion about constitutional revision should start with ‘environmental protection’ and governmental aid to private schools before Article 9. He suggested the importance of the creation of a new article to obligate the government and people to protect the environment and revision of Article 89, which prohibits using government money to support private schools. (http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH1B5T88H1BULFA008.html accessed 6/2/2015) 1.13 Professor Jeffrey W. Hornung published an article, Japan’s Discomfort Women, in Foreign Affairs magazine. In the article, Prof. Hornung said “Arguments that counter the Korean version of the story only support the Korean narrative that the Japanese are denying history” and that PM Abe needs to realize that any efforts for historical revision about comfort women is “a lose-lose issue” for Japan. Prof. Hornung proposed some effective actions to resolve the comfort women issues as diplomatic reconciliation: officially reaffirm the Kōno statement in the planned Abe statement for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, reopen the Asian Women’s Fund and visit the memorial statue in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. Prof. Hornung also said “South Korea should refrain from playing politics with Abe’s outreach, as it has in the past, and acknowledge Japan’s past apologies, reparations paid, and postwar record of peace” and should welcome when the PM makes efforts for rapprochement between the two countries. (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/japan/2015-01-13/japans-discomfort-women access 5/27/2015) 1.14 The Abe administration decided not to submit a controversial conspiracy bill in the upcoming Diet season. The bill would have enabled the state to punish people who were involved with serious crimes, such as international terrorist groups, in the planning or preparation stage of an attack. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/14/national/crime-legal/abe-government- wont-submit-conspiracy-bill-to-upcoming-diet-session/#.VWdNWEZKCUm accessed 5/28/2015) 1.14 According to the Jiji Press, PM Abe appeared on a TV show on Kansai TV and said that the Japanese people should create a new constitution by their own hands, mentioning ideal national vision of Japan in the 21st century. He also expressed hope to gain support from other parties, such as the Japan Innovation Party. (http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201501%2F2015011400908 acceded 6/3/2015) 1.15 The Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau started installation work on a new base in Henoko, district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture. Anti-base protesters clashed with Japan Coast Guard officers in waters there and also with police outside of Camp Schwab. Governor Onaga said the restart of the base relocation is “profoundly regrettable” and the work should be halted. (http://ajw.asahi.com.ezp- prod1.hul.harvard.edu/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201501160054 accessed 05/27/2015) 1.15 According to a Japanese lawmaker, PM Abe and South Korean President Park Geun- hye indirectly exchanged messages and expressed hope to ease tension in bilateral relations. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/16/national/politics-diplomacy/abe-park- hope-repair-japan-south-korea-ties-50th-anniversary/#.VWh4IEZKCUl accessed 5/29/2015) 1.16 Professor Alexis Dudden released an article entitled The Shape of Japan to Come that discussed the Abe administration over Japan’s territorial disputes with its Asian neighbors in the New York Times. In the article, Prof. Dudden pointed out Japan’s past revanchism and aspiration over disputed islands in the context of the Abe administration’s policies, including constitutional revision. (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/opinion/the-shape-of-japan-to- come.html?gwh=06F79B353CBCAA4C45980BF3F72FE0F9&gwt=pay&assetType=op inion accessed 4/29/2015) 1.18 Okada Katsuya was elected president of the DPJ. Okada defeated Hosono Gōshi to won the election. Okada, 61, headed the party between 2004 and 2005. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/18/national/politics-diplomacy/okada- defeats-hosono-win-dpj-leadership-election/#.VVu18EZKCUl accessed 5/19/2015) 1.18 PM Abe gave a speech at the Japan-India Business Co-operation Committee held in Cairo, Egypt. He stated that Japan will provide an additional $2.5 billion of support to stabilize the Middle East region in non-military fields such as humanitarian aid and infrastructure. (http://mainichi.jp/shimen/news/20150118ddm001010117000c.html accessed 5/27/2015) 1.20 A terrorist group, likely ISIL, published a video of two Japanese hostages and demanded that the Japanese government pay ransom money of $200 million within 72 hours. It is speculated that the two Japanese hostages are Yukawa Haruna, kidnapped by ISIL in northern Syria in August, and journalist Gotō Kenji. (http://mainichi.jp/shimen/news/20150121ddm001030180000c.html accessed 5/27/2015) 1.20 PM Abe had a press conference and spoke about the Japanese hostages captured by ISIL. He regarded it as an unforgivable and regrettable act of terrorism. Extending condolences to victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, he stated that Japan will cooperate with international society against terrorism. Also, he said that the Japanese government will not retract the financial support toward Middle East he declared in Cairo, which ISIL mentioned as a reason why they seized the two Japanese hostages. (http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/97_abe/statement/2015/0120naigai.html accessed 5/27/2015) 1.22 Reuters published an article entitled Islamic State Threat Could Stiffen Japan PM Abe’s Stance on Security. The article argued that the capture of two Japanese citizens by ISIL would polarize Japanese public opinion on the Abe administration seeking legislation to exercise Japan’s right to collective self-defense. According to the article, PM Abe emphasized the necessity to loosen the limitation on Japan’s military action abroad, citing the Algerian Hostage crisis of January 2013 in In Amenas that killed 10 Japanese citizens. Also, PM Abe proposed additional large financial support to the Middle East despite the Japanese government recognizing that ISIL captured at least one Japanese civilian, Yukawa Haruna at that point. Supporters of PM Abe’s security policy say that the captive shows a situation that requires Japan to have more flexibility on military actions and contribute in international society to the excursion of terrorism. However, critics of PM Abe’s changes to Japan’s security policy insist that Japan has been involved in conflicts between the US and anti-American Islamic groups because of the recent changes. They also argue that Japanese citizens, such as Yukawa Haruna and Kenji Gotō, are involved, and that Japan’s security has been threatened because of Japan’s departure from its postwar fundamental principle, ‘pacifism’, under PM Abe. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/23/us-mideast-crisis-islamicstate-pacifism- idUSKBN0KU0WN20150123 accessed 5/29/2015) 1.24 A new ordinary 150-day session started in the Diet. The upcoming session would focus on the legislation of Japan’s exercising its collective self-defense right. (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/24/national/politics-diplomacy/diet-session- start-monday-focus-security-bills/#.VWiToEZKCUl accessed 5/29/2014) 1.25 A new video announced that Japanese hostage Yukawa Haruna was killed by ISIL.
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