Abe's march to militarism

The political energy displayed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in sending Japan off in the wrong direction is becoming a real threat that the international community needs to effectively guard against, says an opinion piece in People's Daily.

Under Abe's leadership, Japanese right-wing politicians have redoubled their efforts to glorify the country's militarist past. These frequent farcical attempts to deny historical truths with the purpose of confusing right and wrong have a direct bearing on human conscience and the international order. Through the shoddy antics of a bunch of Japanese right-wing politicians, the world can see clearly the true colors of Abe as a backstage manipulator. Since assuming office again, Abe's plan to reshape Japan and push it toward the right in accordance with his own will is being implemented step by step.

The first is to pave the way for rearming Japan. For Abe, the country's pacifist Constitution is the sign of a defeated Japan and also the main barrier to the country embarking on the road toward becoming a military power again. Therefore, he has taken breaking this restriction as his duty.

Abe is also attempting to "change" Japanese people's historical memory. Educating children about a country's history helps forge a national identity and a nation's future. Abe has paid much attention in this field, he has called for a review of the school textbook guidelines to better reflect not the historical records but his revisionist ideas contained in the basic education law amended during his first term in office.

Abe is also using a fabricated security threat as the excuse to increase military spending and expand the military. Cries of a China threat and repeated military exercises on "seizing islands" are more than hyperbole.

In order to remake Japan a "powerful" nation, Abe is behaving recklessly while at the same time contradictorily boasting of "proactive pacifism" to the international community as a cover.

As some Western media have noted, Abe's manipulation of events from expanding the military to worshiping war criminals in order to further his agenda is dangerous.

In the past, a policy of appeasement finally led to a world war. Today, if Abe is allowed to continue along his chosen road, the stability and prosperity of Asia will be at risk.