tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post7154876227278095007..comments2023-09-23T11:16:00.352+02:00Comments on The Franco-American Flophouse has moved: Neo-Nationalism and Identity in Japan Victoria FERAUGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-31600560873737913332017-10-05T01:59:06.385+02:002017-10-05T01:59:06.385+02:00Nezumi-san, Sounds like how I approach the Front ...Nezumi-san, Sounds like how I approach the Front National in France. I keep an eye on it. As you say, things can change very quickly. I never thought to see a united Germany or the fall of the URRS in my time. And I know exactly what you mean about "translating" political parties. The US terms and context don't apply elsewhere. The more I look into it the more I think you're right about Japanese sovereignty. What I'm less sure of is how soveriegn they can be given that China does intend to be THE power in the region. That would be a tricky negotiation.<br /><br />Tim, Interesting. Perhaps the answer is in how the agreement is interpreted. How meaningful is that clause? Americans are so focused on contracts and the letter of the law. In other places it's the relationship that really matters and everything else is negotiable.Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-61915236678386255002017-10-04T02:30:17.646+02:002017-10-04T02:30:17.646+02:00What is interesting about Abe vis a vis Trump is d...What is interesting about Abe vis a vis Trump is despite the past perception of Abe being a right winger Abe has moved very quickly after Trump dumped the TPP to sign a Free Trade deal with the EU. Why this is important is the EU in its free trade agreements unlike the US includes a "values clause" that Japan is apparently quite eager to sign. I find this notable as there are a lot of scholars who believe that the EU and US will NEVER sign an FTA of their own as the US will never accept the EU's "values" clause especially with a Republicans President and Congress. Yet Abe for all his far right hardline reputation seems quite eager to signup to European values.<br /><br />Below is a copy of the so called Framework or "Values" agreement the EU is has already signed with New Zealand and is going to sign with Japan later this year.<br /><br />https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/eu_new_zealand_partnership_agreement_on_relations_and_cooperation.pdf<br /><br />Similarily Agreements also exist between the EU and Australia, Canada, and South Korea but NOT the US.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03894651289037073128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-39002669932313268852017-10-02T11:14:02.440+02:002017-10-02T11:14:02.440+02:00It is something I keep an eye on, but I don't ...It is something I keep an eye on, but I don't feel very worried about it. I don't think Japan is likely to become as nationalistic and militaristic as, say, the US is these days. (Though if you had asked me 35 years ago, I wouldn't have expected that of the US either, so never say never, I guess.)<br /><br />It will be interesting to see how the upcoming snap election turns out. The situation is very fluid right now, but as of today, the three "poles" that are shaping up are Abe's LDP, Koike's Kibou no Tou, and the liberal and leftist elements. The former two parties share similar stances on changing the constitution and the security agreement with the US, as well as ties to Nippon Kaigi (which they try to hide or disclaim), while the latter groups oppose any change. So technically, "liberal" and "conservative" are misnomers here, since it is the "conservatives" who want to change things, and the "liberals" aim to keep the status quo. Koike also has some liberal ideas (from a US perspective) for social policy, though whether they go beyond lip service (like Abe's "Womenomics") remains to be seen. So kind of tricky to really characterize all the parties.<br /><br />I personally think Japan should be more sovereign and independent of the US, so am not absolutely opposed to changes to the constitution, though exactly what kinds of changes are proposed will be critical. In the end, any such changes need to be ratified by nationwide referendum, so I will at least get a chance to vote directly on whether I approve of whatever gets proposed. That prospect makes me feel more empowered than I have in years -- how often does one get to vote directly on one's own constitution?<br /><br />Inaka Nezuminoreply@blogger.com