Japanese Nationalism Swells in Tokyo’s Geek District
Quote:
On the eve of an election, a politician stood before a crowd. The speech was fiery. And flags fluttered. If this were anywhere else, nobody would think twice. But this wasn't anywhere. It was Tokyo.
Akihabara to be exact. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lead his conservative Liberal Democratic Party to a huge victory yesterday, bring him back to power.
On December 15, Abe made a last minute speech in Akihabara, Japan's geek district. He spoke from a van in front of the Gundam Cafe. Next door, the neon lights for idol group AKB48's restaurant burned. A crowd of one to two thousand gathered to listen to Abe speak. It's not uncommon for large crowds to gather and listen to politicians in Japan.
What is uncommon is widespread flag waving, even at campaign speeches. At events like this, rallying around the flag brings up memories of World War II—not just for people outside Japan, but people in the country. This is compounded by Abe's desire to change Japan's Constitution, which says that Japan can have a self-defense force, so it could have a more assertive military. (Other things he wants to do is jump-start the economy, keep nuclear power, address the bullying problem in schools, and end the country's crippling deflation.)
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http://kotaku.com/5968981/japanese-n...-geek-district
Interesting that seeing flags waving about is causing consternation among some of the populous. Coming from a western nation, a certain degree of national pride is expected, but it seems like there are mixed feelings about it due to people blaming nationalism and fascism for the militarism of the nation / suffering post-war. I'm personally not against the proposed constitutional amendments, but I wonder if it'll ever come to pass.
Reply hazy, ask again later