Opinion | When Japan’s Emperor Akihito steps down, will his pacifist legacy persist despite resurgent nationalism?
- The Japanese emperor, who will abdicate in favour of his son Naruhito, was the nation’s chief emissary of post-war reconciliation in Asia. His pacifist leanings have been at odds with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s revisionist view of history
In explaining the choice and meaning of the gengo, Abe engaged in some dog-whistling to his conservative constituency, extolling Japan’s glorious cultural heritage, natural beauty and proud history. Moreover, by referencing a distinctively Japanese literary work, Abe has infused the gengo with nationalist pride at a time of geopolitical rivalry and a power-shift in China’s favour.
There is also an authoritarian implication in the character “rei”, which could mean “command” or “decree”, while “wa” is also the second character in “Showa”, the era marked by Japanese militarism, particularly in Asia. Invoking that period in the new gengo is consistent with Abe’s ongoing efforts to rehabilitate a militant chapter of Japan’s history. My informal survey at a Tokyo sushi bar yielded little enthusiasm for Reiwa, with comments ranging from “strange” to “who cares?”
