Shinzo Abe’s death exposes democracies weakness

 

Shinzo Abe was assassinated in an execution that was similar to what the U.S. had witnessed in 1963 when John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas by a gunman -Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy had some enemies internationally, which was to be expected as he was opposing the Soviet union and their threat of nuclear weapons in Cuba. Kennedy was active for a Democratic president on foreign policy matters. Shinzo Abe was the longest serving Prime Minister of Japan and lead the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) successfully for 10 years. He was seen as a pillar for the international community regarding democracy. Abe  was the voice of reason among G 20 Leaders. Abe was known as a hawkish leader that was In contrast to previous Japanese Prime Minister’s  in the post World War II era that espoused a pacifist approach to foreign policy. The game had changed during his time with an assertive China threatening Japanese territories such as the Senkaku Islands that China claims and refers to as the Dioyudao Islands. Moreover, Abe  was doing what any leader would  need to do to protect the Japanese economy, which is ranked third internationally. He left office in 2020 with Japan teetering towards recession. Abenomics  consisting of “three arrows” 1)increase in government spending 2) increase the nations currency supply 3)structural economic reform “injected hope into the Japanese economy” while “poor villages disappeared, university teachers were not worried about the employment opportunities of their students etc.” said Koichi Hamada who was a key advisor and designer of Abe’s economic package. The policies mirrored many economies following the 2008 financial crisis with stimulus spending and low to  negative interest rates.Some criticise Abenomics as it failed to produce longevity to Japan’s economic revival and led to greater wage inequality that has been symptomatic of western powers during the same period. Reuters reported on August 28 2020 that COVID has eliminated all of the benefits of Abenomics that reduced GDP to “decades low levels.” To his credit, Abe man aged the 2008 financial  crisis and 2011 Tohoku tsunami and earthquake effectively.

Abe is seen as a centrist liberal and typical of how governments  approach domestic policy to  find and have found long-term success in a post World War II universe. As such, LDP leaders are considered moderates. Suffice it to say, there will always be dissenters who oppose these policies. Often, unlike authoritarian regimes, the liberal democratic leader will make themselves available in a prudent manner to get their message across, promoting policy, and campaign for their brethren  in their respective parties.

It was during this campaigning Abe was supporting an individual running for the LDP in the upcoming election that he was shot from behind. He died similarly to Kennedy although he was  airlifted to hospital for treatment, that ultimately failed. The gunman is a 41-year-old Japanes-  Tetsuya Yamagami, who handmade the firearm that killed Abe. Japan has  very strict gun legislation that makes acquiring firearms very difficult. The gunman shot Abe and made no attempt to avoid arrest-he was taken into custody.

Political leaders face risk that they assume  when they are out in public meeting people. Vern Democracies are expected to provide a peaceful environment for political contestants to express their views in a safe manner. Authoritarian leaders know their risks are greater than democracies because their policies typically  lack the strength of human rights such as freedom of speech, cultural expression, and the right to free and open elections. In addition, authoritarian leaders will manipulate the graft to achieve substantial personal wealth as Xi Jinping, and VladImir Putin have used to great effect. 

In Canada, there are heightened risks now of violence with political leaders such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and recently NDP ( New Democratic Party) leader Jagmeet Singh receiving threats while they were campaigning. The focus in certain international circles on nationalism has spurred ideologues to get their voice heard. If we cannot protect freedom of speech in a democracy then  a slow  transformation  into a less free society;  accepting a particular level of violence against those who a small subset do not agree.  That will create a cleavage for countries like China, Russia, and those who have a great stake in a democracy to challenge the rules based international order to promote their own nation-states purpose via economic, cultural, and foreign policy endeavours.

Shinzo Abe’s state funeral is planned for Tuesday, July. 12.