Thread by @observingjapan

In case you're wondering how the right wing is welcoming Kishida to office, Sankei has quite the rant from leading right-wing opinion maker Sakurai Yoshiko.

sankei.com/article/202110… (paywalled)

First, she calls Kishida's remarks on overseas strike capabilities during the leadership campaign extremely significant, given the "antimilitarist" history of his Kochi-kai.

She says that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan shows that the international security system is now becoming a coalition of countries that includes Japan -- but Japan is constrained from normal military activities.

Whew, this line: "All Japanese should bear responsibility for reaching the current state of Japan's being cornered, but the responsibility of the tradition of the Kochi-kai that originated from Yoshida and politicians in the Kochi-kai is extremely great."

She retraces the tale of Yoshida's rejecting the advice of his military adviser to revise the constitution and render the SDF a normal military.

And notes the "moratorium" he put on "Japan's defense capabilities, constitution revision, as well as the values and ethics that are the root of the nation's existence."

She then moves on to Ikeda Hayato, noting his focus on economic growth after Kishi but also quotes him as saying while on a trip to Europe that if Japan had military power, his remarks would earn "ten times" the respect. She also says that Ikeda referred to Japan as a "eunuch."

"Ultimately, both Yoshida and Ikeda recognized the national necessity of maintaining military power, but in the end did not allow the universal principles of the international community to be reflected in national affairs.

"It is Mr. Kishida's responsibility as leader of the Kochi-kai to fix this double standard. Is Mr. Kishida aware of that?"

Then she shifts to the security environment. She notes North Korea's pursuit of hypersonic missiles and China's aircraft movements around Taiwan.

"Most of Taiwan's national interests overlap with Japan's," she writes. She notes the US-Japan joint statement in April and the G7 statement from June as signs that Japan needs to work with others to defend Taiwan. "Vital to work with the US to strengthen deterrent power."

"That effort should also open the way for Japan to become a proper independent country. What is required of Mr. Kishida is a great transformation from Kochi-kai thinking that avoids the military."

Then the link to historical memory: "Is it not the Kochi-kai that begins with self denial that makes of all of Japan evil in the Greater East Asian War, that sinks into Japan-denying thought, and that loathes the construction of Japan's military power?"

Then back to military operations, noting US need to deploy Marines and Army units within the first island chain, making Japan critical. She approves of Kishida's unwillingness to reject the idea of US missile deployments out of hand.

However, then she goes nuclear (so to speak). She notes that Kishida (Hiroshima born) reiterated his commitment to the three non-nuclear principles -- no possession, production, or introduction of nukes.

But, she says, "naturally the deployment of intermediate-range missiles but also the deployment of nuclear missiles is probably vital for Japan's defense."

As long as North Korea and China possess nuclear weapons and Japan is in range of their missiles, she writes, Japan will not have an effective deterrent if it rejects US nuclear weapons.

"After Yoshida and Ikeda, Kochi-kai produced Miyazawa, Kono [Yohei], Kato Koichi, and others. In addition to absurdly and disgracefully damaging national interests due to issues such as comfort women and textbook issues, they have turned their backs on constitutional revision."

After listing some of his campaign pledges, she says, "The public has not forgotten this series of promises. In order to achieve this, in addition to the ability to listen, the ability to make decisions and execute is necessary."

Welcome to the premiership, Mr. Kishida.

This is the perfect demonstration of the challenge Kishida faces as the conscious heir of the LDP's liberal tradition and the reality of his dependence on the right wing to wield power.

This is a major theme of a profile of Kishida that I've written for @ForeignPolicy that will be published Monday. Stay tuned!

Also this line is a good reminder that the right wing isn't interested in history just out of villainy or a belief in "the facts."

https://twitter.com/observingjapan/status/1444873039599046657?s=20

It's instrumental. They believe Japan needs to be a military power and simply don't believe that Japan can be one again without sweeping away the "masochistic," "Tokyo trials" view of history.