The Importance of Being Abe

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Shinzo Abe (安倍 晋三), is now a candidate for next month's Liberal Democratic Party presidential election and is considered the one most likely to win.


[ Shinzo Abe (from VOA.com)]

Wikipedia reports that, "Abe was born into a prominent political family in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture. His father was Shintaro Abe, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and his mother's father was former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.

"Following graduation from the Department of Political Science of the Faculty of Law at Seikei University in 1977, Mr. Abe studied politics at the University of Southern California. On his return to Japan, Mr. Abe began work at Kobe Steel, and continued there until 1982. He then served as executive assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, private secretary to the chairperson of the LDP General Council, and then as private secretary to the LDP secretary-general."

The Japanese Wikipedia site has more about him that is not included on the English site. One tidbit is that Shinzo Abe claims to be a descendant of Munetou Abe. Munetou Abe was a member of the Emishi Abe clan that was allowed to rule Iwate in the 9th and 10th centuries in collaboration with the Japanese. They made their headquarters in the Koromo Stockade on the North bank of the Koromo River where it meets the Kitakami. The family monopolized the gold, iron and horse trade in Northern Honshu and traded by sea directly with the Asian mainland. They were also innovative in designing a type of stockade able to withstand a long seige.

This stockade proved quite useful when the Abe's attempted to expand their holdings, refused to pay taxes and rebelled against the central government. This conflict came to be called the Earlier Nine Year War and lasted from 1051 - 1062. Muneto won a stunning victory at the Battle of the Palisade of Torinomi in what is now Kanegasaki Town in 1061 but had to surrender the following year after his brother Sadatou was killed in battle and the Abes were defeated. Muneto was exiled to Kyushu with his family setting the stage for his descendants to produce the next Prime Minister.

Abe's claim to be descended from a fierce Emishi warrior could be seen in various ways. He could be suggesting that he is tough and fierce as well. He might also be trying to show that he is not really such a political insider. Ultimately, though, such a claim allows him to show a strong affinity with the people of rural Northern Japan where he is otherwise a complete outsider!

Admiral Yonai & General Itagaki

Two of Iwate's native sons were Mitsumasa Yonai and Seishiro Itagaki. This newspaper article from The Hammond (INDIANA) Times of May 8, 1939 suggests that their Iwate origins were to some extent responsible for their advancement in the military and eventually Japan's military aggression leading to WWII!

Mitsumasa Yonai served as minister of the navy under several prime ministers. Despite his opposition to an alliance with Germany and Italy he was appointed prime minister in 1940. He was forced to resign six months later but became prime minister again in 1944.

Seishiro Itagaki was appointed minister of war in 1937 and led the Japanese army in Manchuria. Promoted to general in 1941 he was convicted of war crimes in 1945 and executed in 1948.

The following passages are quoted directly from the article -

"The men who are guiding Japan’s military and naval affairs (Yonai & Itagaki) come from the nation's poorest region and commentators here see this background of poverty as a prime reason for Japan's effort to expand toward a more abundant life."

"Other high ranking officers of the fighting services have a similar background, which lends understanding to efforts to lessen the profits of Japan’s capitalists and to gain command of China's richer resources."

"Because service schools are open to the general public and because, unlike the universities, these institutions are tuition-free, the officers have mostly been able to rise from the ranks of pauper families to positions of power and prestige."

"Tohoku, homeland of today’s admirals and generals, has had a long history of famine conditions which still frequently necessitate the sale of daughters to brothels and brings wholesale deaths from starvation. These famines have often resulted in peasant uprisings."

"Japanese records reveal that between the years 1600 and 1900 there were no fewer than 1,000 uprisings most of which were put down with bloodshed. Cannibalism has been recorded as having taken place during some of the worst famines, notably that of 1788 when the populace ate grass roots until the supply gave out, ate dogs and cats until there were no more and finally, so the report reads, the outcasts turned cannibals."

The entire article, JAPAN'S CHIEFS FIGHT WAY UP FROM POVERTY, can be read in the Iwate Buddy Library!