{"id":13679,"date":"2015-11-29T11:15:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-29T21:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13679"},"modified":"2015-11-29T13:49:33","modified_gmt":"2015-11-29T23:49:33","slug":"wsj-pm-abe-first-non-american-to-win-conservative-hudson-institute-award-and-other-neocon-groups-egging-on-japans-remilitarization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13679","title":{"rendered":"WSJ: PM Abe Shinzo First Non-American to Win Conservative Hudson Institute Award — and other American neocons egging on Japan’s remilitarization"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. \u00a0Now here’s something interesting (and geopolitical, but positive overseas recognition like this\u00a0helps keep Abe’s popularity ratings up<\/a>\u00a0(and the money to the LDP rolling in<\/a>, and Japan’s\u00a0right-wing swing<\/a> swinging, etc.):<\/p>\n

According to the article below, less than a year after being returned to power and decimating Japan’s Leftists<\/a>, PM Abe received this award from an American conservative think-tank. \u00a0It’s clear that conservative elements in the\u00a0hegemon wish Japan to have a leader like Abe honored and in power. \u00a0I’m not quite sure why. \u00a0It would be facile to think it’s merely because the US wants to maintain bases and a weapons market, or even contain China. \u00a0No, think tanks like these are also grounded in morals and values that transcend economics and politics (such as, in this case, Abe’s alleged dedication to “democratic ideals”<\/a>). \u00a0The funny thing is, these people seem to think Abe shares their values. \u00a0He really doesn’t, unless these people are fundamentally positive towards a racialized reorientation of Asia, where Japanese bigots settle old historical scores<\/a>, pick fights, destabilize the region<\/a>, and return Asia back on the course of an arms race<\/a>. \u00a0I’m probably missing something (again, this isn’t quite my field), but I’m aghast at the short-sightedness of American neocons (especially, as noted below, the Heritage Foundation egging on the Ishiharas<\/a> to purchase the disputed Senkaku rocks and inflame Sino-Japanese tensions<\/a>). \u00a0As I was the similar short-sightedness of the Obama Administration honoring Abe years later<\/a>\u00a0(see also here<\/a>). \u00a0I don’t think they understand what Frankenstein they’re creating. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n

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Abe First Non-American to Win Conservative Hudson Institute Award<\/strong>
\nWall Street Journal Sep 23, 2013<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/blogs.wsj.com\/japanrealtime\/2013\/09\/23\/abe-first-non-american-to-win-conservative-hudson-institute-award\/<\/a><\/p>\n

European Pressphoto Agency: The Hudson Institute says it\u2019s honoring Shinzo Abe \u2018as a transformative leader.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Sept. 25, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will join an elite group of right-leaning leaders like Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney, as the recipient of an award from conservative Washington D.C.-based think tank, Hudson Institute.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The award, named after Hudson Institute\u2019s founder, the physicist-turned-geopolitical thinker Herman Kahn, is given every year to honor creative and visionary leaders with a Kahn-style dedication to national security\u2013traditionally in the U.S. Mr. Abe will be the first non-American honoree to receive the Herman Kahn Award.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAbe is being honored as a transformative leader seeking to advance the kind of reform necessary to restore Japan to full economic vitality,\u201d the institute said in its news release. At the award ceremony to be held in New York on Wednesday, Mr. Abe is expected to deliver \u201ca major speech\u201d on economic reform in Japan and the continuing importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance, according to the release.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hudson Institute\u2013as well as Mr. Kahn\u2013has long had close ties with conservative leaders in Japan. Though Mr. Kahn started off his career as a physicist at the Rand Corporation in the 1940s, he moved on to writing about nuclear strategy with the publication of \u201cOn Thermonuclear War,\u201d and then to the study of geopolitical trends, including the rise of Japan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Kahn is known for predicting Japan\u2019s ascendance as early as 1962, and in 1970 wrote \u201cThe Emerging Japanese Superstate,\u201d in which he said that the country would \u201calmost inevitably\u201d become a great economic, technological and financial power\u2013and would likely achieve global military and political clout as well. Mr. Kahn was a \u201cconfidante of every Japanese prime minister from Hayato Ikeda on,\u201d until his death in 1983, the institute press release on the award to Mr. Abe said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Abe too \u201cis a longtime friend of Hudson Institute, someone who knows the critical importance of ideas to effective governance,\u201d Hudson Institute Chief Executive Kenneth Weinstein said, in the release. \u201cGiven Herman Kahn\u2019s legacy of research on Japan, it is altogether appropriate to honor Abe-san.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Abe won\u2019t be the first Japanese politician to speak at a Hudson Institute event, though. In December 2011, Nobuteru Ishihara, then secretary-general of Mr. Abe\u2019s Liberal Democratic Party, also gave a speech, calling for swift nationalization of disputed islands in the East China Sea and deployment of Japanese troops there. The islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have been a major source of diplomatic strain between the two countries.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance is increasing as a means to deter any attempt by a country to forcefully change the national borders,\u201d Mr. Ishihara was quoted as saying by the Japanese press at the time.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Ishihara\u2019s speech was quickly followed by one at the Heritage Foundation, another conservative U.S. think tank, given by his more famous\u2013and controversial\u2013father, Shintaro Ishihara. At that April 2012 speech, the elder Ishihara, who was then governor of Tokyo, unveiled a plan for the Tokyo government to purchase the disputed islands. Japan\u2019s national government headed off that purchase by nationalizing the islands itself later in the year, sparking massive anti-Japanese protests in China.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Abe has made no secret of his own nationalist leanings. He\u2019s pushing to strengthen Japan\u2019s national security, as the nation feels growing pressure from China\u2019s rising economic\u2013and military\u2013power. China\u2019s annual military spending has grown rapidly in recent years, reaching $166 billion in 2012, nearly triple Japan\u2019s $59 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But Mr. Abe needs to walk a fine line. He can\u2019t pursue his pet issue of national security unless he first addresses Japan\u2019s economic and fiscal problems\u2013major challenges on their own. Wednesday\u2019s Hudson Institute speech will offer the latest clues on how Mr. Abe hopes to proceed.<\/em><\/strong> ENDS<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

What the Hudson Institute itself says about the event:<\/p>\n

2013 Herman Kahn Award Luncheon Honoring Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe<\/strong>
\n Hudson Institute, Sept. 25, 2013, courtesy of VF<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.hudson.org\/events\/1105-2013-herman-kahn-award-luncheon-honoring-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe92013<\/a><\/p>\n

(Video)
\nAt a gala luncheon in New York on September 25, 2013, Hudson presented its annual Herman Kahn Award to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in recognition of his extraordinary career on the world stage\u2014and his vigorous, principled promotion free markets, global security, and democratic ideals.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Prime Minister was introduced at the event by his long-time friend and Hudson Senior Vice President Lewis Libby. Abe then took the stage himself to accept the Kahn Award, offering kind and generous remarks about Hudson before delivering a substantial and serious talk about his plans to reform the Japanese economy\u2014and his determination \u201cto make my beloved country a proactive contributor to peace.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJapan should not be a weak link in the regional and global security framework where the U.S. plays a leading role,\u201d the Prime Minister said. \u201cJapan is one of the world\u2019s most mature democracies. Thus, we must be a net contributor to the provision of the world\u2019s welfare and security. And we will. Japan will contribute to the peace and stability of the region and the world even more proactively than before.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hudson Institute Board Chair Sarah May Stern and Hudson President & CEO Kenneth R. Weinstein also made remarks during the ceremony, with Weinstein adding a special additional tribute to Hudson trustee Yoji Ohashi, Chairman of ANA Holdings Inc., for his visionary contributions to commercial aviation and dedication to a strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Japan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WSJ: On Sept. 25, [2013,] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will join an elite group of right-leaning leaders like Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney, as the recipient of an award from conservative Washington D.C.-based think tank, Hudson Institute. […] Mr. Abe won\u2019t be the first Japanese politician to speak at a Hudson Institute event, though. In December 2011, Nobuteru Ishihara, then secretary-general of Mr. Abe\u2019s Liberal Democratic Party, also gave a speech, calling for swift nationalization of disputed islands in the East China Sea and deployment of Japanese troops there. The islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have been a major source of diplomatic strain between the two countries. […] Mr. Ishihara\u2019s speech was quickly followed by one at the Heritage Foundation, another conservative U.S. think tank, given by his more famous\u2013and controversial\u2013father, Shintaro Ishihara. At that April 2012 speech, the elder Ishihara, who was then governor of Tokyo, unveiled a plan for the Tokyo government to purchase the disputed islands. Japan\u2019s national government headed off that purchase by nationalizing the islands itself later in the year, sparking massive anti-Japanese protests in China.<\/p>\n

Hudson Institute Website: At a gala luncheon in New York on September 25, 2013, Hudson presented its annual Herman Kahn Award to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in recognition of his extraordinary career on the world stage\u2014and his vigorous, principled promotion free markets, global security, and democratic ideals. \u201cJapan should not be a weak link in the regional and global security framework where the U.S. plays a leading role,\u201d the Prime Minister said. \u201cJapan is one of the world\u2019s most mature democracies. Thus, we must be a net contributor to the provision of the world\u2019s welfare and security. And we will. Japan will contribute to the peace and stability of the region and the world even more proactively than before.\u201d<\/p>\n

COMMENT: According to the articles above, less than a year after being returned to power and decimating Japan’s Leftists, PM Abe received this award from an American conservative think-tank. It’s clear that conservative elements in the hegemon wish Japan to have a leader like Abe honored and in power. I’m not quite sure why. It would be facile to think it’s merely because the US wants to maintain bases and a weapons market, or even contain China. No, think tanks like these are also grounded in morals and values that transcend economics and politics (such as, in this case, Abe’s alleged dedication to “democratic ideals”). The funny thing is, these people seem to think Abe shares their values. He really doesn’t, unless these people are fundamentally positive towards a racialized reorientation of Asia, where Japanese bigots settle old historical scores, pick fights, destabilize the region, and return Asia back on the course of an arms race. <\/p>\n

I’m probably missing something (again, this isn’t quite my field), but I’m aghast at the short-sightedness of American neocons (especially, as noted above, the Heritage Foundation egging on the Ishiharas to purchase the disputed Senkaku rocks and inflame Sino-Japanese tensions). As I was the similar short-sightedness of the Obama Administration honoring Abe years later. In sum, positive overseas recognition like this helps keep Abe’s popularity ratings up (and the money to the LDP rolling in, and Japan’s right-wing swing swinging, etc.). I don’t think they understand what Frankenstein they’re creating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,50,26,4,14,31,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bad-social-science","category-gaiatsu","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-japanese-politics","category-tangents","category-unsustainable-japanese-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13679\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}