Interest

Obocchama-kun Creator Discusses Prime Minister Abe's WWII Anniversary Speech

Yoshinori Kobayashi, the creator of late 1980s manga Obocchama-kun recently guest-starred on Japanese political talk show Asamade Namaterebi on an episode titled "Debate! Summary of 70 Years of Postwar Japan and What's to Come", in which they looked back 70 years of peacetime in Japan since the country's August 1945 surrender in World War II. The show was hosted by Soichiro Tahara, a Japanese political journalist.

Specifically, he and the table of panelists each discussed their impressions on Abe's World War II anniversary speech, in which Abe echoed some of the sentiments of his predecessors (i.e. the 1995 Murayama Statement made by the then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama) but also insisted that future generations of Japanese people should not be subject to the actions of their wartime relatives.

"Shinzo Abe is not that kind of person," Kobayashi stated. "On the whole, conservatives (Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP) simply hate the Murayama Statement."

"The fact is that (Abe's Statement) is completely redundant to Murayama's statement," Kobayashi continued, asserting that Abe's statement means nothing. According to Kobayashi, it's a compromise Abe was making, as he was pressured to uphold U.S.-Japan Security Treaty laws.

"If his feelings of remorse and apology were true, then the conservatives would be angry," Kobayashi claimed. "These conservatives have truly become hooked on 'Abe-patented truth'," he continued, likening his political followers to something of a cult.

"I suppose leftists have to be happy with this? If the Murayama Statement stands then leftists all have to cheer! We can't pin the blame on (the opposing party) yet!" But at the same time said "It would be great if we could stop talk like that!"

Kobayashi is the founder and editor in chief of his Wascism political magazine and he also penned the political commentary manga Gōmanism Sengen. His political criticisms at one point made him a target of the Aum Supreme Truth cult, the perpetrators of the Tokyo subway sarin attack.

There was perceived pressure on Abe and what the contents of his speech would be on the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender. The Murayama Statement was one of the first to contain the words 'apology' (owabi) and 'aggression' (shinryaku) to describe Japan's wartime acts. Abe's own statement, after enlisting the help of experts, did use these words and many, many others (it was twice the length of his predecessors) but presented it in a grander scope that illustrated a sequence of events that led to Japan going to war. Some are critical of the speech and claim it lacks historical accuracy. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying spoke on behalf of the country that it was not satisfied with Abe's speech.

A poll conducted by Kyodo news agency saw a rise in Abe's approval among Japanese citizens after the speech.

Acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki spoke out against Abe at a press conference where he stated his concerns about the administration's reinterpretation of Japan's Constitution and the relocation of U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma to the Henoko area of Okinawa.

The Japanese constitution is a topic of fierce debate currently, since the government of Shinzō Abe has reinterpreted it to allow Japan to come to the aid of other countries under attack. Rapper Shing02 released a historical track going over the history of the Japanese Constitution and announcing his own opinion on the change. Sanrio's own mascots spoke out in support of peace.

Additional reporting added by Lynzee Lamb

[Via LiveDoor News]