This is truly frightening. The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito together have 325 seats. They have exceeded 3/2 of the total seats in the House of Representatives. If this trend continues into the next House of Councillors election, constitutional change becomes possible in principle. (Though it would still require 50% support in a referendum.)
We must not forget: the Nazis, too, rose through elections. Media power lay behind this. Japan’s present mass media have abandoned their role as society’s watchdog, enlightening the public; instead, they pander to the public and fuel populism. The media bear heavy responsibility for whipping up excitement over “assassins” and the like.
The Second World War caused overwhelmingly more deaths than the First World War. This was because, in the First World War, policy was determined by professionals, so once they understood that victory was impossible, the war ended at that point. In the Second World War, by contrast, amateurs chosen through populism conducted the war, needlessly prolonging it and producing massive casualties. It is rather like a professional shogi player foreseeing checkmate and resigning before it arrives, whereas an amateur continues moving pieces until they are actually checkmated.
In Europe, drawing on the lesson of Nazi Germany, populism has long since receded and modern democracy has been established. By contrast, Japan still seems to be in the condition of prewar Europe. Oh, how unpleasant. This is a road we have travelled before.
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