Bringing Down the LDP and Komeito Is Far Easier Than Saving 20 Million Yen

* This article was written as of July 7, 2019. Updated September 14.

Throughout the 30 years of the Heisei era, it was an annual ritual for voters to go to the polls after being, in effect, brainwashed by the “fake news” of TV, newspapers and other legacy media.

It is no exaggeration to say that legacy media held enormous influence and dominated the world. This, too, was part of a kind of global strategy of the “deep state”, and the mass media functioned as a device for shaping public opinion on behalf of the powerful.

However, the rise of President Trump, ideological conflict and global turmoil driven by widening inequality, the new Reiwa era, and the emergence of the internet as a new medium have begun to fray this media-driven control of the public.

(Even President Trump, judging by his words and actions, has been described as pursuing a new, American-imperialist form of globalism — “WASP globalism”...)

» The pros, cons and examples of globalist thinking

The Importance of Information

Thanks to the internet, anyone — not just experts — can now easily access specialist knowledge. Information literacy, the ability to obtain the information you really need, is therefore vital for surviving this era.

Satoshi Fujii, former special adviser to the Cabinet and editor of Hyogensha Criterion, has said on the radio that the world is in the midst of an information world war — a war fought with information.

Whether each of us can weigh information from every medium — the internet, newspapers, TV — see through falsehoods and act on the truth, or instead be deceived, manipulated and controlled, is becoming a crucial question for our time. Simply believing information because it comes from a major outlet is a very dangerous habit.

Examples of Political Participation via Social Media

That said, this information war has a very interesting — even creative — side, so let me share some examples.

During the election period, people who strongly dislike the Abe administration (many on the left) were running lively negative campaigns, especially on social media.

On Twitter there was a hashtag, #BringingDownTheLDPAndKomeitoIsFarEasierThanSaving20MillionYen, along with an illustration that was posted at the same time (said to be free to use).

It was clearly made by someone passionate about toppling the Abe administration, with the aim of spreading the image. Unfortunately it did not spread widely, but the passion comes through — and the hashtag was certainly used as a topic of debate on social media.

* Incidentally, the pension system is not really in that much trouble — at least if you think about it in terms of the law.

Many others voiced their opinions with hashtags such as “#AnxietyDoublingAdministration,” “#AbsolutelyAgainstTheConsumptionTaxHike,” “#PensionFraud,” “#MMT” and “#ReiwaShinsengumi.” Politics seems to be entering a new current. Some supporters of Taro Yamamoto's Reiwa Shinsengumi were so enthusiastic that they painted their house pink and posted it on social media in unofficial support.

» Taro House: unofficially supporting Reiwa Shinsengumi! — Twitter @ReiwaTaroHouse (account closed)
» Taro House: unofficially supporting Reiwa Shinsengumi! (Instagram)

Wasn't pink Komeito's image colour...?

By the way, TV never covered Taro Yamamoto and Reiwa Shinsengumi, which were generating enormous excitement online during the campaign. Is exposing the myth of fiscal collapse, or abolishing the consumption tax, somehow inconvenient for the public? While the major media stayed silent, a freelance journalist, Ryusaku Tanaka (Japanese), was passionately covering Yamamoto's campaign.

The online excitement during elections has become striking recently. Some bold people even post pointed comments directly on each party's social media. As a new current of the times, I think citizens' direct involvement in politics is necessary.

Is the internet a chance to take politics back into the people's hands?

To take politics back from those in power and from foreign influence, I believe we will need more places to share political information and debate.

Learning how critical Japan's situation is may make you despair at how full of contradictions the world is... But in any case, expanding the space for public discussion and raising citizens' interest in politics are especially important for Japanese people. Whether we keep letting Japan be exploited by foreign interests, or truly take Japan back, is the battle in the information war ahead.

In Taiwan, people have taken to the streets to push back against Chinese influence. Hasn't the time come for the Japanese to stand up as well?

July 7, 2019 — sandragon965

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