Why Has Your Nation’s “Flag-Bearer of Fire” Gone Quiet?
Hello to our international readers.
I am an American political journalist.
When we observe Japanese politics from Washington or New York, we often analyze events from an entirely different perspective than the “disappointment” felt by many Japanese observers.
Your conservative standard-bearer, Sanae Takaichi, noticeably lowered her tone while campaigning for the top national post.
The intense flame of nationalism she once carried appears to have been subdued by cold political calculation on the stage of the leadership election.
From our vantage point, this isn’t an act of “cowardice” or being “pathetic.”
This is the unavoidable price that Japan’s political system demanded of her.
Today, I want to ask, bluntly and without apology, about the “cost of gaining power” that underlies this shift. Specifically, we’ll look at the two core political compromises she made regarding appointments and her core beliefs.
