日本の選挙を前にして、BBCも次期首相となることが確実な安倍晋三を取り上げているのだが、「極右政治家」というレッテル貼りは、もはや韓国紙と変わらないレベル。安倍は移民排斥を訴えているわけでもないし、「国家の敵」を無人機で暗殺させるような政治家でもないのだが。英国の優秀な記者は、みんな中東へ配属されてしまうのだろう。
こうなると、欧米のメジャー紙の記者よりも無名の在日外国人ブロガーやネチズンの方がよく分かっているようで、ジャパン・プローブでもこんなエントリー ←が上がっている。
BBCに話を戻すと、14日の「安倍晋三のプロフィール」という記事では
He provoked anger in China and South Korea when he said there was no evidence that women were forced to become sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II. He was forced to clarify his remarks and went on to issue an apology in parliament.
彼は第二次大戦中に日本陸軍によって女性が性奴隷になることを強制された証拠はないと言ったことで、中国や韓国の怒りを招いた。彼は自分の意見を明確にする事を迫られ、国会で謝罪した。
Profile: Shinzo Abe 2012.12.14
そして昨日の紙面では。
Although he is the leader of the "old" LDP, Mr Abe is far more right wing than most of his predecessors. In particular he has very right-wing views on the history of Japan's aggression during World War II.
He has repeatedly denied that the Japanese military forced Chinese, Korean and women from other Asian countries into sexual slavery - the so-called "comfort women".
Mr Abe even supports revoking a Japanese government statement, made in the early 1990s, acknowledging and apologising for what Japan did.
彼は「古い自民党」のリーダーではあるが、彼の前任者たちより遥かに右翼である。特に彼は第二次大戦中の日本の侵略の歴史についてかなり右翼的な見解を持っている。
彼は繰り返し、日本軍が中国、朝鮮や他のアジアの国々の女性を性奴隷制-いわゆる慰安婦-に強制したことを否定してきた。
安倍氏は、日本がやった事を認め謝罪した1990年代初めの日本政府の声明（引用者注：河野談話や村山談話のことだろう）を取り消すことにすら前向きである。
Japan loses faith in traditional politics 2012.12.15
東京でこの記事を書いたRupert Wingfield-Hayesの河野談話に対する認識は明白だろう。彼は、河野談話を日本軍が女性達を強制的に性奴隷にした事を認めたものとして認識しているのである。
こういう人達が日本に対する偏見を広めるのに貢献した
こうした欧米のメジャー紙の報道を見る度に、「従軍慰安婦自体がなかったと言わんばかりの議論をするのは知的に誠実ではない（2010）」と開き直った河野洋平や、「問題の本質は...国が関与していたことだ（2012.8.25）」と強弁しつつ、「近隣国との信頼を築くうえで重要な役割を果たしてきた（2012.11.12）」と河野談話"改正"に反対している朝日新聞が、世論の指弾を受けずにいるというのは理解し難い。
Rupert Wingfield-Hayesは、このように記事を結んでいる。「殆どの日本人は安倍の歴史観には同意していない。そして、殆どの人は彼や橋下や石原に投票しない。なぜなら、彼らは中国に敵意を持つ右翼ナショナリスト政府を望んでいないからだ（原文では肯定文になっているが、間違いか？）。しかし、そうなる可能性は依然としてある」
余談： 在日外国人たちのニュースブログ、ジャパン・プローブでは、アルジャジールや欧米紙が同じように偏見に満ちた記事を掲載していると指摘されている。そういった欧米（&中東）メディアの報道を擁護するコメントがないのは、小さいが希望の光かもしれない。
Profile: Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe, 58, is the leader of Japan's opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Six years ago he was flying high, becoming Japan's youngest prime minister since World War II in September 2006.
But he stepped down less than a year later, citing ill health, as support for his administration plummeted.
Now Mr Abe could be in position for another shot at Japan's top job, as the country prepares to vote in a general election.
Popular appeal
The Yamaguchi-born lawmaker hails from a high-profile political family.
His father, Shintaro Abe, was a former foreign minister. His grandfather was former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, who was arrested as a suspected war criminal after World War II but never charged.
Mr Abe graduated in political science from Seikei University before studying politics at the University of Southern California.
He won his first seat in parliament in 1993 and then went on to become deputy cabinet secretary. In September 2003 he became secretary-general of the then-ruling LDP.
Appointed to the cabinet for the first time in October 2005, he was given the high-profile role of chief cabinet secretary.
When he became prime minister a year later, he was seen as a man in predecessor Junichiro Koizumi's image - telegenic, outspoken and with a similar popular appeal to voters.
In the early days of his premiership he scored a number of political hits, achieving a high-level rapprochement with China and winning local support with a tough line on North Korea.
A conservative, Mr Abe pushed for a more assertive foreign policy and a greater role for Japan on the world stage.
Under his administration, a bill passed setting out steps for holding a referendum on revising the country's pacifist constitution.
During his tenure, Mr Abe also called for a greater sense of national pride and backed a law requiring the teaching of patriotism in schools.
But a series of scandals and gaffes - both by him and his ministers - harmed the government, and his approval ratings fell dramatically.
He provoked anger in China and South Korea when he said there was no evidence that women were forced to become sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II. He was forced to clarify his remarks and went on to issue an apology in parliament.
But most damaging to Mr Abe was the revelation that over the years the government lost pension records affecting about 50 million claims.
A heavy loss for his ruling LDP in upper house elections in July 2007 provided a catalyst for his decision to resign.
He stood down from the post in September of that year.
Second chance
With his election as LDP leader in September 2012, he returned to Japan's political limelight.
In recent months he has expressed a hawkish stance on territorial rows with China and South Korea.
"Japan's beautiful seas and its territory are under threat, and young people are having trouble finding hope in the future amid economic slump," he said.
"I promise to protect Japan's land and sea, and the lives of the Japanese people no matter what."
He followed up his party leadership win with a visit in October to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, in a move that angered regional neighbours.
He has also expressed a desire to amend central bank laws to prop up the country's economy.
Of his resignation as prime minister, he said: "I'm still responsible for causing all of you a trouble with my sudden resignation as prime minister six years ago.
"I will do my utmost to rise back to power with all of you."
BBC 2012.12.14
Japan loses faith in traditional politics
By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
BBC News, Tokyo
The traditional view of Japanese elections is that they are boring - prime ministers come, prime ministers go, but nothing really changes and Japan carries on regardless.
For more than half a century, it was right.
But in the past few years Japanese politics has changed. More importantly the Japanese public has changed - they have lost faith in the traditional political parties.
Three years ago they kicked out the old Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and gave a landslide win to the Democratic Party of Japan.
This weekend they will do exactly the opposite - kicking out the Democrats and handing power back to the LDP. But they like neither of them.
Japanese politicians only have themselves to blame. Since the Japanese economic bubble burst in 1992, Japanese people have lived through 20 years of stagnation and deflation.
Ask any economist of any stripe what Japan needs and they will give you a very similar list.
Regulation needs to be loosened, foreign investment welcomed and women empowered to stay at work while raising families.
The government should invest in education and science, rather than in endless pork barrel infrastructure projects that Japan doesn't need. And people will need to pay more tax if Japan is to avoid one day going bankrupt.
Instead, Japanese politicians have put off and put off reform, while borrowing more and more to pay for spending. Public debt now stands at around 230% of GDP, higher than Greece or any other country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
To add insult to injury, Japan has been hit hard by the global financial crisis.
Looking for a safe haven, foreigners have bought vast amounts of Yen, pushing its value up more than 40% since 2008. Japanese exporters' profits have been squeezed to nothing.
So what does this all mean for Sunday's election?
Two things. Firstly voters will want to punish the party in power. Many will do this by voting for the LDP.
Secondly, ask any member of the public what Japan needs now and they will say "leadership". There is growing support here for non-traditional parties, particularly right-wing populists who promise strong leadership and bold answers.
The most prominent is the Japan Restoration Party led by two political mavericks - Toru Hashimoto, the Mayor of Osaka, and 80-year-old Shintaro Ishihara, the former governor of Tokyo.
On the campaign trail, Mr Hashimoto and Mr Ishihara have drawn thousands of eager listeners wherever they stop. Last weekend in Tokyo I heard Mr Hashimoto calling for the slashing of government waste, cutting bureaucracy and making English an integral part of Japanese education. The crowd loved him.
But he and Mr Ishihara hold some extreme right-wing views.
In a speech last year Mr Hashimoto said: "What Japan needs now is dictatorship".
Mr Ishihara has made so many outrageous statements it's hard to know where to start. He once said: "Women who live beyond their child-bearing years are useless and are committing a sin."
History questioned
He has called for a military regime and says Japan should build nuclear weapons. Both men are deeply hostile to China and have revisionist views on Japanese history.
And so does the man who will probably become Japan's next prime minister - LDP leader Shinzo Abe.
Although he is the leader of the "old" LDP, Mr Abe is far more right wing than most of his predecessors. In particular he has very right-wing views on the history of Japan's aggression during World War II.
He has repeatedly denied that the Japanese military forced Chinese, Korean and women from other Asian countries into sexual slavery - the so-called "comfort women".
Mr Abe even supports revoking a Japanese government statement, made in the early 1990s, acknowledging and apologising for what Japan did.
Most Japanese people do not share Mr Abe's views on history. And most will not vote for him, or Mr Hashimoto or Mr Ishihara, because they want a right-wing nationalist government that is hostile to China.
But it is still possible that is what they will get.
BBC 2012.12.15
