Rip bozo

Abe and the Unification Church: Opposing Gender Equality and LGBTQ+ Rights

Tomomi Yamaguchi, Montana State University Taken from The Abe Legacy: A Compendium As is now well known, the only suspect in the murder of Abe Shinzo is Yamagami Tetsuya. It has been established that Yamagami held a grudge against the Unification Church (also known as The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), a religion headquartered in South Korea and officially founded in 1954 by the late Sun Myun Moon. Yamagami considered killing the head of the church, Hak Ja Han, Moon’s widow, but switched to Abe because he believed he had close ties with the religion, following his delivery of a recorded speech to an online event held in 2021, sponsored by an organisation related to the church, the Universal Peace Foundation (Tenchū Heiwa Rengō, UPF).

The video speech by Abe was delivered at an online international conference by the UPF, entitled ‘Think Tank 2021: Toward Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula’, held on 12 September 2021. UPF was founded in 2005, also by Moon. The Unification Church characterizes the UPF as one of its many ‘friendly organisations’, and claims that they are different organisations, but the close connection between the Church and the UPF is evident.

On 20 August 2022, NHK’s ‘Close-up Gendai’ show aired an interview with the head of UPF Japan, Kajikuri Masayoshi, and reported that he had directly asked Abe to deliver his speech at the 2021 conference (NHK 2022a). Kajikuri admitted that some of UPF’s activities are supported by donations from the Unification Church. Kajikuri is also the head of Church’s other ‘friendly organizations’ that engage in political activities, such as the International Federation for Victory over Communism (Kokusai Shōkyō Rengō, IFVOC) and the Federation for World Peace (Sekai Heiwa Rengō, FWP).

Kajikuri also explained the close connections between the Unification Church and three generations of the Abe family—that is, Abe’s grandfather and former Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke, Abe’s father and politician Abe Shintaro, and Abe Shinzo himself. The Unification Church entered Japan in 1959, and officially became a religious corporation in 1964. The Church’s Japanese headquarters was located next to Kishi’s house in Tokyo and, when the organisation established the anti-communist IFVOC in 1968, Kishi became one of its founding members. Kishi and his party, the LDP, shared a common interest with the Unification Church when leftwing activism was at its peak in the late 1960s. In the NHK interview, Kajikuri said that his movement’s connection to Abe had deepened after 2012 after he returned to power as the Prime Minister.

Since Abe’s assassination, the major attention of the media has been on the Unification Church’s connection to politicians. A survey by Kyodo, released on 31 August, showed that 117 LDP members of the Diet out of 594 who answered the survey had some ties to the Church, among whom 94 members, or almost 80 per cent, are from the LDP (Kyodo 2022). Another survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun, released on 4 September, questioning Diet members, as well as prefectural governors and prefectural assembly members, showed that 447 respondents had some kind of connection to the Church, of whom 80% belong to the LDP (Asahi 2022).

These politicians include prominent members of the LDP: eight cabinet members, some in party leadership positions, such as the current chair of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, Hagiuda Koichi, and Yamagiwa Daishiro, state minister for economic revitalisation. Abe Shinzo’s brother and former defence minister, Kishi Nobuo, admitted that he received help from the Unification Church in past elections. A new LDP member of the House of Councillors, Inoue Yoshiyuki, a former aide of Abe when he was prime minister, reportedly had the Church’s help for his election campaign. While Inoue denied that this help was financial, he admitted that he was a ‘supporting member’ of the organisation.

Indeed, the official name-change of the Unification Church from 世界基督教統一神霊協会 (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity), or 統一教会 (Tōitsu Kyōkai), to 世界平和統一家庭連合 (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), or 家庭連合(Katei Rengō) in 2015 may be regarded as a sign of dubious political ties. The Church applied for its name change to the Agency of Cultural Affairs under The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in 1997, but lawyers fighting against the organisation’s history of donation coercions demanded that the application be rejected. During the term of then Minister of Education and Science Shimomura Hakubun, however, also a member of the Abe faction, the application was accepted (NHK 2022b).

Political ties to the Church range from being interviewed in a publication of a ‘friendly organisation’ of the Church, attendance in the Church’s or one of the related organisations’ events, to being a member of the Church and its related organisations and receiving support for their election campaigns. The close relationships of Abe and politicians in the Abe faction of the LDP with the Unification Church in particular stand out. Abe’s video speech at the UPF event was symbolic of these ties and his endorsement of its related organisations’ activities.

This growing influence of the Unification Church on Japanese politics has had important implications for Japan’s policies on gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. As the ‘anti-communism’ agenda of the Church lost its impact with the end of the cold war, the organisation shifted emphasis to family values. In practice, this meant a renewed attention to issues of gender and sexuality, such as blocking the introduction of separate surnames for married spouses, attacking sex education in schools, and resisting legalisation of same-sex marriage and partnerships. In his video speech, Abe also stated that he appreciated the family values promoted by the UFP, saying the family is the fundamental unit of society.

Abe opposed policies promoting gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. He led the LDP’s backlash against feminism, as the chair of the LDP’s ‘Project Team to Investigate the Real Situations of Extreme Sex Education and Gender-free Education’ established in 2005. During his first administration, his government passed the revision of the Fundamental Law of Education in 2006, which includes Article 10 on ‘family education’. That paved the way for various policies that feminists and others have criticised as government intrusion into the private sphere because they impose state ideals family and parenting. His promotion of ‘womenomics’ when he returned to power in 2012 was an economic policy and had nothing to do with changing discriminatory laws and practices against women. He had always been against the introduction of separate surnames for married couples, and marriage equality.

Just like Abe, his former aide Inoue Yoshiyuki emphasised in his campaign speech the significance of ‘family values’, and he enthusiastically showed support for ‘family education’. Inoue also made discriminatory remarks against LGBTQ+ people and proudly declared that he was against same-sex marriage.

My own research is on anti-feminist backlash in contemporary Japan. The Unification Church, along with other rightwing, often Nippon Kaigi-related religious organisations, has been a significant factor in the movement (Yamaguchi 2018; Yamaguchi et al. 2012). The Church’s leadership in the anti-LGBTQ+ movement particularly stands out. The involvement by the Church and a daily paper with close ties with the organisation, Sekai Nippō in the movement to block the passage of a local gender equality ordinance in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, in 2003 was the key moment for the Church’s deeper engagement in the anti-feminism and anti-LGBTQ+ movement; the Unification Church was particularly threatened by the ordinance’s inclusion of the language of ‘sexual orientation’ .

The Unification Church was also against the so-called ‘Partnership Ordinance’ of Shibuya in 2015, which for the first time introduced same-sex partnership certificates (for residents of the ward). During an interview with me and my co-researcher in 2016, the Church’s PR representatives said that they were particularly threatened by the ordinance because the Church’s Japanese headquarters is in Shibuya ward. Since then, the Unification Church has opposed ordinances and measures introducing same-sex partnerships in other municipalities (see Endo 2022)—with apparently little success. Measures for same-sex partnerships had passed in 223 municipalities by June 2022, covering more than half of Japan’s population (Marriage for All Japan 2022), despite the Church’s resistance. Yet the LDP and the Church both oppose legislation allowing same-sex marriage, and the LDP has even blocked a bill to enhance understanding of LGBT. Sekai Nippō covers criticisms of LGBTQ+ rights extensively, by effectively utilising conservative, anti-LGBTQ+ discourses abroad—especially those of the United States—more than any other conservative media in Japan.

The other major policy interest of the Unification Church is the introduction of a law to support ‘family education’ (Katei Kyōiku Shien Hō) and passing local ordinances in support of family education (Katei Kyōiku Shien Jōrei). The first such ordinance was passed in Kumamoto Prefecture in 2012. As of September 2022, a total of ten prefectures and six cities have passed similar ordinances. Along with other conservative groups, various organisations related to the Church, such as the Association for Ambassadors for Peace, IFVOC and FWP, have been playing a major role in the movement to pass local ordinances in other prefectures and cities, and to promote the movement for the national family education law.

The Unification Church is just one of the many conservative organizations opposing gender equality efforts and LGBTQ+ rights. Japanese politics and current policies are not just the results of influences from the Church. Obviously, other religious and rightwing organisations, such as Nippon Kaigi, have had a major impact, too. Still, the connection between the Unification Church and the LDP—particularly of the conservative Abe faction, and the possible influence that the Church may have on the policies supported by LDP politicians, may be one reason why Japan’s progress on gender equality measures and LGBTQ+ rights has been so minimal—or even reversed—in recent years. Clearly, Abe as a politician with close ties to the Church and other religious rightwing organisations bore a responsibility for this situation, and the Church’s impacts on LDP policies on gender and sexuality should be investigated further.

Tomomi Yamaguchi is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Montana State University. She is a cultural anthropologist and studies social movements in Japan, especially regarding feminist and right-wing movements.

Abe transformed Japan’s security posture like no Japanese postwar prime minister before him. He created a national security council to coordinate government policies and responses, embraced new defence guidelines with the US, and passed major security legislation in 2015 that greatly expanded what Japan could do militarily in support of the US. Critically, this legislation enabled Japan’s prime ministers to sidestep the constitutional constraints on its formidable military forces embodied in article 9 of the 1947 peace constitution – written by occupying US forces.

The public has been wary of this more assertive security policy, although the mood may be shifting due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and growing recognition of the threats posed by China, North Korea and Russia in east Asia. Recent joint Russian-Chinese bomber and naval patrols around the Japanese archipelago have highlighted the changing risk environment.

In terms of a domestic agenda, Abe was best known for “Abenomics” (massive monetary easing, fiscal stimuli and structural reforms), his bold programme to revive the Japanese economy – but it has proven to be a meagre legacy. By 2017, it referred to little more than a branding strategy to generate a buzz rather than a blueprint for economic revitalisation. Indeed, when running to head the conservative Liberal Democratic party (LDP) last autumn, Kishida lambasted Abenomics as an abject failure.

An even less flattering legacy is the allegations of cronyism and a lack of transparency. Important and potentially embarrassing documents were reported to have been altered, hidden and sometimes shredded, impeding accountability. Abe’s effort at labour market reform was a potential gamechanger, but after it was revealed that he used questionable data to make his case in the Diet, he had to settle for very modest changes. There is also the subject of his denialism and downplaying of Japan’s historic misdeeds, especially regarding “comfort women” and forced labour, which inflamed grievances in nations that had suffered from Japan’s wartime and colonial exploits, making it difficult to pursue reconciliation and cooperation.

Paradoxically, despite his enormous stature and power, Abe left office without making much headway on Japan’s gathering challenges, especially the demographic timebomb of a rapidly ageing society. Critics such as Tobias Harris, in his biography The Iconoclast, accused Abe of squandering political capital on constitutional revision while ignoring the climate crisis.

No doubt Abe was proud that he presided over a rightward shift in Japan’s political centre of gravity – and it’s a shift that may well have accelerated over the weekend. Elections for the upper house of Japan’s parliament on 10 July gave Abe’s LDP a landslide victory – turnout was boosted by the shock assassination. Kishida now has the votes he needs to increase defence spending and, perhaps, also push ahead with Abe’s holy grail: revising Japan’s pacifist constitution.

Voters don’t regard constitutional revision as a priority, and hence Kishida campaigned on bread-and-butter issues such as how to help households cope with inflation. But Abe’s death, and the fact that Kishida won’t face elections again until 2025, clearly offer an opportunity for him to realise the dream.

Revision has always been about article 9, the clause in the constitution that bans war and maintaining military forces – one that leaves Japan’s self-defence forces’ position awkwardly ambiguous. Abe sought to insert wording to clarify the self-defence forces’s status and when he left office stated that his greatest regret was not being able to muster public support for revision. Abe was his own worst enemy, as the more he pressed ahead to whittle down constitutional pacifism the greater the public’s resistance became in response to his hawkishness.

Kishida is a moderate and so encounters far less backlash when he advocates Abe’s policy wishlist. Now he may be able to honour his mentor’s death. In this sense, the story of Shinzo Abe’s legacy – in Japan and across a fractious, divided world – may be far from over.

Japan you're doing amazing sweetie

Anti gun laws or not, I bet og*ta would’ve still found a way to make a fully functioning 3d printed sniper rifle lol. Now I’m curious, how would everyone else be in the modern au? Thanks queen 🙏

see it just seems that for you guys he'd be a dark triads suave and dangerous male manipulator, while in noda's version he's a dentist in the sticks. like the whole reason he's a gun nerd in his timeline is because he's very skilled with a rifle, it's what gives him value in his own eyes and boosts his ego. so why would he need to find a way to get a functional one if he can't even use it? guns just aren't a thing here, though gun nerds are. like people are so influenced by their upbringing and circumstances, their economical possibilities, the political dispositions in their country. ogata had a miserable life due to the time period he lived in (mother sold into a red light district because her family was poor, father a high ranking army officer, all while the general population was piss poor with all the govt funding going into the war machine) combined with being quite off personality wise naturally. but i don't think he'd necessarily patrick bateman it out, hell i don't think he'd even kira yoshikage it out (maybe just a little). there's plenty of quirked up shawtys living in the world, plenty of people diagnosed with personality disorders living seemingly regular lives, plenty of antisocial elements living beneath the surface and never breaking it. plenty of difficult people. one thing about ogata though is that he's his own enemy, so he could never be happy. but that's just my opinion

shinzo abe was the face of japanese fascism and the amount of evil he inherited and proudly continued the legacy of can't be fully expressed in a social media post. a lot of korean ainu ryukyu southeast asian and chinese people (along with jpn people that oppose the state) are celebrating today with their loved ones that an evil man has been made to feel a fraction of the pain he caused and died like so many of us did at his and his ancestors' and political party's hands. it's really unfortunate that more of us could die because of this, that he could become a martyr for japanese fascism as they mobilize in retaliation and a reason for the US empire to tighten its hold in asia. japanese fascists are not subtle about their genocidal goals and have had a special grudge against the entire korean peninsula since the 1500s, when they failed to conquer us during the joseon dynasty. they annexed us with US permission from 1910 to 1945 and that was not enough for them. abe and the nippon kaigi's official platform is that they want a return of the japanese empire, it's genuinely terrifying thinking about what they will be capable of now.

Shinzo Abe's legacy: Hard-line conservative with ties to the Nippon Kaigi, Japan's ultranationalist far-right party, who wanted to reinstate an active military and fraught with controversies

Shinzo Abe's legacy according to Tumblr and Twitter: Controlled the anime and manga industries to get people to make babies

I've deleted tiktok off my phone and now mainly use Instagram reels. I get a bunch of content related to Japan (makes sense I'm moving there) but omfg the comments are like the trenches. Some are purely racist to Japanese citizens and others are such Japan dick riders that it's insane.

Anyway recently got a post about a white guy complaining that TOKYO has gotten too "foreign" and that he doesn't want Japan to "lose" their culture. I've got a lot of thoughts on this but nowhere to put them so here they are:

I'm literally losing my mind at how many people think Japan is this orientalist non-westernized country when Japan has westernized itself since the 1890s. Losing my mind at foreigners in Japan complaining that there are more foreigners in Japan and acting like they've been in Japan since before it when they moved there in like 2010.

Saw someone comparing Japan to Hawai'i in how it's losing its culture (truly mindboggling considering what Japan has done to Okinawa) and another guy who's name was literally Noah saying "Americans should keep their bs out of japan no one wants your stupid westernization" like dude ur name is Noah.

Also, no part of America has "westernized" Japan since the early 20th century, and Japan's "westernization" is entirely Japan's own doing for wanting to be in proximity to whiteness. No other culture country or people gets to decide where Japan's culture gets to go, that is solely up to the Japanese people (mind you not the government but the PEOPLE)

Most people obsessed with Japanese culture have never read an actual book on Japan that goes beyond "Japan has shrines that worship the kami or spirits of the world" and "being polite is important as a tourist in Japan". If they did, then they'd know that during the pre-war era and throughout the wartime era, the Japanese government purposefully put out cultural propaganda in order to boost nationalism. They wanted Japan to seem entirely unique and therefore more special than all other Asian countries. This is not to say Japan does not have beautiful cultural traditions that extend centuries, but largely those have been transformed and marketed to Japanese and foreign tourists alike.

Shrines and shrine groups donate and mass support alt-right-wing groups in Japan. The over-politeness culture is part of the awful workplace conditions and suicide rates. Actual Japanese people have spoken to these facts but that does not mean they do not like their home culture. Globalization/modernization will not westernize Japan. Women's rights, LGBT rights, labor rights, and immigrants' rights, will not westernize Japan. They will save Japan.

These Japan-obsessed right-wingers will ignore the hundreds of years of protests and civil rights groups to create an orientalist idea of Japan. None and I mean NONE of those people care about Japan, Japanese culture, or Japanese people, they only care about living out their orientalist fantasies while actual Japanese people living their daily lives are simply background props.

We need to stop pretending Japanese people are not their own people with history, culture, and movements.

Here are just SOME links on Japanese politics not known by most people (please message me if you're interested in these topics or would like more resources):

Nippon Kaigi- Alt Right Religious Group

Japanese Work Culture

Ainu - Indigenous Group of the Lands in the Okhotsk Sea

Ryukuans (Okinawans) - Indigenous Group of the Ryukyu Islands

Scream from the Shadows- A Book on the 60s Feminist Movement in Japan

Chizuko Ueno "Forty Years of Japanese Feminism" - Prominent Japanese Feminist

Burakumin - Lowest "Caste" Group in Japan

Zainichi Koreans - Resident Koreans Who's Families Entered Japan During and After the War

LGBT Rights - LBGT+ Rights Group in Japan

Organizing the Spontaneous - 60s ANPO Movement

Sadly I cannot find the twitter page that often posts modern-day Japanese news that normally is not posted by other news organizations. But if any of you remember it please send me the page so I can add it as I believe it is an important resource. Or just reblog with it!

Look, whether you like or dislike Japan, remember it's a country with people just like anywhere else. Do not dismiss the work activists have done in Japan. Do not say Japan "needs this political movement", instead talk about how Japanese progressive groups need international support and recognition (mind you don't say this about any country, especially largely nonwhite countries!!! you are completely ignoring and rejecting the work millions have put into social change!!! instead talk about those people!!! talk about those movements!!! don't let their efforts be forgotten!!! don't let any government tell you these movements are new!!! THEY AREN'T!!!!). One of the biggest ways we can create change and push away alt-right groups and people from any place is by ruining their image of those places.

Do NOT let the alt-right in Japan convince you Japan is purely homogenous and that Japan is the best country in the world. Do not let the Japanese government erase the Ainu, the Ryukyuan, Immigrants, Zainichi Koreans, LGBTQ+ citizens, women's rights, the Burakumin, the poor, and the communists/progressives of Japan. Do not let ANY country erase that history!

DO NOT LET JAPAN PLAY THE VICTIM TO "WESTERIZATION"

https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/shinzo-abe-japans-right-wing-militarist-former-prime-minister-assassinated/

I was reading this article about Shinzo Abe who was recently assassinated. This man has denied sex slaves existing “comfort women”, also mass murders committed by Imperial Japan on Chinese and other nations.

I read elsewhere His grandfather was imprisoned as a war criminal and was a nationalist. Shinzo Abe was also a neoliberal, right leaning, wanted to rebuild the military and other things. Hillary Clinton recently called Shinzo Abe a feminist, which is strange because he denied the existence of comfort women. And went to a controversial shrine a few times that honoured Japanese soliders including some war criminals.

I suppose I am sorry that the man died. And it is true that homicides are quite rare in Japan. But it bothers me, some of the Western ignorance of some more disturbing aspects of him. He was also buddies with former president Trump

most of this is absolutely correct, my one disagreement lies in calling him a neoliberal. he was a fascist, a nationalist, and an imperialist. I think that neoliberal is an understatement in his case, especially given his ties to far-right fascist groups like nippon kaigi.

I'm not at all surprised that hillary clinton called him a feminist despite his track record: the victims of his misogyny and denial of history were women of colour, and white feminists (especially centrist ones like hillary) rarely seem to care about us.

I also think that of all the people joking about his death, many are giving the gunman credit, so I think that it's important to mention that the shooter was also a nationalist, he just didn't think that shinzo abe was doing nationalism correctly.

2022-Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe (/ˈʃɪnzoʊ ˈɑːbeɪ/SHIN-zoh AH-bay; Japanese: 安倍 晋三, Hepburn: Abe Shinzō, IPA: [abe ɕindzoː]; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, serving for almost nine years in total. Abe also served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi and was briefly the opposition leader in 2012.

Abe was a staunch conservative whom political commentators had described as a right-wing Japanese nationalist. Associated with the Nippon Kaigi, he held negationist views on Japanese history, including denying the role of government coercion in the recruitment of comfort women during World War II, a position which caused tensions particularly with South Korea. Under his premiership, relations further strained in 2019 over disputes about reparations. Earlier that same year, Abe's government initiated a trade dispute with South Korea after the South Korean Supreme Court ruled that reparations be made by Japanese companies who had benefited from forced labor. Abe was considered a hard-liner with respect to Japan's military policies.

In 2007, he initiated the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue during his first tenure as prime minister, aimed at resisting China's rise as a superpower. He advocated for amending Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution to legally codify the status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), however this was never achieved during his lifetime. He enacted military reforms in 2015 that allowed Japan to exercise collective security by allowing JSDF deployments overseas, the passage of which was controversial and met with protests. Economically, Abe attempted to counter Japan's economic stagnation with "Abenomics", with mixed results. He was also credited with reinstating the Trans-Pacific Partnership with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Abe was assassinated on 8 July 2022 while delivering a campaign speech in Nara two days before the 10 July upper house elections. The suspect, who was immediately arrested by police, confessed to targeting the former prime minister because of Abe's alleged ties with the Unification Church. This was the first assassination of a former Japanese prime minister since 1936. A polarizing figure in Japanese politics, Abe was described by his supporters as having worked to strengthen Japan's security and international stature, while his opponents described his nationalistic policies and negationist views on history as threatening Japanese pacifism and damaging relations with East Asian neighbors China and South Korea. Commentators have said that his legacy pushed Japan towards more proactive military spending, security, and economic policies.

So... with all this celebration of Shinzo Abe's assassination comes, well a lot. Like it's great that this fuck got what was coming. But firstly, it needs to be pointed out that the shooter had no qualms with him politically, so let's not celebrate that guy. Secondly, as many have already pointed out, this will just likely prop up the LDP which will absolutely lead to MORE discrimination and violence towards Korean and Chinese people living in Japan, as they are being directly blamed already by right wingers (not surprising). As a person of Ryukyuan descent, my heart absolutely goes out to those that are going to be affected by this in solidarity. Thirdly, given that the second point happens, this will obviously affect China and Korea, considering Abe's involvement with Nippon Kaigi and their ultimate goal of reviving the Japanese empire. It doesn't help that there's been incredibly sinophobic reactions made by westerners. Or American occupation of South Korea and Japan. In conclusion, fuck Japanese ultranationalists and imperialism, and show your unwavering support to those that are going to be negatively impacted by the events to follow, including but DEFINITELY not limited to the Chinese and Koreans.

Japanese anon. I will be back home after tomorrow, but I have time to say a few remarks:

There is more backlash on places like twitter, 2ch (garbage place, do not touch it), and famitsu where fans of musou hopes are accusing haters of the game to be fujoshi, dream fans, and having bad taste. Fans of original three houses hit back by saying their accusers are edelgard fans (which to my lack of surprise is true). There are now lines being drawn where edelgard fans are defending the game from its critics, and it is getting ugly, especially since pro musou fans are now directly attacking by supporting shez against byleth, and it has made many people very angry. I am surprised yet not surprised to see that people who like the story are taking very sexist approaches to their critics (one person said, “you’re only mad because a rotten girl hater is the writer and you only care for your ships (cp abbreviation) instead of a good story” which started a big argument in the comment thread)

Pro hopes has been working hard on the defensive though especially because edelgard lost again in the heroes tournament votes. Lol. I can’t say that doesn’t make me happy. People are ready to burn her now for the favoritism she got in hopes and the favoritism she keeps getting in feh. A friend of mine who hates her with a passion closed the voting round with a team of summer houses units and she said “beres and rhea send their regards” and we had a laugh. Someone is circulating a meme of edelgart as thanos in the scene where she and he get their heads cut off.

To renisfan, yes, it’s awful. The younger generation i know is appalled with the message. Everyone says “someone from nippon kaigi was a writing consultant” or “abe’s ghost wrote this” . A people worry that this is sending an impression of japan becoming more conservative to foreign fans. And that the reputation of fire emblem has been tarnished.

I hope your trip is going very well, anon.

I am surprised yet not surprised to see that people who like the story are taking very sexist approaches to their critics (one person said, “you’re only mad because a rotten girl hater is the writer and you only care for your ships (cp abbreviation) instead of a good story” which started a big argument in the comment thread)

Sounds like a lot of what I have seen in English discourse too. "You're just mad because [insert something ridiculous here]"

Pro hopes has been working hard on the defensive though especially because edelgard lost again in the heroes tournament votes. Lol. I can’t say that doesn’t make me happy. People are ready to burn her now for the favoritism she got in hopes and the favoritism she keeps getting in feh. A friend of mine who hates her with a passion closed the voting round with a team of summer houses units and she said “beres and rhea send their regards” and we had a laugh. Someone is circulating a meme of edelgart as thanos in the scene where she and he get their heads cut off.

I woke up this morning to see that Edelgard had lost yet again and had a laugh myself. Water is wet. Edelgard loses a VG.

But maaaaannnn, some of those means are really something else, huh? I did have a peek on the feh reddit page and r/edelgard and there is some major salt. Some people are coping with "she's just too popular, and the largest army always loses". I think they forgot that Rhea actually had the largest army against Edelgard and she won her round just fine.

To renisfan, yes, it’s awful. The younger generation i know is appalled with the message. Everyone says “someone from nippon kaigi was a writing consultant” or “abe’s ghost wrote this” . A people worry that this is sending an impression of japan becoming more conservative to foreign fans. And that the reputation of fire emblem has been tarnished.

@renisfan

abe’s ghost wrote this

Oooooofffff, that's a rough one right there. I feel bad for the man cause.... I don't like anyone being killed like that, but this is also kinda funny, ngl.

A people worry that this is sending an impression of japan becoming more conservative to foreign fans.

I can confirm that yes.... there are some who think this. Unfortunately. Sorry, Japanese fans, but I have seen this sentiment around....

And that the reputation of fire emblem has been tarnished.

I don't think it's too far gone yet. Most fans think Houses is a step up from Fates, and that the musou is just a spin off and nothing to worry about.

There is some sentiment here and there but most feel that the next FE could be even better. Or at least, that is what I have seen.

(Abe anon here). Wait, I did see the tweet and is it joking that people should deny the attack against him? If so: sorry for the ask, I thought you actually supported him. Sometimes context goes over my head. 😅😅

He was a far right nationalist (see: his membership in Nippon Kaigi) and I absolutely did not support him lol

Shinzo Abe famously denied Japanese war crimes that took place in WWII (Unit 731, "Comfort women," etc) and went out of his way honor the war criminals and called them "martyrs" The joke is that people should then treat his assassination the same way and pretend it didn't happen.

Why was Abe so successful if he was part of/backed by kaigi, which if I recall has a pretty small support base that’s mostly just old people. Unless it rly is the declining birth rate I can’t imagine him being in charge for the better part of 20 years AND the new pm having his backing if he’s part of such an unpopular group

I'm not gonna be posting much more about Japanese politics beyond this, simply because my understanding is limited to what I've studied myself and what I've been told by Japanese friends (I'm not a firsthand source on this), but Japan basically functions as a single party state with the LDP remaining in continuous power since its inception, bar two brief interruptions

while Nippon Kaigi doesn't have as much support as LDP, it doesn't need to because they can just push candidates in LDP that align with their interests and maintain control that way (there's also an element of foreign support for Nippon Kaigi, since it's in the west's interest to keep Japan aggressive towards the rest of SEA, but that's not to write off Japan's own hypernationalist politics)

the LDP is a conservative-nationalist party, so ultranationalists skip hand in hand with them

brightly, at the Nippon Kaigi meeting: I mean say what you will about Koreans but you gotta admit they make a mean rice cooker!

*grudging acknowledgement*

and just look at what they've done with bbq!

*nodding*

oh yeah for sure

he's so ugly and unsettling and stoic it's making me go crazy