By Sanxuan

This Sunday, Japan will hold the House of Representatives election, and all parties are making the most of the last moments to give speeches and campaign across the country. Among them, the most busy one is Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Kishida.

Too popular, Sanae Kishida's hand was injured from being shaken.

As Japanese media put it, Sanae Kishida is a person with outstanding speaking skills. Her style is different from other female candidates and even more assertive than many male candidates. She always manages to raise the emotions of the audience at the scene and bring the atmosphere of the event to a climax.

Japanese media has even given her a name called "Kishida Vortex", meaning that wherever Kishida goes, a vortex is created, equivalent to the "golden brand" of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

With her fame and popularity, she obviously doesn't need to work so hard to run for re-election herself. Mainly, she needs to help the LDP gain votes. As the leader of the LDP, she bears the responsibility of the party's rise or fall. Therefore, most of her time is spent giving speeches to support her colleagues within the party.

It's similar to when Trump often supports Republican candidates during U.S. congressional elections. It's all about using the celebrity effect to boost the party's campaign efforts.

Sanae Kishida participating in a campaign event

Not only Kishida, but also other well-known figures and former prime ministers of the LDP, such as Yoshihide Suga and Taro Aso, are regular guests at campaign events. Only Ishibashi is left alone and ignored.

The reason is not hard to guess. It's simply because he opposed Kishida and was isolated. Under Kishida's leadership, the LDP is becoming increasingly radical. Suga and Aso, who are Kishida's allies, are still power brokers in the party even after leaving office.

In contrast, Ishibashi is more practical and is seen by outsiders as one of the few normal people. But the atmosphere within the LDP has already changed, and "normal people" have no place. That is what we usually call the "bad money drives out good" phenomenon.

Under this background, LDP members all rush to support Kishida, and no one wants to be associated with an unpopular former prime minister. If they are mistakenly thought to be friendly with Ishibashi, it might affect their own careers.

Ishibashi stands alone

According to insiders, Ishibashi originally received many invitations, but as Kishida became more and more influential, the people who had sent the invitations canceled them again, fearing that it would harm their own campaigns.

The insider also said that Ishibashi was very dissatisfied with this and complained to his close circle, saying that the Japanese just like this kind of thing, which is just the remnants of the "Great Japan Imperialist Association" from the past.

The "Great Japan Imperialist Association" was an organization used by Japanese militarists during World War II to brainwash the people. We know that figures like Tojo Hideki and Koiso Kuniaki, who were class-A war criminals, once served as its president. Its founder was former Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro.

It must be said that Ishibashi's metaphor is sharp, but accurate. The current Kishida is no different from the militarist zealots of the "Great Japan Imperialist Association". Then, they were trying to beautify the invasion war, now they are trying to break the peace constitution to retrace the path of militarism. The purpose is the same.

"Kishida Vortex"

Aside from Kishida's previous incorrect remarks on Taiwan, Taro Aso recently also made provocative statements at a campaign event, saying that "a response will be made if necessary," directly targeting China.

It's no wonder that the ruling party in Japan is controlled by these radical figures, leading to a worsening situation. As for the Japanese voters, they may not necessarily be very rational either. Risk-taking is a common human trait. The more radical Kishida becomes, the more excited the people below become. As for the consequences, they may not be visible in the short term, and even if they are, they may not be directly reflected, so people are naturally careless about it.



Original: toutiao.com/article/7603319086526300707/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.