Photo/Illutration Sanae Takaichi enters the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Dec. 21 after she was elected prime minister in the Diet. (The Asahi Shimbun)

One word repeatedly uttered by our nation’s new leader struck me as odd, prompting me to check its meaning in the dictionary. I wondered if I might have misunderstood it. According to the entry, “onken” (moderate) describes a view or attitude that is not extreme--calm and composed. That’s right, I thought, nodding and then frowning.

On Oct. 21, Sanae Takaichi, who that day became Japan’s first female prime minister after winning the Diet vote, kept emphasizing that she is “onken hoshu” (moderate conservative). But what, exactly, did she mean by that?

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s freshly concluded coalition agreement with the conservative opposition Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) seems to point in quite the opposite direction.

Setting aside the abruptly floated proposal to cut the number of Lower House seats, what cannot be overlooked is the pledge in the coalition agreement to abolish the five categories--such as rescue and transport--under which Japan’s guidelines for restricting arms exports permit the transfer of non-lethal defense equipment to other countries. This is clearly aimed at broadening the scope of weapons exports.

Also troubling are the commitments to create a new criminal offense of “insulting or damaging national emblems,” including the Hinomaru flag, and to enact an anti-espionage law.

Meanwhile, one of the LDP’s key campaign promises for this summer’s Upper House election--a flat 20,000-yen ($132) cash handout per person to ease the burden of rising prices--has quietly been shelved. The Takaichi administration appears poised to discard what the ruling party pledged while pressing ahead with controversial policy measures that have yet to be thoroughly debated within the party.

With the centrist Komeito, the LDP’s former junior coalition partner, having withdrawn from the alliance after Takaichi’s election as party leader and no longer serving as a moderating force, the new administration based on the LDP-Nippon Ishin coalition seems to be veering sharply to the right. Nippon Ishin insists the coalition will “move Japan forward,” but what I feel instead is unease--a sense that we no longer know where this path is leading.

The agreement does include provisions hedged with phrases such as “to consider” and “to aim for.” Yet, given that the Takaichi administration is even willing to join hands with the populist anti-NHK Party merely to secure numbers, it would be unwise to underestimate the political implications of this coalition.

When you can’t see far ahead through fog or blizzard, you may think you’re walking straight--only to find yourself somewhere entirely unexpected. I can’t help but wonder: if this path keeps turning right and right again, will it eventually lead the nation back to a place where we’ve been before? Let’s hope such fears prove unfounded.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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