A quiet autumn day in Kamakura, yet the news has been anything but quiet.
Chrysanthemums are blooming everywhere now.
At Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the leaves are turning deeper shades of red and gold, reminding me that autumn is already well underway.
I say “making headlines,” but to be honest, I don’t really understand the details well enough to judge what’s right or wrong.
I certainly don’t know enough to pretend I do, so all I can do is watch quietly from the sidelines.
Even so, the fact that China has called for its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan as of today — that’s no small matter.
The tourism industry, which depends heavily on inbound visitors, must be hurting.
On the other hand, Taiwan and Japan have been drawing closer economically, each for its own reasons, and that trend will likely continue.
Prime Minister Takaichi has long been known as a hawkish politician.
So when someone like that becomes the leader, perhaps it isn’t surprising that these things start happening.
Her approval rating is apparently over 60%, and people still seem to welcome her leadership for now.
But if the situation starts to smell even a little “dangerous,” who knows how quickly that mood might change.
As voters, maybe we need to accept that choosing a hawkish leader comes with consequences, and keep that in the back of our minds.
I often hear people lament Japan’s declining presence in the world.
Maybe that’s why we cheer so loudly for stars like Ohtani or Yamamoto, or for the national soccer team — symbols of Japan still shining on the global stage.
And when it comes to politics, we citizens probably need to face it a little more seriously, whether we feel ready or not.
