ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the ideological roots and drivers of the Abe Shinzō’s political agenda. It shows the family background of the prime minister: he was brought up in a highly conservative family. His grandfather Kishi Nobusuke was a minister in the wartime Tōjō cabinet and a Class A criminal suspect at the Tokyo trials. His father was a minister and an important member of the Liberal Democratic Party and also a highly conservative politician. Together with Abe Shinzō, these politicians believe that Japan should shed the constraints put on it after World War II and reconstruct itself as a tier one country. They hold that the postwar Constitution must be rewritten, the Self-Defense Forces transformed into a traditional military and that Japan should play a larger role in regional and global diplomacy. They also argue that society must stop apologizing for the mistakes of the past and look into the future instead. Abe has downplayed Japan’s role in the Nanking Massacre and in the Comfort women issue and has played a significant role in many conservative organizations such as Japan Rebirth (Sōsei Nippon) and Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi).
