Analyzing G7 fiscal stimulus debates, this essay condemns media commentary that ridicules Japan’s leadership and undermines national interests, arguing that while media should hope for national success, none should ever desire failure.

2016-05-28

◎America’s Fiscal Philosophy and the Global Economy

The United States believes that surplus countries should engage in fiscal stimulus. It would not be wrong to say that this is a traditional American way of thinking. As the country that has supported the world economy and fostered growth by purchasing goods from all over the world, and as the nation that, after the war, provided Germany and Italy with massive aid almost free of charge, thereby laying the foundations for their prosperity, the United States also took an extremely tough stance toward Germany during the European crisis, declaring that a Germany winning alone within the EU bore responsibility for rescuing European countries that had fallen into economic difficulty.

◎Behind the Scenes of the G7 and Japan’s Proposal

Last night, NHK featured what might be called the behind-the-scenes negotiations of the G7, and many Japanese citizens probably learned for the first time that the United States, which had been strongly demanding fiscal stimulus, had rejected Japan’s initial proposal as chair country on the grounds that it was too weak.

◎Anger at Asahi’s Economic Commentator

However, I was truly astonished by Makoto Hara, introduced on the previous night’s Hōdō Station as Asahi Shimbun’s chief economic commentator—astonishment that quickly turned into an unforgivable anger.
If a man like this is the chief economic voice, then it is only natural that he helped create “Japan’s Lost Twenty Years” and inflicted enormous—indeed massive—damage on the country.

◎The Ideological Nature of Asahi Shimbun

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Asahi Shimbun is in fact a gathering of Marxists.
That is why Asahi is fundamentally anti-American, and yet it maintains a curious alignment with Germany.

◎The Reality of Germany’s “Structural Reform”

Germany proclaims structural reform as the best solution, but in reality, within Europe it flooded the market with cheap labor from Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and even the Middle East and Africa, achieving a state of selling dominance as the sole winner within the EU.

◎Germany’s Appeasement of China

When the EU began to face crisis, what did Germany do? Disregarding all ethics—such as China’s human-rights and freedom-of-speech issues—and displaying a shrewdness similar to Asahi’s, it outwardly pretended to protest human-rights issues, while in reality Chancellor Merkel, without so much as a glance at Japan, visited China eight times, repeatedly leading large delegations of executives from industries in which Germany holds strengths, such as automobiles. As a result, for example, Volkswagen came close to overtaking Toyota.
In short, Germany’s structural reform once meant continuing to win alone in Europe; now it means currying favor with China. They would likely remain indifferent even if the world collapsed because of China—although, of course, if the world were to reach catastrophe, Germany itself would not escape unscathed.

◎Slander of Prime Minister Abe and Treacherous Commentary

While continuing to make the truly foolish and lamentable claim that Japan should learn from such a Germany, now mocking the efforts of its own prime minister, praising Germany that emboldens China, and Britain that allowed the Queen to be shown documents in order to recycle vast amounts of black money from Chinese officials through the City, Asahi not only relentlessly disparaged Prime Minister Abe—who demonstrated outstanding leadership unseen in previous prime ministers—but Makoto Hara went so far, with an arrogance beyond forgiveness, as to call the card Abe played to deliver a final reckoning to Germany and Britain “a nonsensical remark.” He is nothing less than a traitor and enemy of the state.

◎What Media Ought to Be

For example, in the United States, which has a two-party system, there would be no media outlet that, on the very day of the G7, would denigrate its own president for exercising the leadership the United States ought to display as chair. There may be media that hope for success, but there should not be a single traitor who wishes for failure.