Published on April 18, 2019.
This piece discusses the aims of left-wing media fixated on the Moritomo issue, the true nature of anti-Abe attacks, the danger of reporting that diverts public attention from the threats posed by China and North Korea, and the “power to flee” that Japan should exercise.
It argues that Japan must stop appeasing hostile newspapers and television networks, discern the facts, and defend the national interest with firmness.

2019-04-18
Of course, it is geographically impossible to move away from neighboring countries, so here “to flee” means “to stop maintaining close relations.”

I am reposting the chapter I published on 2018-04-13 under the title:
“They insulted commentators who support Prime Minister Abe with the vulgar expression ‘Abe-mansē conservatives’ (‘mansē’ meaning ‘long live’ in Korean).”
What follows is a continuation of the previous chapter.

Bait scattered by North Korea and China?
—Even so, why is the media so stubbornly fixated on the Moritomo issue?

Hyakuta
The purpose, needless to say, is to bring down the Cabinet.
For the past several years, beginning with the Asahi Shimbun, left-wing media have continued reporting designed to support the opposition’s attacks on Abe.
At first, they were aiming for a repeat of the 2009 transfer of power to the Democratic Party.
But no matter how hard they tried to support them, the approval ratings of the Communist Party, the Democratic Party, and the Constitutional Democratic Party did not rise at all.
So the left-wing media, losing patience, gave up on the useless opposition parties and shifted to a tactic of using dissatisfied elements within the Liberal Democratic Party to topple the Abe administration.
For example, with an eye on the LDP presidential election this autumn, they spotlight the remarks of Shigeru Ishiba, who belongs to the anti-Abe camp, and praise him as a candidate for the next prime minister.
A commentator connected to Mr. Ishiba, after the rewriting of Finance Ministry approval documents was reported, reviled commentators who support Prime Minister Abe with the vulgar expression “Abe-mansē conservatives” (“mansē” meaning “long live” in Korean).
However, this strategy will also end in failure.
Even if Mr. Ishiba can gather the 20 sponsors necessary to run in the LDP presidential election, he does not enjoy greater popularity than Mr. Abe among party members and party supporters.
Looking at the abnormal frenzy surrounding the Moritomo issue, I even feel that “this may be bait scattered by North Korea and China in order to distract the Japanese people from national defense awareness.”
The sight of opposition parties, newspapers, television, and magazines all greedily taking the bait of such contentless fake news is both pitiful and terrifying.
For while Japan’s Diet remains paralyzed, China steadily advances toward seizing the Senkaku Islands, and North Korea continues its nuclear and missile development.

Flee from countries of power harassment.
—That is a chilling thought.
Even so, wise citizens understand that “Abe-bashing” is nothing more than a movement to bring down the Cabinet.
So, in conclusion, would it be correct to say, “Flee from fake news”?

Hyakuta
The other side’s objective is to destroy the administration, and they have no intention of engaging in honest debate, so getting involved with them is a waste of time.
For example, in The Power to Flee, I recommended escaping from power-harassing China, which piles up acts of tyranny both inside and outside its borders, such as incursions into Japan’s territorial waters and the slaughter of Uyghurs and Tibetans, while demanding that Japan “reflect on the Nanjing Massacre.”
This country’s power-harassment mentality is beyond all bounds.
They themselves expand defense spending to the utmost, yet when Japan tries to raise its defense spending by even 1 percent, they say, “This is the revival of militarism.”
What does it mean that exactly the same voices have been raised by Fukushima, Fukuyama, the Asahi Shimbun, and NHK?
Japan cannot assert its national interests, cannot fight, and continues to endure in silence, driving itself into a corner.
Is not the current state of our country the same as that of a salaryman working for a black company?

—So now is the time for Japan to “flee.”

Hyakuta
Of course, it is geographically impossible to move away from neighboring countries, so here “to flee” means “to stop maintaining close relations.”
No matter how much you flatter someone who dislikes you, that person will not come to like you.
The same applies to left-wing media.
If you grovel because you do not want to be disliked by black newspapers and television networks, reporters will misunderstand and think that they themselves have become important, and they will only grow even more arrogant.
With a resolute attitude, one must declare, “The article you reported is not true. It is nothing more than a fabrication intended to discredit the government,” and one must broadly communicate the facts to the public.
I repeat, fighting and fleeing are one and the same.
I believe each and every Japanese person should understand that as long as individuals and nations alike live always worrying only about how others see them, there can be neither peace nor prosperity.