Japan's first lady challenges ... her husband's views?
| Tokyo
Did Japan elect the wrong Abe? The country鈥檚 more liberal-minded聽voters could be forgiven for thinking so.
Japan鈥檚 first lady, Akie Abe, has emerged as an unlikely聽progressive voice even as聽her husband, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pushes increased聽military spending, a post-Fukushima nuclear restart, and unpopular tax聽rises.
She opposes a return to nuclear power, preferring instead to explore聽the potential of renewable sources of energy. While Mr. Abe鈥檚聽political allies enraged South Korea by denying Japan had forced tens聽of thousands of young, mainly Korean, women to work as sex slaves聽before and during World War II, Mrs. Abe has spoken of her love of South聽Korean TV dramas and cuisine.
She even dipped her toes into the murky waters of the economy, questioning the need for last month鈥檚 rise in the sales tax 鈥撀燼n unpopular move that her husband says is Japan鈥檚 last chance to tackle聽its enormous public debt and rising social security costs.
Last weekend, Mrs. Abe burnished her liberal credentials with an聽unexpected appearance at Tokyo鈥檚 Rainbow Pride parade in support of聽LGBT rights. Later, she wrote on her Facebook page that she had taken聽an interest in gay and transgender issues since joining a commission聽set up by UNAIDS and the Lancet medical journal last year.
"I want to help build a society where anyone can conduct happy,聽enriched lives without facing discrimination," she wrote. "I had the聽pleasure of having a fun time filled with smiles. Thank you.鈥�
Her husband鈥檚 largely successful 16 months in charge of the world鈥檚聽third-biggest economy contrast sharply with his first stint as leader,聽for just a year from late 2006, which was marred by scandals, gaffes,聽and poor health.
In a similar vein, Mrs. Abe appears determined to make the most of her聽second term as first lady, redefining the hitherto nebulous role in聽the process.
Over the past decade, Japan鈥檚 revolving-door leadership meant most聽prime ministerial spouses came and went practically unnoticed.
An "un-Japanese" first lady聽
Her public persona led some sections of the Japanese media to refer to聽Mrs. Abe as the country鈥檚 鈥渄omestic opposition.鈥� Given the parlous聽state of the biggest opposition party, the moniker isn鈥檛 as聽far-fetched as it sounds. We are still waiting, though, for a poll on聽the respective approval ratings of the two halves of the Abe marriage.
Given Mrs. Abe鈥檚 background, it shouldn鈥檛 come as a surprise that she聽has embraced her role with such fervor. The daughter of a former聽president of the confectionery giant Morinaga, she worked for Dentsu,聽the world鈥檚 biggest advertising agency, before marrying Shinzo Abe in聽1987.
After Mr. Abe resigned as prime minister under a cloud in 2007, Mrs.聽Abe decided it was time to 鈥渟tart my own life,鈥� as she put it in an聽interview with the Wall Street Journal last December. She took up聽running, cultivated her own rice paddies, and opened a Japanese聽restaurant in Tokyo that serves only organic food.
If she comes across as a very 鈥渦n-Japanese鈥� first lady, Mrs. Abe fits the media template created for the mainly female聽spouses of Western leaders, matching a penchant for designer clothes聽with campaigning and an easy public manner that served her well as a聽radio DJ in the late 1990s.
Far from casting Mr. Abe鈥檚 unshakable conservatism in a harsher light,聽some have speculated that she helps soften his image and acts as a聽useful conduit between the prime minister and his opponents at home聽and abroad.
鈥淭here are many people who are against my husband鈥檚 views,鈥� she told聽the newspaper Asahi Shimbun last December. 鈥淭he issue is how to establish a聽network with those people.鈥�
He, too, hinted that the political divide in the Abe household is聽narrower than many think. 鈥淪he is going her own way,鈥� Mr. Abe said of聽his wife in a TV interview last May. 鈥淏ut when it comes to the crunch,聽we can work together.鈥�
