Prof. Dr. Nakano Koichi
(Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan)
"Is Japan Shifting to the Right?"
December 8, 2014
There is much discussion today over whether Japan is shifting to the right. Particularly since Prime Minister Abe Shinzo returned to office in December 2012, controversies surrounding the so-called “history” issues, including the Yasukuni Shrine and the comfort women (sex slaves) problems, returned to the center stage of domestic politics as well as international affairs, and combined with the territorial disputes and concerns over security, aggravated the tensions in the Northeast Asian region.
Koichi Nakano is Professor of Political Science specialising in the comparative politics of advanced industrial democracies, and in political theory. His research has focused on a variety of issues of contemporary Japanese politics from comparative, historical, and philosophical perspectives, including neoliberal globalization and nationalism.