Japan is a land of contradictions. An economic powerhouse, once considered, and feared to be, on the verge of global dominance, but now suffering from a sense of drift and malaise. Japan also features an Emperor in a democracy. The reign of wartime emperor Hirohito, whose reign lasted from 1926-1989 is described as “Showa” – enlightened harmony.
Japan has a democracy where the Liberal Democratic Party which is considered as not liberal but deeply conservative, has been in power for all but of a handful of years since 1955. Japan’s pacifist constitution is viewed as an obstruction to re-armament by the political right and it may soon be, as the government puts it, “reinterpreted” again before being changed for the first time. Japan is also a land where tradition is honored but that has undergone profound changes and even upheavals under each modern-era emperor.
Japanese history indicated that Emperor Akihito, was the fifth Emperor since the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Back then, the shogunate, a system of feudal military rulers, collapsed. The emperor was plucked from relative political obscurity in Kyoto to reside in Tokyo. He was meant to symbolize stability and a link to the past. It is this harking back to other eras that has bedeviled a country noted for its Blade Runner cityscapes. In Japanese folklore, the first Emperor was Jimmu (about 650 BC), giving Japan, according to legend, the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy.
According to Japanese history, concubinage was only abolished in 1926, the year Akihito’s father, Hirohito, became Emperor. The Americans, the occupying power after WWII, realized that this system had produced a number of possible competing claimants to the throne. This fear resulted in the Imperial Household Law, introduced in 1948, which limited the succession to male descendants of the emperor, Hirohito. The only succession most Japanese recall was Emperor Akihito’s in 1989 when the past truly was another country. But so was the future.
History may look far more kindly on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe than Japanese voters did during his last few months of office. Shihoko Goto, Deputy Director for Geo-economics with the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Asia Program stated that he resigned only days after setting a record as Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister. Of late, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been struggling in public opinion polls, not least because of voters’ frustration about his handling of the COVID 19 pandemic. Yet, far from declaring good riddance to a Premier who most likely would have continued to slide in popular support, Japan is already beginning to look back nostalgically on Shinzo Abe’s seven years and eight months in office. There is widespread recognition of what he has achieved – not only a stable Japan, but one with a clear view of its own identity and role in the world.
Shihoko Goto noted that even his staunchest critics would not deny that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a clear vision for Japan at a time when countries across the globe have been struggling to grapple with the shifts in the international balance of power and challenges to economic growth. Until 2012, Japan had struggled with defining its identity in a post-Cold War order. As it ceded the number two spot in the global economy to China in 2010, the narrative for Japan both at home and abroad was that it was a country that had peaked, and would continue to slide with an aging population and growing debt.
Tom Clifford, an Irish journalist, currently based in Beijing argued that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, however, brought forth a grand vision, if not a strategy, for Japan to be able to reassert itself as a global power that would champion the rules and institutions that had helped the country reestablish itself after the end of World War II. Faced with a more ambitious China that was not only increasing its military capabilities, but also eager to offer an alternative roadmap for international development that challenged United States dominance, Japan under Abe sought to enhance its defense capabilities and play a greater role in ensuring that the rule of law prevailed across Asia. Tom Clifford stressed that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s vision was undoubtedly welcomed by the United States and by EU member countries as well.
According to Shihoko Goto, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s challenge, however, was that the prospect of a more muscular and assertive Japan had tepid support from Japanese voters themselves and from neighboring China and Korea in particular. The prospects of Japan changing its pacifist constitution despite China’s growing military capabilities, the ongoing threat of North Korea and a less dependable United States as a security guarantor failed to garner wide public support. What’s more, Abe’s much-noted overtures to reach out to President Donald Trump personally to secure greater United States commitment to Japan has had mixed results, and did not necessarily translate to greater public support for his administration. At the same time, many continued to see Abe’s vision for Japan as an extension of his own family’s aspiration, even as he became the country’s longest-serving prime minister.
Daniel Stelter, the founder of the German think tank “Beyond the Obvious” stated that there is no doubt that Abe is as political blue-blood as they come, with former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi as his maternal grandfather, and maternal grandfather Kan Abe a former member of the House of Representatives. His family legacy no doubt gave him a considerable advantage especially within the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, but at the same time, it had continuously been a double-edged sword in winning over public support. Abe’s single greatest achievement is undoubtedly the fact that he brought stability to Japanese politics and became an established global statesman at a time of great global upheaval.
According to Daniel Stelter, amid the rise of anti-globalization and economic nationalism, Abe’s endeavors to press ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and a bilateral trade deal with the EU positioned Japan as a champion of free trade and enhanced its standing as a keeper of the international order. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics provided two important dampers, defining his government in 2020. Neither are expected to have easy solutions moving forward. So perhaps it is no surprise that he resigned when he did. It echoed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s first resignation as prime minister when he previously served in the post in 2007, when he left office after only a year due to health reasons.
As things stand, it seems unlikely that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s eventual successor will be able to command the world stage as he did, and with it, Japan’s ability to be a global stabilizer will diminish as well.
Japan and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Attracting investment for Sidama
Sidama officially became a standalone region about two months ago after securing a budget in the 2020/21 budget year. It has since then become eager to improve the investment flow to its potentials. In the past, when it was one of the zones in the SNNP region, with its town Hawassa, it was one of the major hotspots for investment. Now that it is independent, it is eager to continue with the same. On the process to secession from SNNP, Sidama has been experiencing instability, however the president confidently stated that his region is now totally peaceful. Desta Lendamo, President of the region talked to Capital and the following were the highlights of his investment promotion. Excerpts;
Capital: What are you doing in terms of promoting investment in the region?
Desta Lendamo: We are seriously working on promoting investment options in the region by attracting new investments. However, maintaining peace and security is crucial since security in the region is necessary to increase investment attraction. It has only been two months since we became fully functional as a new administration and within this short time we have successfully ensured peace and stability in the region. We have differentiated investment options and we are currently developing required investment options. To boost this ideology we have started to work on accelerating our services, starting from the governmental offices and service providers as per our investor’s demand.
The region has big potential for a variety of investments, so we are working to commence the promotional investment thus changing the actual outcome of the region.
Capital: The region attracts foreign investors and is there anything you are planning to increase in production and production capacity to continue this?
Desta: We are working to increase value-added products and expand export-oriented investments like coffee, textile and the garment sector. A good example of production and production building capacity is coffee and its beans which is a major source of hard currency earner for the region and the country at large. We are planning to increase the supply production of coffee beans to the market to attain the region targets. We plan to use the scientific route in the production of these beans and we are planning to expand the farmers coffee gardens by teaching them better cultivation methods.
Also we seek to add value to the export market thus we have built Yergalem Agro processing. And to that effect lots of investors are taking farmlands which are expected to go into work soon.
In addition, our industrial parks which are centric in exporting including the largest Hawassa Industrial Park which is already producing export items of garment and textile and the new park which is being developed for the production of textile and garments, which is consequently eyeing the export market.
However, there are still challenges on productivity so our administration is closely working with the federal government on this mandate to tackle these issues. Furthermore, new coming industries are also expected to be part and parcel of the centric export to solve foreign currency shortage as well as to create job opportunities for the youth.
So by supporting the existing and promoting the upcoming ones we are planning to increase the investments as well as working round the clock to modernize our services.
Capital: Is there anything that makes this new region different from the other regions?
Desta: Primarily the geographical location of the region presents some form of uniqueness. Our region is very close to the central part of the country and also easily accessible by air and in the near future on express road. Moreover, we have better infrastructure than other regions as well as natural resource potential.
By expounding on this and developing our human resource as well as focusing on maintaining peace and security is sure to make us stand out. By placing peace and stability as our cornerstone the region presents an emblem of opportunity to work together with diverse groups as we continue to promote investments.
LONG LIVE WAKANDA
It has been almost one month since the passing of Chadwick Boseman, African American actor and leading man who portrayed baseball icon, Jackie Robinson; the “hardest working man in show biz”, James Brown; and best known for his role as King T’Challa in Black Panther. The movie about a fictious African country, Wakanda, never colonized and possessing enough wealth, natural resources, technology and compassion to transform the world was a blockbuster. Many said the Utopia represented in the movie had many similarities to Ethiopia. It resonated with Black people around the world and was one of the highest grossing movies in history. I am proud to have added to that number by seeing the movie three times right in the heart of Addis. The other millions of folks who shared my sentiment of support and delight in a Black superhero were all devastated by Boseman’s death at age 43 after a losing battle with colon cancer. His inner circle kept his four year fight with stage 4 cancer close to their chest as he poured his heart and soul into his art before taking his final bow.
On September 17th Ghana based Diaspora African Forum and the Diaspora Coalition held a special ceremony to honor Boseman, placing his name on the famous Sankofa Wall. His name joins that of reggae icon Bob Marley and recently departed Congressman John Lewis amongst other historic figures. T- Morgan Dixon, Howard University alum, Chadwick’s alma mater, said of the star, “Chadwick was not just an artist or actor but he was active in redefining everything black.” Head of Mission, Ambassador Erieka Bennett added, “His role as Black Panther delighted children and adults around the world…may his soul rest in peace.” Finally, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Deputy Ziblim Idda remarked that “Chadwick’s life on earth was extraordinary watered by his gentleness of soul and brilliance both on set and in real life.” Chadwick Boseman will be missed sorely and the actor’s commitment to narratives about outstanding Black folks, fictitious or not, can be best summed up in one word, remarkable.
As we bid farewell to those who have fallen, we say welcome to the new ones rising; equally committed to sharing their craft with audiences of all ages. In Jamaica for instance I have recently discovered music by artists Runkus, Mortimer and Jaz Elise who sings Fresh and Clean. Indeed, all of these are fresh and I feature their music often on my international radio show broadcast weekly from Brooklyn, thanks to technology, on Global Medz Radio. AFRICA MATTERS with Mama Desta is the name of my show which highlights the goings on in Ethiopia and Africa in general, where our goal is to ensure we are not just written and talked about but that the truth from the continent can be heard directly. According to the old saying, “Until the lion tells his tale the hunter will always be glorified…” or something like that. You get the point. Every week we also feature Prince Merid Tafesse who is more than just one of Ethiopia’s established fine artists, he is also a historian of sorts, who unpacks what is happening in Ethiopia in an effort to set the record straight about who Ethiopia was, is and shall be, due to the enormous energy of loyal Ethiopians who refuse to see the country spin out of control. He paints a picture which may not always be rosy but certainly honest, providing perspective, offering critical analysis, stopping short before drawing conclusions. He wants listeners to think and give each other a chance to be heard, if nothing else.
Africa Matters has listeners from Ghana to South Africa; Europe to the USA and the Caribbean and can be heard live on Sunday mornings in Ethiopia at 5AM on globalmedz.net. The recording can also be listened to days after on the same website. Globalmedz has become a thriving platform for African voices in the Diaspora in myriad areas from health to politics and everything in between with Circle of Light host, renown herbalist Andrea “Cuchy” Brathwaite and African Connection with Ras Chaka and Brother Kofi as the premier talk shows with touches of music in between offered by Ras Brian and Quest. Best to check it out yourself, especially that we all have been spending so much time on the net.
So as the sporadic violence and mayhem continues to plague Ethiopia’s progress, I am reminded of the lyrics in Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff “Every time I plant a seed, he said kill it before it grow…”. It is the hope and prayer of all peace-loving people that forces hell bent on mass confusion and catastrophe will be stopped in their tracks and that their backers will one day come to justice so the country can move forward. You see Wakanda is not just a Marvel movie, but a possibility and if it is to happen anywhere, it can happen in Ethiopia.
Dr. Desta Meghoo is a Jamaican born
Creative Consultant, Curator and cultural promoter based in Ethiopia since 2005. She also serves as Liaison to the AU for the Ghana based, Diaspora African Forum.
