Politics under Shinzō Abe
Since the return of the LDP and Shinzō Abe to power in December 2012, some stability seems to be emerging. In July 2016, the parliamentary majority of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's Liberal Democratic Party emerged strengthened by winning the senatorial elections by a wide margin. Regarding defense policy, since the 1960s, Article 9 of the constitution, which provides for Japan to renounce waging war and maintaining a war potential, has been regularly questioned without any real decision being made. Shinzō Abe is taking up the issue, proposing an amendment to Article 9 to increase the country's self-defense capabilities. On September 19, 2015, the Japanese Diet passed a series of laws that translated into legislation a revision of the constitution by 2020 going far beyond participation in collective security actions, including under a UN mandate. Nevertheless, many voices oppose this revision and the abdication of the emperor seems to strongly delay the project. On June 9, 2017, the Japanese Parliament passed a law authorizing Emperor Akihito to leave office and abdicate in favor of his eldest son, Naruhito. The latter acceded to the throne on May1, 2019, marking the beginning of the Reiwa era, or "ordered harmony." While Shinzō Abe obtained the record of longevity at the head of Japan, as Prime Minister, after seven years and eight months, he indicated, on August 28, 2020, his willingness to resign citing health concerns. He was then 65 years old. On September 16 of the same year, he left office, replaced by his former government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, after an emergency election. On October 4, 2021, a new Prime Minister, named Fumio Kishida, was elected. A year later, on July 8, Shinzō Abe was assassinated at an election rally in Nara.
Economy
After experiencing a recession from 2008 to 2012, the period of its worst crisis since World War II, Japan has had several good years, and even a surplus in 2015 and 2016. This growth is taking place against a backdrop of stimulus called "Abenomics" (a contraction of Abe and economics). The world's third largest economy is experiencing its longest period of growth in 30 years. The VAT, which rose from 5% to 8% in 2014, and the exorbitant costs of the Fukushima disaster are weighing down the recovery forecasts. This is now a thing of the past, with exports growing by 11.8% in 2017, driven by various machines, semiconductors, automobiles and the fall in oil and the yen. In the same year, the Japanese economy grew by 1.6% (up from 0.9% in 2016). In July 2017, Japan concluded an ambitious free trade agreement with the EU. Nevertheless, this movement is slowing down, as expected growth falls back to 0.9% in 2018 and 2019 (not 1.5% as expected). As for the unemployment rate, it remains low, at a time when the country is facing labor shortages in many sectors. On October1, 2019, the Japanese consumption tax is now increasing from 8% to 10%. The year 2020 sees an unprecedented rebound with the coronavirus pandemic. A colossal plan of aid to companies and individuals is put in place. Covid-19 leads to a collapse of the country's GDP in the second quarter of 2020 (7.8% compared to the previous quarter). This is the largest drop on record since similar data was introduced in 1980. GDP rebounds at the end of the year with a larger than expected recovery. As for many other countries in the world, the "aftermath" of the coronavirus will be crucial for the recovery of the Japanese economy. And the country also faces a labor shortage. According to a 2019 survey by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Foreign Trade and Industry, 61 percent of konbini said they were suffering from labor shortages, up from 22 percent in 2014. These convenience stores are a good barometer to judge the trend. For example, stores and franchises are currently having difficulty recruiting new employees willing to work nights for just over 8 euros an hour. This labor concern is a major societal problem. It is therefore not uncommon, especially in large cities, to find employees of foreign origin, often from South-East Asia, at the checkouts these days.
Tourism
After a few positive years, the tourist activity suffered a terrible stop following the disaster of March 11, 2011. The accident in the Fukushima nuclear power plant had, even more than the tsunami, devastating effects on the tourist activity. Tourists deserted Japan for a few years and only returned in numbers in 2013. The many regions, which were not hit by the disaster, try to promote their treasures by participating in many international fairs and by communicating more aggressively. Northern Honshu, unfortunately, has to go through a long and difficult phase in terms of tourism activity. Japan, which was trying to reach the symbolic bar of 20 million tourists before the 2020 Olympic Games, reached it in 2016. It even passed the 30 million mark in 2018, and again in 2019. It is quite natural that the government then set the goal of 40 million foreign visitors for the year 2020, with the Olympics in sight. Unfortunately, the pandemic, the postponement of the Games to 2021 and the closure of Japanese borders to contain the spread of the virus, annihilate any hope of a historic record. At the end of 2021, the daily life of the Japanese is back to a semblance of normality. But the variants still weigh on the reopening of the borders which remain hermetic, once again. 2022 is finally the year of the reopening to tourism in the Archipelago.
Environment
Certain ancestral values are part of Japanese culture, such as the fight against waste and the fact of living with simplicity, without superfluous. This art of living inspired by "wabi-sabi" facilitates the deployment of the "zero waste" approach promoted in the country. It is necessary to add to this a regulation (selective collection) and awareness. Numerous initiatives are often created. Among them, let's mention the furoshiki or the art of packing with recycled fabrics, the tawashi, a sponge made of used fabrics, or the oculi, a bamboo ear pick. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper is made of recycled paper made of water and seeds. The reuse of broken objects is also made possible with the kintsugi technique. But plastic consumption, especially for packaging, is still very high, and efforts to prevent it must be continued. Konbini are full of plastic, with plastic-intensive take-away food products swarming the shelves. As a result, several stores have started to switch to paper packaging for some rice dishes. Only the lid is plastic, reducing the use of plastic by about 40%. The coronavirus pandemic has had the effect of boosting takeout sales, and thus plastic consumption. On October 26, 2020, Suga Yoshihide confirms that Japan is setting a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
