Is Abe Getting His Priorities Sorted Out?

August 28, 2007
By Ken Worsley

Yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his new Cabinet lineup. According to today’s edition of the Nikkei, it seems that Abe is downplaying the importance of his pet projects (constitutional reform, education reform, et al.) and making a move to put the focus where it belongs: on economic growth, pension system reform and the economic gap between urban and rural Japan. As the paper puts it:

The new cabinet lineup strongly suggests Abe is reordering his policy priorities. National security, constitutional amendments and education reform are slipping from the top spots on his agenda to be replaced by economic growth, pension reform and the revitalization of provincial economies….

To regain public support for his cabinet, Abe must pay more attention to people’s concerns and demonstrate that the entire party is committed to addressing them.

More attention to people’s concerns? Or more attention to people’s concerns that are only party concerns because they’ve become political issues? Damage control or true reform?