So How Is Abe Doing on Facebook?

Prime Minister Abe is not reviving cling-ons, the daily corridor chats with mainstream reporters covering the prime Minister’s beat that Junichiro Koizumi used to great effect when he had the job. Instead, he reportedly will use the formal press conferences and Facebook to get his message across to the Japanese public. That’s probably a good thing since he is the anti-Koizumi. Specifically, he is a) not a master of the bon mot; and b) also tends to over-explain, which is when he is likely to get into trouble. As we turn to his Facebook account, we notice that he is also the anti-Hashimoto. Specifically, he does not argue with people who post comments. That, of course, makes sense because there are few if any critical comments available. The owner of the Facebook account must be a) the most popular post-WW II prime minister since General Douglas McArthur; or b) weeding out any critical comments. If it’s the latter, then we can tell that he really cares about his Facebook account, since the comments that he allows to remain reach the thousands for each posting. Imagine the time and effort involved. Perhaps he would be better served by delegating such a task to someone with more time on his/her hands, since an odd piece of veiled irony appears to be leaking through despite his best efforts, and he will be busier than ever tending to matters of state as prime minister.

With that, I will now give you an idea of what might be in store for us, his faithful Facebook followers, through his 2012 postings after the December 16 House of Representatives election, brought to you in the English language by a) Bing and b) yours truly.

December 17:

a)    Thanks for your support could make a "first step" back Japan.

However, it is a real struggle.

, We must put the "result" confidence in and support for the Liberal-Democratic Party and me, Oh that it vanished during the.

Produce solid results. First of all, "economy" and "security".

b)    With your help, we were able to take the “first step towards taking back Japan”.

However, the real struggle has just begun.

If we don’t produce results, the support for and trust in the Liberal Democratic Party and me will vanish in an instant.

Produce solid results.

It’s the “economy” and “security” first of all.

December 17:

a)    For now, special diet is under preparation.

Tonight's dinner at the hotel. Menus are examples of Curry

b)    I am currently preparing for the special Diet session.

Tonight, I am having dinner at a hotel.

The menu? Yes, that curry.*

* This is a reference to the critical media commentary that he received when it was noticed that he had eaten this particular 3,500 yen curry. He said that he would try to get his point across with a sense of humor if possible, and it is nice to know that there is a mischievous side to this sometimes dour persona.

December 22

a)    End of the general election, we returned home Shimonoseki local for the first time.

Him I was going last night, 20-year-old local favorite "Shimonoseki gold chicken" chicken baked with akie was. Is the so-called "stubborn" bake chicken, will guarantee the taste.

b)    The general election is over and I have returned home to Shimonoseki for the first time since.

Last night, I had baked free-range chicken with [my wife] Akie at the “Shimonoseki Kinkei (Shimonoseki Gold Chicken),” which I have been frequenting the last twenty years.

It’s free-range chicken baked by a so-called “ganko-oyaji (stubborn proprietor)”, but I guarantee the taste.

December 22

a)    And today, visiting a grave in the city, reported the father of election victory report.

And vowed to fight tenaciously, now directed "revival of Japan" and "break away from the postwar regime" in front of the grave.

Lots of local people gathered in front of the grave, the top so I was.

Kori is a welcome one. Then in the car 3 hours running, Machida tabUse, shore House Tomb, even after a long time Temple came to.

b)    Today, I made a visit to the cemetery in Nagato and reported the electoral victory to my [deceased] father.

And I vowed in front of his grave that this time, I would tenaciously and firmly fight through towards “the revival of Japan” and “shaking ourselves free of the post-war regime.”

I was moved by the many local people who gathered in front of the grave.

It is good to be back home.

After that, we drove three hours and visited the Kishi family grave in Tabuse-cho for the first time in a long while.

December 28

a)    "A novelty even as"

(Comic artist, Mayumi Kurata)

"Protection, separating the goods"

(Secretary to former Prime Minister and Mr. Norihiko Narita)

Sepia color cabinet without summary

(Political scientist, Katsuyuki yakushiji

Is the rating for the Abe administration experts yesterday published in daily newspaper evening Edition.

We are highly regarded by require wisdom into laughter sometimes, because I also once assumes the Administration and we have experienced various things I take criticism humbly. Experts, daily newspaper of choice (?

) Is great

Especially the Yakushi-ji Temple, Mr. former Asahi Shimbun is excellent.

When the Democratic Party was born, and it put the "exciting" op-ed, (laughs) is owner of vision and intelligence.

That said, I do appreciate your reprimand of,.

From now on, we will 服膺 Ken-Oh. -Just kidding

b)    “There’s déjà vu, then there’s déjà vu all over again.”

(Mayumi Kurata, cartoonist)

“Separation of public finance and the financial sector cast aside.”

(Norihiko Narita, former secretary to the prime secretary)

“Sepia-colored cabinet with no coherence”*

(Katsuyuki Yakushiji, political scientist)

* No. I have no idea what Professor Yakushiji means either.

These are the comments from sages that were printed in yesterday’s evening edition of the Mainichi.

I once led an administration and expreinced many things, so this time, I believe that I should accept criticism with humility and have the wisdom to transform it into laughter on occasion.

Mainichi does, indeed choose its sages(?) [well]: magnificent.

Mr. Katsuyuki Yakushiji, formerly of Mainichi, is particularly brilliant.

After all, he is person of great foresight and intelligence, who published an op-ed saying he was “thrilled” when the DPJ administration was born (LOL).

Notwithstanding, I appreciate everybody’s words of reprimand.

I will continue to bear them in mind.

… Kidding.

From these four posts (there’s also an Dec. 20 retweet of a post registering disapproval of a couple of Shukan Asahi (the weekly magazine published by the leftish Asahi Shimbun group) covers; I’ve ignored posts by his secretaries), we can draw the following tentative conclusions:

1)    The Prime Minister reveres his father and grandfather.

2)    The Prime Minister resents the liberal mainstream media.

3)    The Prime Minister loves casual dining, if not on the cheap.

4)    The Prime Minister needs a little work on his funny schtik.

5)    The Prime Minister has reserved most his policy pronouncements for future Facebook posts.

We were already aware of 1), 2) and, if we’d been attentive, 3) as well. 4) is something of a revelation. Stay tuned, courtesy of the Bing translation services if necessary, for improvements in 4)… and of course news on 5). The best is surely yet to come.