Arrogant, bigoted Abe leads Japan to nowhere

Japan is at the crossroads again at the start of this year, as its Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hurtling toward right-wing fundamentalism.

His flagrant denial of Japan's wartime history was accentuated after his administration declared Tuesday it would revise its teaching manuals, in which the Diaoyu Islands -- an integral part of Chinese territories -- would be described as part of Japan.

His provocative remarks concerning Japan-China relations, such as comparing current China-Japan relations to those between Britain and Germany on the eve of World War I, sound like those of a warmonger rather than of a national leader.

This only exacerbated the impact of his last month's visit to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Japanese Class-A World War II criminals are honored, knowing it would spark extensive protests and condemnation from neighboring countries.

Arrogant and bigoted as he is, Abe just turned a blind eye to the common wish for peace and development of people in Japan and other countries, and chose to be defiant in the face of the universally accepted virtues of dignity and justice.

If he was an ordinary guy, his irresponsibilities would have limited repercussion. But as a leader of a major economy, he is steering Japan down the road of dangerous militarism.

Abe's political maneuvering may be due to the "traumas" he claims to have suffered during his first term in 2006, when his strength and power were allegedly questioned.

Therefore, he was determined to shore up his image as a political strongman after he assumed office more than one year ago.

From Abe's twisted perspective, his trauma will be healed only by sticking to the right-wing road.

Abe's policy is embedded in Japan's political environment, where right-wing activists, mourning their "lost two decades" and jealous of the development of neighboring countries, adopted the road to militarism.

Abe is now like a blind man riding a blind horse galloping to an abyss at midnight.

The Japanese premier has always failed to honor his words with actions. He vowed to improve Japan-China relations and seek talks with Chinese leaders. But in fact, what he has done is aimed at curbing China's growth and making trouble with Japan's neighbors.

It has been repeatedly proved that any action against the trend for peace and development is doomed to fail.