Mr. Abe's "state funeral" seen by young people October 1, 11:57

On September 27th, when the state funeral of former Prime Minister Abe was held, a long line of people who came to offer flowers formed around the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, which was the venue. A demo was also given.

Among them were many young people.

Regarding state funerals, NHK's September public opinion poll showed that "not to appreciate" outnumbered "to appreciate", but the younger generation was opposed to both opinions.

It is said that the generation has low political interest, but what do you think about state funerals?

I heard the voices of young people.

(State funeral coverage group)

“Speaking of Prime Minister, Mr. Abe”

Around the Nippon Budokan, there was a long line that was said to have waited for more than 3 hours to offer flowers at one point.

The most common response from the young people who visited the ceremony was that "the Prime Minister is Mr. Abe."

"When I saw posts about eating my favorite sweets on Twitter, I felt a sense of friendliness." (Office worker in his 20s

) )

“Cool leader, friendly presence”

Ryoma Kohata (22), a university student who visited the flower offering, is also one of those who feels a sense of familiarity with Mr. Abe.

In 2012, when the second Abe administration began, Mr. Kohata was in the sixth grade of elementary school.

In his junior high school student council president election, he gave a speech called "Kowanomics," which incorporated his surname into the economic policy of "Abenomics," and it is said that he was elected.

Ryoma Kobata:

“I remember writing Kowanomics on a piece of paper with the feeling that I wanted to be such a cool leader. I'm here.I think that this incident will cause some people to think about the state of politics."

Although it is doubtful that clear rules for state funerals have been established, it is said that Mr. Abe's state funeral is in favor of Mr. Abe's length of tenure.

I believe that a series of economic policies such as "Abenomics" have had a positive impact on the younger generation, such as improving the employment rate.

“Cabinet decision alone is not enough”

What are the thoughts of the young people who oppose it?

I asked participants at a rally held in front of the Capitol.

From the young people there, I heard many voices of distrust and opposition to the decision being made without discussion in the Diet.

``In the past, things that were said to be strange were forcibly pushed forward, and even if demonstrations occurred, they would forget about them after a while, and just move on.'' (A 20-year-old university student in Sendai City)

``It is important to consult the Diet, but only Cabinet decisions. It would be strange for a democratic country to implement it in 2020.” (A 23-year-old university student from Osaka Prefecture)

“Suck up the other half of your voice”

Some people said that their impression changed as the Abe administration lasted longer.

This is Laine Yonetake (18), who came from Tochigi prefecture.

Reon Yonetake:

“Mr. Abe was a person of humanity and was good at diplomacy. I want you to do it.”

Mr. Yonetake now supports the opposition party and participated in the demonstrations held at the end of August.

It is said that it is regrettable that the state funeral was still carried out even if he continued to raise his voice against it.

Ms. Reon Yonetake:

"The Prime Minister's 'One Voice of the Crane' has a strong ability to communicate, so I think it's 'as expected.' Politics is something that takes in the voices of individual citizens and implements them. A majority of votes in the election. I would like the Diet to listen to the voices of the other half and have a thorough discussion in the Diet.

Abe's State Funeral

In an NHK public opinion poll in September, the number of people who "do not appreciate" the implementation of state funerals outnumbered those who "approve."

However, looking at it by age group, between the ages of 18 and 30, there was a 4-point difference between "evaluate" and "do not evaluate".

The younger generation tended to show more understanding of the implementation of state funerals than other age groups.

“You taught me an indomitable spirit”

On that day, I accompanied a young man who said he had a special feeling for Mr. Abe.

I am Hidetoshi Horiguchi (24), a university student.

Horiguchi suffers from the same intractable disease, ulcerative colitis, as Abe.

In June last year, when he sent a message to Mr. Abe's Facebook account and told him that he had the same disease, he replied, "Please do your best with the feeling that you will make use of this intractable disease."

Since then, I have received many messages of encouragement.

One thing that particularly left an impression on me was the message I received in June when I was suffering from a chronic illness, saying, "There is no night without morning."

Mr. Hidetoshi Horiguchi

“He taught me that I can do my best and play an active role even if I am sick. I felt like he taught me the indomitable spirit. Individuals are free to decide whether to approve or disapprove of a state funeral, but it would have been better if everyone could send him off.”

“Not listening to citizens is a legacy”

I also accompanied a young man who said he was against it at a rally in front of the Diet, and listened to what he had to say.

I am Wakako Fukuda (28), a university student.

Since 2015, Mr. Fukuda has been calling for the abolition of security-related laws as a member of the youth group SEALDs.

However, the bill passed and came into force in 2016.

I look back on my feelings at the time.

Wakako Fukuda:

"Six years ago, I was holding a microphone while watching this scene, but I felt helpless when I realized that even if so many people raised their voices, they would pass me by."

Mr. Fukuda believes that the benefits of the Abe administration's policies, such as "Abenomics," are only available to a limited number of people, and that many people's lives have become difficult.

Looking at the process leading up to the state funeral this time, it is said that it feels similar to six years ago.

Ms. Wakako Fukuda:

“I think that the Abe administration left behind a legacy of not listening to the voices of the citizens, forcing them to vote even if the citizens were opposed to it. Demonstrations are of course important, but it is also necessary to collect and absorb information. I want to raise my voice using social media and increase the time and people who think about politics.”

In front of Shibuya Station, as usual

On the other hand, around Shibuya station when the state funeral was held.

When young people enjoying shopping were asked about their opinions on state funerals, they said, "I'm not conscious of it" and "I don't know which one is better."

"I knew there would be a moment of silence at the state funeral, but I didn't pay much attention to it when I was shopping. There are pros and cons, and I don't know how I should feel about it." (25-year-old woman)

"I don't really care." I didn't, but Mr. Abe has helped me a lot, so I wonder if it's okay to do it." (A 19-year-old man who came from Fukuoka for sightseeing)

"I don't talk about state funerals much. I don't think there are many people around me who are interested. There are pros and cons to both, so it's hard to say which one is better." (20-year-old college student)

Expert “Is SNS and low interest affected?”

Why did the opinions of the young people become so controversial?

Kensuke Suzuki, an associate professor at Kwansei Gakuin University who studies the behavior and way of thinking of the younger generation, said, ``The younger generation tends to be less interested in politics in any era.'' We analyze that this may have had an effect.

Associate Professor Kensuke Suzuki, Kwansei Gakuin University

: “The younger generation sees news on SNS, etc., rather than on specialized websites, so information tends to be short, and it tends to contain impressive words. It is possible that he answered yes or no with the idea that ``I don't have a strong feeling, but if I force myself to raise it.'' The way politicians and the media disseminate information is being questioned."

On the other hand, Professor Yoshiaki Hashimoto of Tokyo Women's University, who is familiar with the relationship between the Internet society and young people, points out that the debate over state funerals may be an opportunity for young people to take an interest in politics.

Professor Yoshiaki Hashimoto, Tokyo Women 's Christian University

: "It is true that it was an opportunity to become aware that political and social issues can be the subject of logical debate. Politicians and the older generation, who are mainly the sources of information, Rather than just unilaterally disseminating opinions, it is necessary to think of a mechanism to solicit opinions from young people by calling out, ``Your opinions will be related to future measures.''

Overcoming "Division"

In terms of numbers, the state funeral was "divided", but when I listened to the voices of the young people, I found that they had a variety of ideas based on their respective positions and perspectives.

How could we listen to these voices?

I felt that it is important to reconsider the importance of overcoming divisions and having calm discussions.