The Japanese economy may well be getting crushed under the weight of Abenomics (courtesy of an unprecedented in history quadruple-dip recession and a record number of Japanese corporate bankruptcies due to the plunging Yen), but as we wrote previously, Abe has effectively hijacked the nation to his (and Paul Krugman's) stock-market levitating policies and has given Japan a simple choice: Either you let us see this disastrous experiment in trickle-down monetarism through to its tragic end, or all your pensions are toast. Not much of a choice for a population which has more retirees than any developed nation. And it's not like Japan has much a chance anyway.
Which is why the outcome of tomorrow's vote for Abenomics is completely irrelevant, and which the local press, now thoroughly complicit with Abe's agenda in the aftermath of the passage of Japan's “secrecy law” a few days ago – which threatens 10 years of prison time for anyone who dares to say pretty much anything that does not conform with the government propaganda: in other words, pure end-state fascism – says will “unquestionably” be won by Abe in an absolute majority.
Case in point: moments ago Japan Today reported that “Heavy snow hit large swaths of Japan on Saturday, the eve of the general election, fueling speculation the ruling coalition is on course to an even easier victory thanks to low voter turnout.” So the narrative becomes its own conclusion, thanks to the weather. Not even Diebold's presence will be necessary to cement the fate of Japan? Maybe the farce can be complete when Abe wins with more than 100% of the vote.
More:
It was already snowing heavily in large areas of the country along the coast of the Sea of Japan on Saturday, though Tokyo remained clear and sunny.
The Meteorological Agency warned of snowfall of up to 80 cm in central and northern regions by Sunday morning, when polls open.
The poor conditions could put off already unenthusiastic voters and push turnout to a record low for the House of Representatives election, which was called two years ahead of schedule.
Early opinion polls have shown Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition is likely to secure more than 300 of the 475 contested seats, giving them the supermajority it needs in the powerful Lower House to force through legislation.
The ruling camp's predicted victory is largely thanks to an unprepared and underwhelming opposition, political pundits have said. A recent survey found just two-thirds of voters expressed any interest in the election, down from 80 percent before the December 2012 general election that saw Abe seize power.
“Abe's expected victory is the result of the self-destruction of the opposition,” Shinichi Nishikawa, a professor of politics at Meiji University in Tokyo, said in an interview earlier in the week. “For many voters, there is no alternative but the LDP.”
Abe has billed Sunday's election as a referendum on his pro-spending growth policy.
