At the plenary session of the House of Representatives on November 4th, Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda asked Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a question about the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Takaichi cunningly avoided replying in detail. We must not allow this matter to be closed with such underhanded tactics. After all, Takaichi even went so far as to mimic President Trump's "eat cats and dogs" remark by using the "kick the deer" trope. Furthermore, in the LDP presidential election and the prime ministerial nomination elections for both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, no other candidate resorted to such Trump-style demagoguery. It appears Takaichi is strongly MAGA-brained.
Today, geopolitical paradigm shifts are frequently discussed in international politics, but if Trump were to win the Nobel Peace Prize, it could even lead to a paradigm shift in values, in which universal international norms are disregarded. The spread of right-wing populism today poses a threat to international security comparable to the intensifying interstate conflicts. Japan also nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize during the Abe era, but at the time, that president's childish displays of vanity were seen as a kind of joke. However, in his second term, it should be noted that Trump's personal desires have taken on a powerful tinge of madness.
In my previous post, I explained at length why I oppose nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. In this article, I would like to focus on the following three points.
First, the Trump administration's deployment of troops at home has been severely criticized by the public. Proper use of military forces is fundamental to national governance, and politicians who cannot do so are unlikely to achieve peace. In any country, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces must use military force in accordance with due process. In an attempt to exert political pressure on Democratic state and city governments, Trump has mobilized the National Guard across the country under the pretext of eradicating crime and undocumented immigrants. His overly heavy-handed tactics have led to growing criticism that the military is pointing its guns at its own citizens. President Trump with military command authority is like "a madman with a knife." As a result, courts across the United States have ruled that the deployment of the National Guard is illegal. A familiar story, even in Japan, is that NDLON (National Day Laborers Organizing Network) submitted numerous signatures to the Los Angeles Dodgers, this year's World Series champions, in protest of anti-immigration sentiment, calling for them to decline to meet with President Trump.
Second, President Trump has announced a plan to restart nuclear testing, a move that will set back long-standing momentum toward nuclear disarmament. Trump administration Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced that the resumption of testing would involve subcritical nuclear tests that do not involve a nuclear explosion. Although this may not be prohibited by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Russia shortly thereafter also announced a resumption of nuclear testing. There are concerns that other nuclear-weapon states, such as China, may follow suit. A president who claims America First and disregards international cooperation is unworthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Third, we must consider the negative impact of President Trump's triumphant self-promotion once he were awarded. Given his brash and strong attention seeking character, Trump may use this as an opportunity to further his insistence on running for a third term. He is a man who has a penchant for pushing everything hard, even inciting the January 6th riot after losing the 2020 presidential election. Japan must not give a hand to the deterioration of democracy in crisis caused by such right-wing populism.
However, Takaichi is also said to be stubborn and unyielding in her own opinions. Given this, only very prominent politicians would be able to advise the current prime minister. Of the three issues mentioned above, there are former prime ministers with extensive knowledge of the first and second points. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made nuclear disarmament his lifework, and former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is known as a military geek. Up to now, neither of these former prime ministers is implicated in the "politics and money" scandals that contributed to the LDP's downturn. This may also be a strength of both of them.
As my primary focus is international politics, partisan politics and factional power politics within Nagatacho are secondary or thirdly interests for me. I view the destruction of the world order and the potential of paradigm shift in universal values and norms caused by the spread of right-wing populism as a serious threat to international security. From this standpoint, I urge that the issue of the Japanese government's nomination of U.S. President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize must not be dismissed.
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