Reply #40: Yes and no.

[Kagemusha]

Among politicians, Abe is remarkable in that he only with great difficulty convinced people he would not say this when he first got to be PM, and now he is saying it just like people feared.

As far as the movement itself.. I'd say hardcore right wing conservatism in the US has more supporters percentage-wise, but they are vocal and have disproportionate influence in Japan, for reasons like the NRA: they're close to a single issue movement and keep pounding on one thing (or set of things).

The fact is, the government there can be extremely unpopular, in opposition to the vast majority of Japanese people, and blissfully chug along just FINE. Occasionally there threatens to be political change but something arises to dampen it and keep the threat down. So far, so "good" - no big changes.

Then they get this Abe neanderthal whose mask has finally fallen.