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Neoconservatism (新保守主義,Shinhoshushugi) inJapan, also known as theneo-defense school (ネオ防衛学校,Neo bouei gakkou), is a term used by Asian media only recently[when?] to refer to ahawkish newgeneration of Japaneseconservatives. They are distinguished from older Japanese conservatives in that they take a more "active" view of theJapanese Self-Defense Forces and are known for making what would be considered in theWestern worldpolitically incorrect statements (Shintaro Ishihara was particularly well known for this). Despite this, or perhaps because of it, they enjoy fair popularity across the nation, especially with the middle-aged population. The term is used inChina,North Korea, andSouth Korea, as well as inJapan, to describe them.
As members of thepost-war generation, they view themselves as free of responsibility or guilt forJapan's conquests and wartime history andJapanese war crimes. They view China as a country that harbors historical grievances for political gain, rather than accepting Japan's apologies. They express strong patriotic pride and stress Japan's international role. They view theNorth and South Korean-Japanese relationship as no longer particularly special, but rather desire to rebuild it as a "normal relationship"—one in which Japanese war guilt is no longer a factor in bilateral negotiations. Accordingly, they also support changing theJapanese constitution, especiallyArticle 9 which is viewed as obsolete, so as to make progress towards "normalizing" Japan's status (that is to enable the country to re-arm to the level of most other countries).
The neoconservatives generally eschew traditionalparty-linefactionalism, form alliances with lawmakers connected todefense, and create their own study committees. The bipartisan "Young Lawmaker's Group for Establishing Security in the New Century", founded in 2001, is the crux of the neoconservative group within theJapanese Diet. Note that the "Young" in the title is relative - being in their 40s and 50s, they are younger than the majority of powerful politicians who are in their 60s and 70s.
The neoconservatives are a group of "younger" politicians, in their 40s and 50s. Notable neoconservatives often include:
Junichiro Koizumi, a former prime minister preceding Shinzo Abe, is a conservative in the foreign policy arena, and receives support from the neoconservative legislators, but is not himself considered a neoconservative[citation needed].
