Isolation ends: Japan reopens its borders to the world
Japan chose the kanji "sen" (戦), meaning war, battle or match, on Monday as the symbol for 2022 after a year marked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe.
The public votes in the annual event for the written character they think best represents the past year. Olympic-themed choices dominated 2021.
The mood was darker this year, however, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organizes the vote.
"The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe, and the rapid yen depreciation and inflation faced in daily life have caused anxiety for many people," the group said in a news release.
Japanese TV stations broadcast the announcement live, with Seihan Mori, master of the ancient Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writing the character on a large white panel with an ink-soaked calligraphy brush.
"I was surprised, frustrated, angry and sad by the war in Ukraine. I am also angry at myself for not being able to do anything about it," said one voter who picked the character.
Abe was shot in July by a man who reportedly resented a religious group known as the Unification Church over massive donations his mother made to the sect.
War — also picked to represent sporting battles in baseball and at the FIFA World Cup — was followed in the rankings by "an," a character meaning both cheap and safe, with the weak yen and inflation adding to feelings of insecurity.
"Raku," the character for fun and easy, was ranked third, with one voter citing the opening of the Studio Ghibli theme park.
Japan chose "kin" meaning gold as kanji of the year last year in honor of the Tokyo Olympics, which took place after a COVID-19 virus postponement.
The 2020 winner was "mitsu," meaning dense, crowded and close: three situations people in Japan were urged to avoid to prevent COVID-19 infection.
The government is relaxing Japan's COVID-19 protocols in line with other major economies in a bid to attract overseas visitors wanting to take advantage of a weakening yen.
Next week, Japan is scheduled to hold a state funeral for Abe.
Why did the government defy past precedent and push for a state funeral — a national ceremony generally reserved for imperial family members — and why are the public and opposition parties so opposed?
What is the argument for holding a state funeral?
During a parliamentary debate on Sept. 8, Kishida provided four principal reasons behind his Cabinet’s decision to honor Abe with a state funeral:
- Having served for two terms over a combined period of eight years and eight months, Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister in the postwar era.
- In the field of diplomacy, Abe had strengthened the U.S.-Japan alliance and aided the country’s economic recovery following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
- Condolences had arrived from various countries across the world, and the state funeral would serve as a sign of respect for the international reverence paid to Japan in memory of Abe, while also offering Japanese people across the country the chance to express their appreciation for his contribution as a political figure.
- The former prime minister was killed while on the campaign trail in the buildup to an election — the “foundation of our democracy” — and therefore, in order to “resolutely defend that democracy,” it is appropriate to stage a state funeral.
How will Abe be publicly mourned?
The event represents the second state funeral for a political figure in Japan’s postwar history, following the 1967 state funeral for former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida — considered by many to have been one of the main architects of Japan’s postwar recovery.
While Yoshida’s funeral saw the government request that agencies, ministries, public organizations and boards of education fly the national flag as an act of condolence and that the public also join in with acts of mourning, there will be no such requests to the public or organizations at the regional level as part of the state funeral for Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said during the parliamentary session.
“In order to avoid any misunderstanding, we want to clarify that we will not force each and every citizen to engage in an expression of mourning,” he said.
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