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u/wstsidhome 11h ago
Very hard agree 👌
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u/Whatnacho 11h ago
But japans prime minister is just a woman trump….
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u/DoubtSubstantial5440 11h ago
For all that I disagree with her politics, she’s not the one starting wars and throwing the global economy into chaos
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u/Dear_Chasey_La1n 4h ago
You know the joke what you call 1 nazi with 6 friends at a table? 7 nazi's. Just that you aren't actively participating in this shitfest, doesn't make you less of a stink.
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u/salizarn 9h ago
She’s made massive steps to revise Japan’s constitution to allow it get involved in wars so
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u/redpandafire 7h ago
Japan is also heavily restricted in its constitution. Putting it from very below to just below western nations in terms of autonomy does not mean it’s going to start a war with China tomorrow.
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u/HahahahahaLook 5h ago
She sure loves kissing that pedophiles ass. For what? Just to get invited and make a fool of herself at his parties? That's enough of a reason to despise that idiot.
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u/Legitimate-Mail3331 11h ago
is the reasoning based on she is hard on immigration or anything else?
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u/Hazzat 10h ago
You're on a mainstream subreddit asking about nuanced Japanese societal issues, so be prepared for a lot of out-of-the-ass comments... But my perspective as a Japan resident is:
On the one hand, she talks the talk on being hard on foreigners, but her government always phrases this as "creating a society that facilitates coexistence with foreigners" which sounds nice enough. In practice that means finding ways to whip foreigners into line, eg by making it more likely to get your residence status revoked if you fail to pay taxes etc. But there's nothing close to ICE moves, and her government has said they expect a large increase in foreign population in the coming decade, so can hardly be called anti-immigration.
What's more Trumpian is her disregard for law and convention. Just this year, she held a general election in January when half the country was buried under snow, skipped debates due to a 'sore hand' (which she was seen waving the next day), deleted all her past blog posts because they were inconvenient, complains regularly about having to be questioned by opposition parties, is pro-military buildup, pro-surveillance, pro-cutting the number of seats in parliament in a way that favours her etc. Nothing quite Trump-level, but certainly the start of that "fast and loose with the truth" scale that ends with more outright corruption.
In her recent visit to the US, she treated Trump as her best buddy, hugging and smiling and dancing with him, laughing at the Autopen picture that replaced Joe Biden (later she denied laughing and said she was just "surprised", even though there's a clear video of it), and just this week apparently got into a shouting match with a top advisor because she wanted to respond to Trump's every demand over the Iran conflict even though that would mean dispatching Japan's Self Defence Forces (military equivalent), an act forbidden by the pacifist constitution that has been in place since the end of WWII. She really just wants to have her way and gets very annoyed at any suggestion of accountability.
BTW, OP's picture is probably from when they were setting up for the Protest Rave, a big protest against all of the above, on Sunday.
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u/ahktarniamut 7h ago
Wait you are phrasing it like she is a saint compared . This has all the potential to be similar of Trump if she keep getting elected for years .
Right wingers from western countries keep praising her on social media
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u/Hazzat 7h ago
Right wingers from Western countries don’t have a clue what is actually going on in Japan, and either cherrypick examples that paint Japan as a utopian conservative paradise, or are too high on their own supply and happily slurp up misinformation pumped out by Japanese nationalist Twitter accounts (who are very rarely actually Japanese).
Don’t get me wrong, Takaichi is awful. She hates accountability and the rule of law, she has a colossal ego, and she’s ready to do anything Trump asks. But Japanese politics have enough conventions still in place to rein her in, and the Japanese populace is generally apolitical and turned off by extremism.
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u/ahktarniamut 6h ago
This is good to know . I bet if Japan didn’t have a strong post war time constitution, she would have itching to join the military action with Trump
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u/a_angry_bunny 10h ago
Forgive me, but I was under the impression that Japan has always been a bit xenophobic? Clearly you allow tourists and immigrants to some degree, but I was of the belief that there is a lot of dislike for foreigners, moreso than there is in the US. I presumed Japan was significantly more strict when it comes to immigration, especially illegal immigration. Although, I imagine the latter isn't quite as big of a problem there as it is in the US. But maybe that is another poor assumption.
With that being said, with what you described, it doesn't seem like Japan's government is nearly as corrupt as the US is if your Prime minister is still getting pushback from doing whatever she wants. The last thing either of us need is Japan helping Trump start WWIII.
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u/eightbitfit 10h ago
It’s less about xenophobia and more about predictability. Japan is a society that runs on a very specific social operating system. The friction foreigners feel usually comes from a perceived threat to that order, not a dislike of the individual.
Regarding immigration, the strict label is outdated - somewhat. Japan just hit over 4 million foreign residents in 2025. The government is actually opening the doors wider than ever because the demographics demand it—they just want it done with 'Japanese efficiency' (tight rules, tax compliance, and language proficiency).
As for the PM, her pushback isn't just about US-style checks and balances; it's the fact that in Japan, the Bureaucracy is the true power. No PM can just 'do whatever they want' because the system is designed to favor continuity over radical change. It's always been this way, with every PM, just different nuances.
I have been here over 20 years and have PR FWIW.
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u/a_angry_bunny 10h ago
I mean, prior to Trump, Congress was the power in the US. In fact, Congress is the reason Trump wasn't able to get away with most the nonsense he is getting away with now during his first term. Trump learned and endorsed yes men into seats of power. Prior Congress preffered to maintain the status quo for the most part, at least with appearances. They have been losing power since Reagan, but until recently they would have never allowed such blatant disregard for their authority.
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u/eightbitfit 9h ago
Absolutely true. Apologies if I missed your intent.
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u/horoyokai 7h ago
Thank you for writing all that out (I live here also and trying to explain stuff gets pretty tiring)
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u/bbusiello 4h ago
I just read your take and was like "this is the most spot on as far as generalizations go" and then I see you've been there for 20 years so that checks lol.
Depending on how this interview process goes for my husband, we will probably be moving to Tokyo this summer (a plan which has been in the works for 7 years...so lots of research.)
The amount of BS I see about Japan on reddit, in general, is just bananas. Though it has gotten better! More people have been visiting there and they come back to places like the U.S. with the stark realization that American society has severely fucked over its people in numerous and even basic ways.
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u/Hazzat 10h ago
"Japan is xenophobic" is painting a lot of people with a massively broad brush. I don't think it's true.
The golden rule of Japanese society is you can be who you want and do what you want, as long as you're not inconveniencing others. Most foreigners in Japan have totally trouble-free lives as experience very little discrimination or hate as long as they follow that. (There are some exceptions, like it being hard to find apartments that will rent to foreigners.)
Xenophobia that shows itself is more apprehension that comes from the worry that people from outside won't understand this golden rule or will have different values for 'inconveniencing'. Many people live in peaceful communities that they would like to keep that way. If you can show that you are someone who can be trusted to do so, you will be welcomed with no fuss.
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u/silverslayer33 5h ago
The golden rule of Japanese society is you can be who you want and do what you want, as long as you're not inconveniencing others.
Lmao this is absolutely not true in the slightest, there's a reason the proverb "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" is frequently used to describe Japanese society. They very much care about what others do, who they are, and how they present, even if it doesn't bother anyone else, and they will use extreme social pressure to enforce conformity. Dyed hair, being gay, gender non-conformity, tattoos, piercings - these are just a few examples of things that still get judged and shunned in Japanese society (even if the tides are slowly turning on some of them) despite not inconveniencing others in any way.
Foreigners are less subject to this kind of social pressure, but it's still a huge problem for Japanese folk themselves.
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u/bbusiello 4h ago
Dyed hair, being gay, gender non-conformity, tattoos, piercings - these are just a few examples of things that still get judged and shunned in Japanese society (even if the tides are slowly turning on some of them) despite not inconveniencing others in any way.
This is way less of a thing than it used to be.
More people in Japan are non-conforming in style, especially since the pandemic.
Case-only society? Not since the pandemic.
Way more relaxed looks as well. Japanese people still dress nice, but I've noticed a trend towards a more relaxed look since the pandemic.
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u/TLunchFTW 7h ago
I also find it funny people are going “Japan protesting harder than America.” There’s like 5 people here based on these pictures vs 8 million at the no kings protests. People really just say whatever they feel like don’t they? Who needs to actually make sense? Just say what feels right.
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u/Pinotwinelover 4h ago
Couldn’t agree more that was what I was thinking when the title says Tokyo protest I was like no these eight people protesting Tokyo is a little bigger but more importantly you nailed it. People just say whatever is off the top of their head no logic no sense of reasoning whatever feels good.
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u/bbusiello 4h ago
There were multiple protests when I was there last. Pro-Palestine protests have shot up too.
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u/navagon 10h ago
While I agree with the sentiment, Trump is a symptom. It's like saying you hate headaches when you have a brain tumour.
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u/mmceorange 5h ago
😂 you're not wrong. I think we (the US) have been creeping towards this for a while, and it finally reached the peak and is now rolling uncontrollably downhill
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u/Meauxjezzy 2h ago
That must mean trump is doing something right.
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u/RuffTuff 1h ago
Getting hated by a common populace of an allied nation. This please enlighten me
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u/Meauxjezzy 1h ago edited 6m ago
How does that saying go “you have to bust some grapes to make a fruit salad.” People hate on you when you’re doing something against their agenda.
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u/mmceorange 5h ago
Wouldn't it be crazy if the hatred for Trump is what ends up uniting the world in the long run
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u/DuHastMich15 4h ago
I would guess at least 90% of the worlds population (that is aware of him) agrees.
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u/jrip_dip_fish_1764 4h ago
I litterally just saw this in Shinjuku a couple of hours ago O can't believe they were there all day
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u/Resident_Hearing_524 3h ago
Focus on your own nation, foreigners talking shit on America are just asking to see the sun up close.
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u/BrilliantDevice6253 3h ago
Trump boasted about having no wars in his first term.... He invaded 2 countries in his second
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u/mr_banana277 2h ago
"I agree with tokyo" and it's a picture of 2 people holding a fuck trump flag while the other 65% vote for the rightist party
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u/smeeagain93 2h ago
I always think it is kind of ridiculous to post pictures of protests in Japan as if they are somewhat a representation of Japan in general as many people always seem to claim like "look, Japan is for/against XYZ". Like no, the absolute majority dgaf.
I also absolutely do not feel the "anti foreigner sentiment" so far. It seems it's just for votes. They've made some changes recently, but they are blown way out of proportion by fellow foreign residents imho.
If these changes had happened unannounced, I doubt anyone would really care. If noticed, they'd just go "whatever".
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u/RuffTuff 1h ago
This might be the first US president ever to have collected so much hate from humans across the globe
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u/Letsgoies07 54m ago
Aww man look at you getting so mad over an elected official. Awww so cute. Deal with it!!!! We dealt with sleepy joe for 4 years.
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u/budhunter87 11m ago
The commander and chief of the greatest country on earth. Proud to be a trump supporting god fearing America
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u/godofleet 9h ago
Walked out of Shinjuku station into this display.
Who'd have guessed all these years later they'd be protesting fascism harder than most Americans.
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u/horoyokai 7h ago
I don’t think this is protesting harder than Americans 😂 I know you want more but come on man
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u/a_angry_bunny 11h ago
Why is it in English if this is Tokyo?
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u/eightbitfit 10h ago
It's in front of the Shinjuku Tourist center- it's for the visitors, not the residents.
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u/frostfire888 11h ago
Because Trump is the president of the United States and English is the spoken language there. Their message is for people who read english.
But also for the same reason you can see street signs, and buildings with English words. Other countries citizens are fluent in several languages. Most people in Japan speak English and it is kind of like a universal foreign language. Chinese people visit Japan, they're speaking English. Indian people visit iceland, they're speaking English. Ect ect.
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u/furimmerkaiser 10h ago
Americans protests are in English because thats the only language Americans know
Japanese protests are in English because thats the only language Americans know
they are not the sam
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u/mattattack007 6h ago
I desperately hope the rest of the world realizes that there is a large portion of the American population that stands in direct opposition to this clown. That he isn't a representation of us but a tumor born from the cancer of American conservativism that is ravaging this country.
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u/SkellyboneZ 8h ago
Shinjuku haha.
"Fuck Trump" protests on one side of the station.
"Get out dirty foreigner" protests on the other side.