Abe shows little sign of humility in his drive for a 'normal' Japan

Several recent statements by the government of Shinzo Abe in Japan raise disturbing questions about whether he and his officials actually think about the implications and consequences of decisions.

How much room is there in Abe's political view for questioning, debate or argument, let alone dissent? Or is he just hell-bent on making Japan a "normal" country - without considering what "normal" means or its implications - and to hell with anything else?

Among the issues are:

• Abe's announcement in Cairo offering US$200 million in non-military aid to defeat Islamic State terrorists, and his panic return to Japan when the terrorists demanded the US$200 million in exchange for their two Japanese hostages, both later beheaded;
• The confiscation of the passport of journalist Yuichi Sugimoto to stop him going to Syria, even though he said he did not plan to visit terrorist areas;
• Pressures on the press and textbook publishers, in Japan and the US, to deny that the Imperial Army pressed Korean, Dutch, Indonesian and other women into sexual servitude;
• Teasing previews of what Abe will say to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war and how he may amend the 1995 apology for Japan's war conduct;
• Abe's announcement that official development aid may be given to foreign military for non-lethal purposes;
• Abe's determination to rewrite Japan's anti-war constitution as soon as next year to create a "normal" Japan.

It was surely waving a red flag before the terrorist bull to go to the Middle East and offer money for the fight against Islamic State when Abe knew that the group was holding Japanese hostages. His offer only hastened their inevitable fate.

Confiscation of Sugimoto's passport may seem trivial, but it increases the role of the state as big brother, as well as raising questions about Abe's respect for the press and freedom of expression and travel. Where will it stop? Will the government stop anyone heading for any kind of danger zone or doing any perilous job?

Is the passport confiscation a message to journalists? Last year, the government pushed through a sweeping secrecy law, allowing it to declare subjects off limits. Open discussion of leading public issues is being squeezed by cosy links between business and government and opinion-makers and government, by media self-censorship and general government pressure not to ask questions.

Changes to aid policy are troubling. Allowing official aid to foreign military is playing with fire. Japan may say that it will only be for non-military purposes, but any military officer, or schoolboy, knows money is fungible. Aid for non-military purposes merely frees money in the defence budget to be used for weaponry or for cracking down on dissidents.

The new development charter calls for aid to be used in pursuit of Japan's "national interests", but aid is supposed to be for the benefit of developing countries.