Regarding professor Jiro Yamaguchi's Oct. 20 article, "Perilous spirit of the times": I entirely agree with his observation that "It is pathetic that we have to quote the foreign media to criticize what's going on in this country."
It's also rather pathetic that expatriate residents in Japan like myself seem to care more about the democratic principles of postwar Japan than most of their Japanese neighbors. I've never heard anyone here in Otaru complain about hate speech, or the threat of right-wing usurpation of human rights (freedom of speech and the press, and academic freedoms).
Democracy is a bit like gardening: If you don't nourish democratic ideals and pull up noxious weeds (those who would crush the idea of individual freedoms and human rights), then the spirit of democracy can wither and die.
There are right-wing extremists in Japan who would like nothing better than to abrogate the postwar Constitution, toss it on the bonfire of fascist rage and restore the old prewar order. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new "secrets law" hints at this ideology. Am I an alarmist? Perhaps, but it's better to be somewhat alarmed than to passively accept Abe's attempts at grabbing more power for himself and his cronies while paying lip service to such things as greater equality for women.
Foreign residents in Japan are not well liked by the Liberal Democratic Party. I think the more conservative leaders would prefer a greatly reduced foreign population in Japan, as they fear protest from this group.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.