The year 2014 was full of unexpected events, but none helped to jolt Japan's economy, politics or society out of a sense of being stalled. The country found itself trapped between necessary choices propelling the country forward and conservative elements unwilling to give up the past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called a snap election — an act that many people considered to be an unnecessary political ploy — in December and went on to win. But voter turnout marked a postwar low, disproving Abe's claim of a mandate for his policies and revealing dissatisfaction with the state of the opposition.

One conspicuous result of the election was the retirement of long-term conservative politician and former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara. He used the occasion as one more chance to espouse his right-wing views. Those views were welcome in many sectors of society, as conservative commentators, including many in the ruling party, continued to push a nationalist agenda. Conservative elements hammered the liberal Asahi Shimbun after it retracted some past reports on "comfort women," stepping up their campaign to deny the fact that such women were forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers.

Despite the generally conservative trend, many people in Japan stayed with very different values. A lone protester set himself on fire close to Shinjuku Station after shouting a protest against proposed changes in the interpretation of the Constitution that would allow Japan to expand military actions abroad. People also publicly protested the implementation of a strict state secrets law in December, which will likely reduce the transparency of the government and undermine the people's right to know.

In international relations, Japan made little progress in repairing relations with its most important partners and nearest neighbors. Although Abe held a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, he has not yet held such a meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Relations with the American military, however, remained rocky as voters in Okinawa's gubernatorial race elected Takeshi Onaga, rejecting Tokyo-backed incumbent Hirokazu Nakaima. The controversial plan to relocate a marine air base on Okinawa now faces uncertain prospects.

Although the Japanese stock market rewarded investors, many of them foreign, with its highest stock levels since 2007, economic indicators pointed toward a prolonged recession. Even the weaker yen did not help exporters enough to improve the overall economy, though the exchange rate did seem to bring in more visitors. A record 13 million tourists came to Japan during 2014, the highest number ever. Even those numbers could not stop Japan's economy from shrinking, according to the year's latest analyses.

Attempts to improve conditions for women in Japan failed in several ways this year. Assembly members heckled a woman member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly during a debate over how to support working mothers. Despite Abe's attempts to mobilize women, two of his chosen Cabinet members, both women, had to resign over evidence of funding and election campaign irregularities. The number of women elected in December did not change the percentage of women in government. And Japan again ranked far below the rest of the developed world in overall conditions for women.

Disasters continued in 2014. The worst volcanic eruption in recent years was fatal for 57 people when it surprised experienced mountaineers and visitors on Mount Ontake. Problems from the 2011 disasters remained unresolved. Cleanup of the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant met repeated setbacks, including containment issues and radiation leaks. Cleanup costs continued to mount. Even with decontamination around the plant far from completed and many Fukushima residents still suffering from the afftereffects of the nuclear disaster, the central government and some local governments began pushing to restart nuclear reactors in other parts of the country.

The scandal over "STAP cells" concluded in December when further research failed to verify the claim of a major breakthrough in creating the cells. The once-prestigious Riken institute accepted the resignation of lead researcher Haruko Obokata. She had been a media star and a source of pride for the nation when her results, now determined to be erroneous, were first published.

Just as disgraceful, but more dangerous, was the failure of airbag supplier and parts maker Takata to account for problems with its airbags. The airbags, installed in millions of vehicles worldwide, caused horrific injuries and allegedly several deaths. The company failed to recall the bags as soon as the problem was discovered.

Consumers faced the usual onslaught of new products, but shortages of potatoes for fast-food companies and butter for supermarkets surprised many. Butter production sank after record hot weather slowed milk production last summer. The price of Yoshinoya's beef dish, often seen as a symbolic marker of inflation or deflation, rose by more than 25 percent this year, and instant noodle prices also rose for the first time in seven years.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the culinary spectrum, Tokyo held onto its top spot for most three-star restaurants in the latest Michelin guide to world restaurants. The traditional washi papermaking technique was awarded the status of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, following the previous year's award for traditional Japanese washoku cuisine.

An interesting side story was the unveiling of the refurbished Tokyo Station on its 100th anniversary. When JR East put a commemorative IC card on sale, the station was overwhelmed with thousands of people wanting to buy one. If only that passion for the station's IC card could be directed toward improving the economy and politics, Japan just might have a better 2015. The next year will hopefully bring a chance for Japanese to break free of the sense of inertia that filled 2014 and find a way toward a brighter future.