SECOND TAKE
JAPAN TIMES: Pandemic proves too much for Abenomics
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns after the Covid-19 crisis pushed GDP down to levels before he took office
As outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself says, political leaders are judged not by how long they have been in power but by what they have accomplished. When Abe surpassed his great-uncle Eisaku Sato (in office from 1964 to 1972) as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister last week, his approval ratings were at or near their lowest since he returned to power in December 2012 amid widespread criticism of his response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The pandemic appears to have wiped out what might have been the fruits of “Abenomics”, with the annualised 27.8% contraction of the economy in the April-June period pushing the nation’s GDP down to levels before he took office. However, Abe’s poor record of major “legacy” accomplishments worthy of a long-running administration — despite his and his party’s rock-solid grip on power that enabled his tenure to continue so long — predates the outbreak of the novel coronavirus...
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