The Legend of Heavy Snowfall and Prime Minister Takaichi's Future
CHINO Keiko / Freelance journalist
March 4, 2026
The day after the LDP's historic landslide victory in the House of Representatives election, a column in one of the national newspapers wrote: ‘When history moves, heavy snow falls on Tokyo.’
The first such event that springs to mind is 2・26 Incident. On 26 February 1936 (Showa 11), young Imperial Way faction army officers assassinated government high officials. Tokyo, blanketed in snow, was placed under martial law, marking a turning point towards military dictatorship and war.
The 3rd of March 1860 (Ansei 7) also saw unseasonal heavy snowfall. Amidst a whiteout obscuring visibility in front of Edo Castle, the Sakuradamon Incident saw the Mito Clan faction opposing the opening of the country brutally assassinate the pro-opening Chief Minister of the Edo shogunate, Ii Naosuke, precipitating the shogunate's decline.
Furthermore, on 14th December 1702 (Genroku 15), amidst heavy snow, the Akō rōnin（lordless samurai）set out to avenge the death of their former master.
And just this past 8th February, Tokyo saw snow, snow, snow.
Certainly, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saved the LDP, which had suffered defeat after defeat, in what appeared to be a downward spiral. Yet she herself must surely be acutely aware that she has achieved nothing of substance. Whether history will truly move and she will proudly join the ranks of the “Great Snow Legends” remains to be seen.
There is a political leader whom Prime Minister Takaichi can wisely emulate: Italy's Giorgia Meloni.
When she became Italy's first female prime minister in 2022, people’s wariness about her at home and abroad far exceeded expectations, owing to her party's far-right roots and anti-immigration stance.
Yet after taking office, she skillfully set aside those convictions, steadily winning domestic and international trust through sound fiscal management and a pro-EU, pragmatic foreign policy. Her government's foundation is rock-solid, and her approval ratings are high. In Italy, a country known for short-lived governments alongside Japan, she now has her sights set on a long-term administration.
For Prime Minister Takaichi, too, the historic landslide victory is likely merely a milestone; her goal is surely a long-term, stable government. At the press conference announcing her cabinet, she stated she would ‘resolutely tackle the revision of the constitution and of the Imperial House Law.’ However, bringing these party platforms into reality, which successive prime ministers have failed to achieve, remains difficult within a short period, even though the time may be ripening.
Moreover, the Takagi administration's foremost priority is the economy. To achieve what she outlined in her policy speech – ‘a strong and prosperous Japanese archipelago’ – putting an end to Japan's economic stagnation is her paramount duty.
The voters entrusted Prime Minister Takagi and the LDP with a historic two-thirds majority precisely because they cherished a profound hope that Japan's economy would alleviate their livelihood anxieties and secure a future filled with promise. The opposition party, which suffered a crushing defeat, was too insensitive to these earnest desires.
Furthermore, without the revival of a strong economy, there can be no regaining of the ‘Japanese diplomacy flourishing at the center of the world’, as advocated by Prime Minister Takaichi. Even if GDP is no longer the sole measure of national power, it is undeniable that Japan, which is in decline, lacks persuasiveness when it proclaims itself to be ‘at the center of the world’.
Perhaps this is why Prime Minister Takaichi has not used this expression as much since taking office. This is only natural. Now that they have started running, what matters is getting things done, not the image they present.
There is another politician who sets an example to her: Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. His speech at the recent World Economic Forum (Davos Conference), ‘Principled and Pragmatic: Canada's Path,’ called on the middle powers to act together, and received an unusual standing ovation. There is no doubt that it resonated with countries at the mercy of the tyranny of the great powers. The Canadian Embassy in Japan was quick to release a Japanese translation (provisional). The words were powerful, and it struck me as a great speech.
However, this is not to say that Prime Minister Takaichi should also pursue middle power diplomacy.
The notion of middle power is rooted in Canada's history and geography, embodies Canada's sense of self-identity and its role in the world, forged through at times painful challenges in the post-war period.
It is precisely this that Japan should draw upon. If we search for a kind of diplomacy rooted in Japan's own history and geography, the top priority must be East Asia – particularly Southeast Asia, which is all too often overlooked.
The phrase “blooming proudly at the center of the world” has its roots in “Sakura yo”, a song composed in Indonesia to encourage Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake. When it was unveiled in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (at the time) listened with deep emotion to the voices of Indonesian youth singing in chorus: “Japan, bloom proudly, bloom proudly at the center of the world”.
ASEAN lies at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. For Japan and ASEAN to firmly join forces, to make unceasing efforts to spread freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law throughout the region, and to fulfil their roles – this will become increasingly vital in East Asia in the face of bullying by major powers. That, indeed, would be responsible Japanese diplomacy.
Chino Keiko is a freelance journalist.
The first such event that springs to mind is 2・26 Incident. On 26 February 1936 (Showa 11), young Imperial Way faction army officers assassinated government high officials. Tokyo, blanketed in snow, was placed under martial law, marking a turning point towards military dictatorship and war.
The 3rd of March 1860 (Ansei 7) also saw unseasonal heavy snowfall. Amidst a whiteout obscuring visibility in front of Edo Castle, the Sakuradamon Incident saw the Mito Clan faction opposing the opening of the country brutally assassinate the pro-opening Chief Minister of the Edo shogunate, Ii Naosuke, precipitating the shogunate's decline.
Furthermore, on 14th December 1702 (Genroku 15), amidst heavy snow, the Akō rōnin（lordless samurai）set out to avenge the death of their former master.
And just this past 8th February, Tokyo saw snow, snow, snow.
Certainly, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saved the LDP, which had suffered defeat after defeat, in what appeared to be a downward spiral. Yet she herself must surely be acutely aware that she has achieved nothing of substance. Whether history will truly move and she will proudly join the ranks of the “Great Snow Legends” remains to be seen.
There is a political leader whom Prime Minister Takaichi can wisely emulate: Italy's Giorgia Meloni.
When she became Italy's first female prime minister in 2022, people’s wariness about her at home and abroad far exceeded expectations, owing to her party's far-right roots and anti-immigration stance.
Yet after taking office, she skillfully set aside those convictions, steadily winning domestic and international trust through sound fiscal management and a pro-EU, pragmatic foreign policy. Her government's foundation is rock-solid, and her approval ratings are high. In Italy, a country known for short-lived governments alongside Japan, she now has her sights set on a long-term administration.
For Prime Minister Takaichi, too, the historic landslide victory is likely merely a milestone; her goal is surely a long-term, stable government. At the press conference announcing her cabinet, she stated she would ‘resolutely tackle the revision of the constitution and of the Imperial House Law.’ However, bringing these party platforms into reality, which successive prime ministers have failed to achieve, remains difficult within a short period, even though the time may be ripening.
Moreover, the Takagi administration's foremost priority is the economy. To achieve what she outlined in her policy speech – ‘a strong and prosperous Japanese archipelago’ – putting an end to Japan's economic stagnation is her paramount duty.
The voters entrusted Prime Minister Takagi and the LDP with a historic two-thirds majority precisely because they cherished a profound hope that Japan's economy would alleviate their livelihood anxieties and secure a future filled with promise. The opposition party, which suffered a crushing defeat, was too insensitive to these earnest desires.
Furthermore, without the revival of a strong economy, there can be no regaining of the ‘Japanese diplomacy flourishing at the center of the world’, as advocated by Prime Minister Takaichi. Even if GDP is no longer the sole measure of national power, it is undeniable that Japan, which is in decline, lacks persuasiveness when it proclaims itself to be ‘at the center of the world’.
Perhaps this is why Prime Minister Takaichi has not used this expression as much since taking office. This is only natural. Now that they have started running, what matters is getting things done, not the image they present.
There is another politician who sets an example to her: Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. His speech at the recent World Economic Forum (Davos Conference), ‘Principled and Pragmatic: Canada's Path,’ called on the middle powers to act together, and received an unusual standing ovation. There is no doubt that it resonated with countries at the mercy of the tyranny of the great powers. The Canadian Embassy in Japan was quick to release a Japanese translation (provisional). The words were powerful, and it struck me as a great speech.
However, this is not to say that Prime Minister Takaichi should also pursue middle power diplomacy.
The notion of middle power is rooted in Canada's history and geography, embodies Canada's sense of self-identity and its role in the world, forged through at times painful challenges in the post-war period.
It is precisely this that Japan should draw upon. If we search for a kind of diplomacy rooted in Japan's own history and geography, the top priority must be East Asia – particularly Southeast Asia, which is all too often overlooked.
The phrase “blooming proudly at the center of the world” has its roots in “Sakura yo”, a song composed in Indonesia to encourage Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake. When it was unveiled in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (at the time) listened with deep emotion to the voices of Indonesian youth singing in chorus: “Japan, bloom proudly, bloom proudly at the center of the world”.
ASEAN lies at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. For Japan and ASEAN to firmly join forces, to make unceasing efforts to spread freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law throughout the region, and to fulfil their roles – this will become increasingly vital in East Asia in the face of bullying by major powers. That, indeed, would be responsible Japanese diplomacy.
Chino Keiko is a freelance journalist.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
「大雪伝説」と高市首相のこれから
千野 境子 / フリーランスジャーナリスト
2026年 3月 4日
自民党の歴史的大勝となった衆院選翌日、某全国紙コラムは《歴史が動くとき、東京に大雪が降る》と書いた。
真っ先に思い浮かぶのは二・二六事件である。1936（昭和11）年2月26日、皇道派青年将校らが政府要人を殺害、一面銀世界の東京は戒厳令が敷かれ、軍部独裁、戦争への分岐点となった。
安政７（1860）年３月３日もまた季節外れの大雪だった。視界を断つホワイトアウトの江戸城前で、水戸藩攘夷派が開国派の江戸幕府大老井伊直弼を惨殺した桜田門外の変は、幕府の衰退を加速させた。
さらに元禄15（1702）年12月14日、大雪の中を赤穂浪士は討ち入りへ…。
そして去る2月８日も東京は雪、雪、雪。
確かに高市早苗首相は連戦連敗、じり貧自民党を救った。だが何事を成したわけでもないことは、首相自身が一番良く分かっている筈だ。歴史が本当に動き、「大雪伝説」の仲間入りをするか、答えはこれからである。
高市首相に参考となる格好の指導者がいる。イタリアのジョルジャ・メローニ首相だ。
2022年に同国史上初の女性首相に就任した際は、極右の流れを汲む政党歴や反移民の主張等から内外の警戒は期待を上回った。
しかし首相就任後はその信条を巧みに封印し、堅実な財政運営や親EUの現実主義外交で内外の信頼を勝ち得て行った。政権基盤は盤石で支持率も高い。日本と並ぶ短命政権のイタリアで今や長期政権を視野に入れる。
高市首相も歴史的大勝は恐らく一里塚に過ぎず、目指すは長期安定政権だろう。内閣発足の記者会見で「憲法改正と皇室典範の改正にしっかりと挑戦する」と述べたが、歴代首相が出来なかった党是の実現は、機は熟しつつあるとは言え短時日では難しい。
それに高市政権の最優先課題は経済だ。施政方針演説に言う「日本列島を、強く豊かに。」するためには、日本経済の低迷に終止符を打つことが一番の責務である。
有権者が史上最多3分の２超の議席を高市首相と自民党に託したのも、根底には生活不安の打開や希望の持てる未来を担保する日本経済へ切実な期待があったからに他ならない。惨敗の野党第1党は切実なその思いに余りに鈍感であった。
また強い経済の復活なくしては、持論の「世界の真ん中で咲き誇る日本外交」もない。もはやGDPだけが国力ではないにしても、下り坂・日本が「世界の真ん中」と叫んだところで説得力不足は否めない。
だからか、高市首相も就任後はかつてほどにはこの表現を使わない。当然だ。もう走り出した以上、大事なのはイメージより実行、具体化である。
もう一人、参考となる政治家がいる。カナダのマーク・カーニー首相だ。先の世界経済フォーラム（ダボス会議）の演説「原則と現実：カナダの進む道」はミドルパワーの結集を訴え、異例のスタンディング・オベーションとなった。大国の横暴に翻弄される国々の共感を得たのは間違いない。駐日カナダ大使館はいち早く日本文（仮訳）を発出した。言葉に力があり、名演説と感じた。
しかしここでは、だから高市首相もミドルパワー外交をと言いたいのではない。
ミドルパワーはカナダの歴史と地理に根差す、戦後カナダが時に背水の陣で創り上げてきた、言わばカナダのアイデンティティーであり存在感の源である。
参考にすべきはまさにそこだ。そして日本の歴史と地理に根差す外交となれば、トップ・プライオリティーはやはり東アジア、中でも忘れがちな東南アジアは肝である。
そもそも「世界の真ん中で咲き誇る」は、東日本大震災の日本を励まそうとインドネシアで作詞作曲された『桜よ』にルーツがある。東京でお披露目された時、会場には「日本よ 咲き誇れ 世界の真ん中で咲き誇れ」と合唱するインドネシアの若者たちの歌声に、感無量の面持ちで耳を傾ける安倍晋三首相（当時）がいた。
ASEANは「インド太平洋」の真ん中に位置する。日本とASEANがしっかりとタグを組み、地域に自由、民主主義、人権、法の支配を浸透させる不断の努力をし、役割を果たして行くことは、大国の横暴を前に東アジアでも今後ますます重要であり、それこそ「責任ある日本外交」であろう。
筆者はフリーランス・ジャーナリスト
真っ先に思い浮かぶのは二・二六事件である。1936（昭和11）年2月26日、皇道派青年将校らが政府要人を殺害、一面銀世界の東京は戒厳令が敷かれ、軍部独裁、戦争への分岐点となった。
安政７（1860）年３月３日もまた季節外れの大雪だった。視界を断つホワイトアウトの江戸城前で、水戸藩攘夷派が開国派の江戸幕府大老井伊直弼を惨殺した桜田門外の変は、幕府の衰退を加速させた。
さらに元禄15（1702）年12月14日、大雪の中を赤穂浪士は討ち入りへ…。
そして去る2月８日も東京は雪、雪、雪。
確かに高市早苗首相は連戦連敗、じり貧自民党を救った。だが何事を成したわけでもないことは、首相自身が一番良く分かっている筈だ。歴史が本当に動き、「大雪伝説」の仲間入りをするか、答えはこれからである。
高市首相に参考となる格好の指導者がいる。イタリアのジョルジャ・メローニ首相だ。
2022年に同国史上初の女性首相に就任した際は、極右の流れを汲む政党歴や反移民の主張等から内外の警戒は期待を上回った。
しかし首相就任後はその信条を巧みに封印し、堅実な財政運営や親EUの現実主義外交で内外の信頼を勝ち得て行った。政権基盤は盤石で支持率も高い。日本と並ぶ短命政権のイタリアで今や長期政権を視野に入れる。
高市首相も歴史的大勝は恐らく一里塚に過ぎず、目指すは長期安定政権だろう。内閣発足の記者会見で「憲法改正と皇室典範の改正にしっかりと挑戦する」と述べたが、歴代首相が出来なかった党是の実現は、機は熟しつつあるとは言え短時日では難しい。
それに高市政権の最優先課題は経済だ。施政方針演説に言う「日本列島を、強く豊かに。」するためには、日本経済の低迷に終止符を打つことが一番の責務である。
有権者が史上最多3分の２超の議席を高市首相と自民党に託したのも、根底には生活不安の打開や希望の持てる未来を担保する日本経済へ切実な期待があったからに他ならない。惨敗の野党第1党は切実なその思いに余りに鈍感であった。
また強い経済の復活なくしては、持論の「世界の真ん中で咲き誇る日本外交」もない。もはやGDPだけが国力ではないにしても、下り坂・日本が「世界の真ん中」と叫んだところで説得力不足は否めない。
だからか、高市首相も就任後はかつてほどにはこの表現を使わない。当然だ。もう走り出した以上、大事なのはイメージより実行、具体化である。
もう一人、参考となる政治家がいる。カナダのマーク・カーニー首相だ。先の世界経済フォーラム（ダボス会議）の演説「原則と現実：カナダの進む道」はミドルパワーの結集を訴え、異例のスタンディング・オベーションとなった。大国の横暴に翻弄される国々の共感を得たのは間違いない。駐日カナダ大使館はいち早く日本文（仮訳）を発出した。言葉に力があり、名演説と感じた。
しかしここでは、だから高市首相もミドルパワー外交をと言いたいのではない。
ミドルパワーはカナダの歴史と地理に根差す、戦後カナダが時に背水の陣で創り上げてきた、言わばカナダのアイデンティティーであり存在感の源である。
参考にすべきはまさにそこだ。そして日本の歴史と地理に根差す外交となれば、トップ・プライオリティーはやはり東アジア、中でも忘れがちな東南アジアは肝である。
そもそも「世界の真ん中で咲き誇る」は、東日本大震災の日本を励まそうとインドネシアで作詞作曲された『桜よ』にルーツがある。東京でお披露目された時、会場には「日本よ 咲き誇れ 世界の真ん中で咲き誇れ」と合唱するインドネシアの若者たちの歌声に、感無量の面持ちで耳を傾ける安倍晋三首相（当時）がいた。
ASEANは「インド太平洋」の真ん中に位置する。日本とASEANがしっかりとタグを組み、地域に自由、民主主義、人権、法の支配を浸透させる不断の努力をし、役割を果たして行くことは、大国の横暴を前に東アジアでも今後ますます重要であり、それこそ「責任ある日本外交」であろう。
筆者はフリーランス・ジャーナリスト
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟