Abe Shinzō - another look

Rather than messing with photo images of famous figures, with their lighting and attribution problems, Japanese newspapers tend to print graphically bold and proprietary caricatures next to articles about those figures.

The following three caricatures of Abe Shinzō appeared in articles printed yesterday announcing his return to active political life. They come from the left-of-center elite The Asahi Shimbun, the populist Mainichi Shimbun and the revisionist right Sankei Shimbun.

From the political orientation of the newspaper alone, can you match the image with the newspaper? (Answer below)

In my post on Abe's reemergence I wrote, "I cannot say whether the considerable length of time between his resignation as PM and his reacceptance into the faction is due to the damage he suffered himself or the damage his resignation inflicted upon the LDP."

A mid-level Machimura faction member, quoted in the Mainichi Shimbun, makes it clear it is the latter. Asked for his comment on Abe's moves this week, the member said:

「安倍氏は突然、首相を辞任し党に大きなダメージを与えた。表舞台に出るのは早すぎる」

"The party suffered considerable damage due to Abe's sudden resignation as Prime Minister. It is too early for him to appear on center stage."

So there you have it. The doghouse still in he is.

Answer - Left image: Mainichi. Center image: Sankei. Right image: Asahi.