Territorial disputes and a hawkish new government have undoubtedly played their part in the recent rise of nationalism in Japan. Or if not nationalism itself, then certainly the rise in nationalist marches. A worrying trend that has understandably left many people wondering where Japan is heading.

Then throw in the faltering economy, tsunami reconstruction, an ageing population etc., plus of course Japan’s nuclear problems, and it’s a decidedly heady mix indeed. One that needless to say is perfectly suited to all manner of manipulation and scaremongering.

But despite all this, modern Japan is a very different beast than it was a century ago. And while nobody really knows where the country will eventually go, a cursory glance at the average Tokyoite makes it reassuringly hard to imagine that it’ll be back down those dark paths of old.

Or is that just hope taking an equally cursory glance at reality?

Abenomics is now a buzzword both in Japan and abroad, with the current, Shinzo Abe led government, creating a huge stir with its unusually bold economic policies. Understandably the verdict is still out on whether this new approach will be successful or not, but Japan’s message for the G20 that ‘Abenomics is good for all’ managed to escape criticism, and the rapidly weakening yen is there for all to see.

For many, however, such speculation remains of little concern. Likewise the falling value of the yen. As fallen yen are a much greater necessity.

The yen might well be falling, but due to an island dispute and hawkish new prime minister/long simmering resentment/economic stagnation/sheer idiocy (delete where applicable), nationalist sentiment is going very much in the opposite direction. Or at the very least, public expression of such views is, with shouted attacks and individual hatreds just a few of the scenes I’ve seen of late.

But a goose stepping flag waver heading an (albeit rather small) organised march seemed like a further shift in an already worrying trend.

Particularly so as those behind him were suggesting a call to arms in the country’s aforementioned and ongoing territorial discord with China.

The only blessing being that a brief fracas with a group of angry bystanders and some of the marchers about 5 minutes after these photographs were taken, does suggests that some people at least are having their eyes opened in regards where the country may be headed.

With death, displacement and continued worries about radiation the horrible consequences of the Tohoku earthquake and Tepco’s incompetence, it’s hard to imagine there could be even more suffering. Yet these ‘looking for a new home’ posters, detailing the personalities and approximate ages of dogs also caught up in the disaster, prove that the suffering wasn’t (and isn’t) just felt by humans, but their former best friends as well.

Japan votes. But, from the outside looking in, things appear pretty grim.

Japan’s political machinery may well be winding up to a deafening crescendo ahead of the coming election, but for some, the soundbites and empty promises mean even less than they do to the voting public.