Politicans are imporatant when they made a big decision at histrical junctions. Retrospetively speaking, I cannot but say that conservative politicans in Japan made a right decision in choosing their ally. For example, Kishi, the grandpap of Abe, is a notorious ex PM and a former war crime convict as one of the architect of Manchurian occupation, but he was right to push through the continuation of millitary treaty with America.(He had to resign in exchange for that, facing a huge protest organized by the left.) Non-alaingment was most-ideal path in those days, I guess, but it would not work in the geopolitics under the cold war. If you don't have major ideological issues, the only thing we have to consider is how to build fire under our politicians to force thme to work for our benefits, and to make them fail in the election is the best way to do that, which Japanse people will do in the next election held on 30 August. Cheers