Abe's legacy may be the one thing that most Japanese don't want

THE phrase "smack of firm government" is often used by those wishing to justify taking a strong line. But for Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the smack has become a slap in the face.

From the moment he came to office at the end of 2012, Mr Abe saw himself as a strong leader. But strength lies in leading by example rather than pushing others to do what they do not wish to do, and Mr Abe has courted an inevitable public backlash in assuming that the position of elected leader confers upon him a kind of automatic right to do whatever he wishes.

The public is feeling not just smacked but positively battered by the barrage of policy initiatives pursued by Mr Abe, mostly in his own name rather than that of a collegial government. Now, he is having to backtrack on some of his hurried initiatives. The most high profile has been the fiasco over Tokyo's proposed Olympic Stadium, a monstrosity if ever there was one, both in terms of appearance and cost. The design has been scrapped and Japan, as Mr Abe confessed, has had to go back to the drawing board. This could be forgiven if it were an isolated example of poor judgment by a man anxious to make his mark with a high-profile project. But rushed and often arbitrary decisions seem to be becoming the hallmark of the Abe administration.