The most important concept for new arrivals to Japan to grasp is "honne" and "tatemae." These words refer to the often vast gulf between a person's true beliefs (their honne) and the politically-correct ones that they espouse publicly (their tatemae). And they offer a timely explanation for why Shinzo Abe's revival program is largely a dud three years on.

Prime Minister Abe surged into office on Dec. 26, 2012, promising to upend a sclerotic economic system. His three-stage plan of monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and deregulation would end deflation, boost wages and engender confidence in the future. That, at least, was the politically correct line. With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear Abe's true intension all along was national security: securing the right to deploy troops abroad, silencing the media and whistleblowers and cementing a nuclear-power-centered future at odds with public opinion.

Students of Thomas Frank's 2004 book "What's the Matter With Kansas?" knows the drill. The historian's look at how U.S. conservatives use bait-and-switch tactics to fool the middle class into voting against their interests could easily be applied to Abe's Japan. His bold Japan-is-back rhetoric and Nikkei-boosting theatrics distract the masses so Abe can push his right-wing agenda by stealth.