Day 10

reading

1. stint

noun: a period of time spent doing a particular job or activity

After serving the longest continuous stint of any Japanese prime minister (as well as the longest time in the job overall) Abe Shinzo announced his resignation on August 28th.

2. cast

verb: to make light or a shadow appear somewhere

But many have cast his departure as an admission of defeat.

3. swoon、revive

verb: to be extremely excited and unable to control yourself because you admire someone so much

verb: to bring something back after it has not been used or has not existed for a period of time

The economy, which he has worked hard to revive after decades of listlessness, is swooning again because of COVID-19.

4. revise、pacifist

verb: to change something because of new information or ideas

adj: someone who believes that wars are wrong and who refuses to use violence

His campaign to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution to give the armed forces a proper legal underpinning has gone nowhere.

5. swansong: the last piece of work that an artist or writer produces, or the last time someone gives a performance

His planned swansong, the Tokyo Olympics that were supposed to have taken place this summer, may never happen.

6. dire

adj: extremely serious or terrible

His approval rating is dire.

7. resuscitate

verb: to make someone breathe again or become conscious after they have almost died

Abenomics was succeeding, albeit slowly, in resuscitating the economy.

8. wallflower: 局外人

Japan, something of a wallflower in global affairs since the second world war, was playing an unusually prominent and constructive role in Asia and around the world.

9. spur

verb: to encourage someone or make them want to do something

Abenomics was supposed to banish deflation and spur growth through lavish spending, radical monetary policy and structural reforms.

10. tenure、

noun: the period of time when someone has an important job

shy of: 弱于

During his tenure, the economy enjoyed a 71-month recovery, just two months shy of a post-war record. And productivity has risen faster in Japan than in America.

11. budge

verb: to move, or to make someone or something move

The main stockmarket index has more than doubled on Mr Abe’s watch, having barely budged for the previous decade

12. avowed、alienate

adj: admitted or said publicly

verb: to do something that makes someone unfriendly or unwilling to support you.

As the grandson of one of the architects of Japan’s imperial war machine and an avowed nationalist himself, he was expected to spark dangerous rows with China while alienating Japan’s allies.

13. quell

noun: to end a situation in which people are behaving violently or protesting, especially by using force

He managed to quell, at least for now, factional jockeying within the LDP, which doomed previous prime ministers to short, turbulent stints in office.