Scandals related to Abe show a term can lose its real meaning

December is generally the month when people across the world review the passing year. In Japan, people choose buzzwords that best convey their feelings for the year.

On Dec 1, sontaku, a word that is not part of Japanese people's working vocabulary, was picked as one of the words that went viral this year. The term, as the Financial Times said, refers to the preemptive, placatory following of an order that has not been given.

Sontaku was the most-searched word online for four straight months, according to a buzzwords' committee. The word has entered the Japanese vernacular because of two political scandals in which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe are said to be involved.