NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1567714,00.html
Agree or disagree with these policies all you like, though I agree with them. However, it is hard not to admire the sheer audacity, and even courage, that Japan's PM, Junichiro Koizumi, has shown in these past few days. When his most important reform did not get passed, being the one to privatize Japan's postal service and bank, Koizumi put his party, and his career, on the line as he called snap elections. Yet he won, and he will emerge with plenty of political capital. Getting frustrated about a policy is one thing, but risking your career is another. And his courage paid off. Good for him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1567714,00.html
Agree or disagree with these policies all you like, though I agree with them. However, it is hard not to admire the sheer audacity, and even courage, that Japan's PM, Junichiro Koizumi, has shown in these past few days. When his most important reform did not get passed, being the one to privatize Japan's postal service and bank, Koizumi put his party, and his career, on the line as he called snap elections. Yet he won, and he will emerge with plenty of political capital. Getting frustrated about a policy is one thing, but risking your career is another. And his courage paid off. Good for him.
ROTFL... Uh... Koizumi is... well... interesting to say the very least.

The pic of him dancing with Richard Gear made my day though...

ROTFL... Uh... Koizumi is... well... interesting to say the very least.

The pic of him dancing with Richard Gear made my day though...

You should see the one with him and Pikachu. :eek:

Yay, the last thing we needed, someone coming into power to further increase tensions in Asia.

You should see the one with him and Pikachu. :eek:
I think the one the Japanese loved the most was when Steven Speilburg came to Japan and said that Koizumi had movie star good looks and good acting ability.

Speilburg was then asked by the Japanese press if he planed to cast Koizumi in his next movie. ;)

I wouldn't say that's moral courage per se... it's ballsy all right but not neccisarily morally courageous.

I mean if I saw this going down and I knew I needed some serious capital toute suite to keep my ideologies afloat, I'd probably do the snap election thing too. It doesn't speak to my morality, just my political finesse, and of course to the size and durability of my testicles.

Speilburg was then asked by the Japanese press if he planed to cast Koizumi in his next movie. ;)


They're making a sequel to ET? :D

You should see the one with him and Pikachu. :eek:

Isn't Richard Gere supposed to project a 50 foot radius field that repels all rodent lifeforms?

Isn't Richard Gere supposed to project a 50 foot radius field that repels all rodent lifeforms?

No I think that's the terms of his probation.

Yes, the inability to pass his post office reforms has provided the perfect opportunity to strengthen his grip on the party and he has done so admirably.

Yay, the last thing we needed, someone coming into power to further increase tensions in Asia.

Japan loves us....America's are GREAT. They practically worship our business, and people. Even songs have english in them!

Japan loves us....America's are GREAT. They practically worship our business, and people. Even songs have english in them!
It's not Japan I'm worried about. Other Asian nations get bad flashbacks when they here Japan wants to become a normal (read: modern) military power again.

It's not Japan I'm worried about. Other Asian nations get bad flashbacks when they here Japan wants to become a normal (read: modern) military power again.
The issue's a little more complicated than that you know.

The issue's a little more complicated than that you know.
Explain. I want to hear the Japanese side of it.

It's actually a very good move to gain ground over your opposition. If you can't get anything done, snap elections have again and aain shown massive potential to remind the opposition they donot serve the majority interests.

The South African State President before Mandela used them to gain ground over those opposed to his reforms to allow black citizens the right to vote.

In a constitutional and democratic state you would expect the government to resign when it can't get its policies through parliament, and not get a chance to reshuffle it in a populist fashion, but then again, I live in a stable parliamentary democracy and am used to a different standard.

Anyhow, this move wasn't all that ballsy in the end. His party has ruled Japan almost uninterrupted for the last half century. This result was expected, especially if you knew what sort of campaign it was. The opposition's views were effectively distorted and marginalised.

In a constitutional and democratic state you would expect the government to resign when it can't get its policies through parliament, and not get a chance to reshuffle it in a populist fashion, but then again, I live in a stable parliamentary democracy and am used to a different standard.

Anyhow, this move wasn't all that ballsy in the end. His party has ruled Japan almost uninterrupted for the last half century. This result was expected, especially if you knew what sort of campaign it was. The opposition's views were effectively distorted and marginalised.
Koizumi is a law unto himself. And for Japanese politics, it was a very unusual move that is already having ripple effects on how campains will be carried out in the future.

They still haven't gotten rid of those @%$$%$#!!! sound trucks though!

It's actually a very good move to gain ground over your opposition. If you can't get anything done, snap elections have again and aain shown massive potential to remind the opposition they donot serve the majority interests.

The South African State President before Mandela used them to gain ground over those opposed to his reforms to allow black citizens the right to vote.
I actually don't like the idea of parliamentary systems exactly for this reason. They are too democratic, and too much democracy can lead to mob rule and a state of dependency, which I consider moral weakness. That's why Koizumi, I feel, has courage: he gambled with the system to do something that isn't easily done in the ideaological rigidity of a parliamentary system, and he won. He'll probably use this to pass his reforms.
I'm also excited, btw, because the same thing may happen in Germany. However, it's with far different circumstances.

In a constitutional and democratic state you would expect the government to resign when it can't get its policies through parliament, and not get a chance to reshuffle it in a populist fashion, but then again, I live in a stable parliamentary democracy and am used to a different standard.

Anyhow, this move wasn't all that ballsy in the end. His party has ruled Japan almost uninterrupted for the last half century. This result was expected, especially if you knew what sort of campaign it was. The opposition's views were effectively distorted and marginalised.
Still, this is almost the same as that time in Mexico when the PRI was voted out of power. The LDP became stratified, lazy, and stagnant. Koizumi just refreshed the party with his vigor, and because of his leadership and his reluctance to accept a parliamentary status quo, he's the most popular PM in a long time. He's also the longest serving since WWII. That says a lot.

Explain. I want to hear the Japanese side of it.

One imporant complicating factor is that several governments in the region (most especially and natable, the PRC) use Japan as a propaganda whipping boy in order to distract their people from domestic problems they are unable or unwilling to deal with.

Japan, meh.

Japan, meh.

You're an Anime fan, are you not?

And, is that not an ASCII Vash the Stampede in your sig?

You're an Anime fan, are you not?

And, is that not an ASCII Vash the Stampede in your sig?

I like anime as an artform, but I don't particularly like Japanese culture itself. It just happens that Japan is the only source of anime. If anime had been invented by the Russians or French or Burmese, I'd watch it just the same.

ROTFL... Uh... Koizumi is... well... interesting to say the very least.

The pic of him dancing with Richard Gear made my day though...
I hear that when the Japanese say "interesting" they mean "stupid".

Explain. I want to hear the Japanese side of it.
Well, the Japanese side of it is very murky and I'm not sure the Japanese even can really explain it, but a lot of it is bound into a notion of not wanting to dwell on the past. There's also a cultural issue that once someone has died, they have been released from all of their wordly deeds (think don't speak ill of the dead).

Personally, I see it more, as Daistallia 2104 said, as using Japan to distract from problems at home. The PRC is rather well known for this. Also, I find it interesting that the countries having the most problems with Japan and Japan's view of WWII, are the countries directly compeating with Japan to be the regional leader.

China and South Korea are growing fast, but Japan is still very far ahead of them in terms of ecconomic power, and with the close US military alliance, as well as its own self defence force, is also a regional military power. China and Korea are trying to take that away from Japan.

I also think it's bound into history as well, not only did Japan emerge from the age of empires NOT having been colonized, but it went from a small, closed, backwards nation to a great power in less than a century. It also went from being a country that was subordinate, and influanced by, to China to having tremendous influance ON China, and being the only eastern power to have beaten a western imperial power.

Add in the fact that after WWII, all three countries were devistated, but Japan bounced back quicker and harder...

Yeah, I think it's less moral outrage and more using Japan as a target for various reasons by the goverments of China and the Koreas.

PS 1,000th post!

And now for some random-ish comments from the ear on the street.

The election was cleverly framed as being about the privatisation of the postal services (which includes postal banking). This was a clever ploy to distract from many of the other problems - the SDF deployment to Iraq, territorial disputes, the near total lack of meaningful progress in governmental and economic reform, etc.

One interesting note was the apparant fall of support for the LDP among the elderly, who are usually the LDP's stronghold. According to an NHK poll Monday evening (local time), the 70+ block was second lowest only to the 20-30 block. The greying sector is starting to worry about their pensions....

One interesting note was the apparant fall of support for the LDP among the elderly, who are usually the LDP's stronghold. According to an NHK poll Monday evening (local time), the 70+ block was second lowest only to the 20-30 block. The greying sector is starting to worry about their pensions....
But, in a bit of good news, the quality of service at the post office was at record highs before the election, apparently in a bid to make peole think that they are fine the way they are. ;)