Japanese Politics

[Toukairin]

Originally Posted by judasmartel

I went "lol wut?" on this. Dem otaku perhaps?

Read more about it here. The numbers in a study for the Greater Tokyo Area alone are staggering.

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

The simple solution is carnivorous women

Oh, yes!

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Toukairin

For the record, shrinking the population is never a good solution if you want a country's economy to remain at the top. How can they expect to stay among the top if they don't renew their working population? I believe there has to be an open war versus a culture that holds against working mothers; I mean we're in 2017, for crying out loud! Some dinosaurs need to be flushed out for a country's progress.

Japan literally and quite publicly made it clear that they will intentionally use automation and robotics to lower the need for labour. Basically, everyone else is freaked out about robots taking their jobs, while Japan can't wait to have true worker droids as soon as possible.

As for the culture against working mothers, it is always interesting when ever a government's practical needs smash against their ideological cornerstone. I feel the Japanese government say they wanted more working mothers, but couldn't bring themselves to actually believe this is what they should do.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by IceHism

4) herbivore men

I feel the idea that men aren't interested in dating is actually the same reason women refuse to quit working. Namely both sides no longer see their traditional gender roles as appealing.

Women don't want to throw away their careers, and men don't see why they had to work themselves to death supporting a family with just a single income.

It really isn't about a lack of sex. It isn't really about a lack of marriages either. It is about raising children being far more difficult for both parents to deal with. And times are tough enough that men and women just throw their hands up and decide it is easier to stay single.

One element, amongst many, is that Japan lost its job security it had in the past. People used to be impossible to get fired, and that kind of reliable income makes it possible for full time housewives to keep the family together. The "social contract" is broken now.

[Key Board]

"Japan rejects Trump accusation of devaluing yen in currency war"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...P=share_btn_tw

Trump's trade war on Japan is starting up it seems

[IceHism]

Japan has been manipulating their currency for quite a while though.

[Key Board]

Spoiler:

A finance ministry official added to denials that Japan was deliberately seeking a weaker yen, which helps the country’s exporters because it boost repatriated profits on sales made overseas.

“Foreign exchange rates are led by the markets. We are not manipulating them,” Masatsugu Asakawa, vice finance minister for international affairs, said, according to Kyodo.

“I don’t quite understand what (Trump) actually meant,” Asakawa added, since Japan had not intervened in forex markets for some time.

I think it's called having a weak economy

[Toukairin]

Originally Posted by IceHism

Japan has been manipulating their currency for quite a while though.

Honestly, who cares? So far, it has been shown that all parties (in this case both the US and Japan) can cope with the situation until that fool came in. If Japan wanted to screw the US economy that badly, they would have done so 30 years ago. Trump is just living in his own bubble smoking crack or whatever is strong enough to completely alter someone's mind.

If Japan's economy was that weak, then I keep myself the right to ask how and why the extreme vast majority has not been able to get past Japan despite 2 decades of slowdown. I guess one would then say that the economy in the likes of Australia, France, Canada, and the UK absolutely suck based on that "standard".

[IceHism]

Originally Posted by Toukairin

Honestly, who cares? So far, it has been shown that all parties (in this case both the US and Japan) can cope with the situation until that fool came in. If Japan wanted to screw the US economy that badly, they would have done so 30 years ago. Trump is just living in his own bubble smoking crack or whatever is strong enough to completely alter someone's mind.

If Japan's economy was that weak, then I keep myself the right to ask how and why the extreme vast majority has not been able to get past Japan despite 2 decades of slowdown. I guess one would then say that the economy in the likes of Australia, France, Canada, and the UK absolutely suck based on that "standard".

I'm not saying they are doing anything wrong. I don't think there is anything right or wrong when it comes to international politics, just tradeoffs. I just find the denial hilarious.

China is also a big currency manipulator and it's the second biggest economy so no idea what you mean by weak.

[Toukairin]

Originally Posted by IceHism

China is also a big currency manipulator and it's the second biggest economy so no idea what you mean by weak.

I should have quoted the post by Key Board, my apologies. I don't think he meant that, but it's probably what some people might think when accusing some countries of doing this or that with their currency. Even the US can try if they want. Anyway, I just cannot make any sense of Trump's criticism of Japan's actions in economics; it's insane to say something like that if one is well versed into economics for a long time.

[SeijiSensei]

Both the US and Japan have kept interest rates low for the past few years in hopes that it will stimulate economic growth. In the case of the US, monetary policy was the only tool available to the Obama Administration since the Republican Congress refused to enact any type of fiscal stimulus after 2009. I don't know enough about internal Japanese politics to know whether the same scenario applies there. However I don't think either country engaged in these policies as a strategy for "currency manipulation."

The bigger issue when it comes to US exchange rates is the general worldwide preference to hold dollars compared to local currencies. That has resulted in a relative strengthening of the dollar compared to other currencies. As the Japanese official in Key Board's quotation indicates, "Foreign exchange rates are led by the markets."

Trump and his buddies see all such international events as driven by dastardly foreigners and not simply as the result of impersonal market forces. It's a ludicrous perspective, but sadly one which will drive American foreign policies for the next few years.

[Key Board]

Originally Posted by Toukairin

I should have quoted the post by Key Board, my apologies. I don't think he meant that, but it's probably what some people might think when accusing some countries of doing this or that with their currency. Even the US can try if they want. Anyway, I just cannot make any sense of Trump's criticism of Japan's actions in economics; it's insane to say something like that if one is well versed into economics for a long time.

my point is that it's caused by having a weak economy, not because they are scheming foreigners that Trumphouse seems to imply

[Ithekro]

At the moment, I like the yen being low compared to the dollar, as it makes importing BD of anime cheaper than it was around 2012. Instead of costing around $700 for all of Yamato 2199 like it would have then, it will probably cost less than $500 to import all of Yamato 2202.

[Kakurin]

Kindergarten ‘crossed line’ by teaching pupils to cheer for Abe.

Saw the video today in Japanese TV. Must say it is a bit creepy how those little kids are made to chant stuff like that. Reminds me of ideological indoctrination in totalitarian countries.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Kakurin-san

Kindergarten ‘crossed line’ by teaching pupils to cheer for Abe.

Saw the video today in Japanese TV. Must say it is a bit creepy how those little kids are made to chant stuff like that. Reminds me of ideological indoctrination in totalitarian countries.

The old Taiwanese government did something similar when I was a child. And China obviously still does it too. Japan just stopped doing it after losing WW2.

Indoctrination of children isn't new. And USA certainly isn't innocent of that. American Pledge of allegiance is similar to what Taiwan does in the education system. Same with the outright worship of Founding Fathers. I am pretty sure most Americans have never studied their founders as actual real people, but instead only heard the mythological version.

[rladls2121]

Korea, China, and even Russia.
To me, it sounded like declaring wars on them.

[Verso Sciolto]

Actual steps, though not quite as far reaching as needed, are being taken to get proposed first revisions to Japan's 110 year old sex crime law approved. Passed Cabinet.

Bill incl.
Remove requirement for victim to press charges for prosecution to proceed in cases of rape and sexual molestation.
Expanding to sexual acts beyond vaginal penetration, changes in terminology.
Male victims recognised.
Expansion on domestic sexual abuse, involving parents or guardians of children under 18yo - incl. sexual acts without force or threat of force, intimidation in these cases (but not others)
Raising minimum sentence.

[Ridwan]

It's an idle question that I wish I have more Japanese insight to inform me about. But I've been curious about how Japan would fare both domestically and internationally for the next 5 to 30 years. From what I see is that Japan, or at least the current Abe administration is trying to push some kind of domestic reform in order to prepare Japan to enter China's new imperialism game and go wild, since I see his effort to revive Imperialist ideology as a way to mobilize Japanese public into nationalist hivemind the way mainlanders are today. Will this pass?

How about their geopolitical outlook, especially with the decline of America under Trump as well as the rise of RCEP and Jakarta Concord initiatives that has shifted global balance of power and geopolitical rules? Will they see the benefit of balancing their economic ties to the US with that of Indian Ocean Rim and Global South?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Ridwan

How about their geopolitical outlook, especially with the decline of America under Trump as well as the rise of RCEP and Jakarta Concord initiatives that has shifted global balance of power and geopolitical rules? Will they see the benefit of balancing their economic ties to the US with that of Indian Ocean Rim and Global South?

1. America is pushing Japan to grow their military. So this is basically pro-America as a policy.

2. America is no longer a reliable ally, Japan can't tell what USA is going to do day by day. So it makes perfect sense to relying on America for defence.

As for "imperialism"?
Japan really isn't into that. They know how much imperialism costs. I have made it clear in several posts how low Japan's military spending is compared to their GDP. Unless one argues that the Japanese are inherently evil, there is no reason to argue that Japan can't get their military back. I mean, modern Germany got an army. Why not Japan?

[Verso Sciolto]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

As for "imperialism"?
Japan really isn't into that. They know how much imperialism costs. I have made it clear in several posts how low Japan's military spending is compared to their GDP. Unless one argues that the Japanese are inherently evil, there is no reason to argue that Japan can't get their military back. I mean, modern Germany got an army. Why not Japan?

I think a case can be made that "Abe's" visions of Japan are much closer to pre-war Japanese imperialist ideologies than post-war German politicians have been to the NSDAP programm, for one thing. The Imperial Rescript on Education preaching [spelled erroneously as teaching here and there] scandal has made that much clear once again - as if we needed any more reminders of "Abe's" leanings...
"The Japanese" aren't inherently evil but some of "their" ideas are. Unlike you, apparently, I'm not entirely certain "they" have learned the lessons about the costs associated with "their" revisionist courses, and I mean "they" and "their" to be read as "Abe".

Personally I was hoping that you wrote this:

"The old Taiwanese government did something similar when I was a child. And China obviously still does it too. Japan just stopped doing it after losing WW2.

Indoctrination of children isn't new. And USA certainly isn't innocent of that. American Pledge of allegiance is similar to what Taiwan does in the education system. Same with the outright worship of Founding Fathers. I am pretty sure most Americans have never studied their founders as actual real people, but instead only heard the mythological version."

as an "indictment" of those other nationalists, as well, and not as an attempt to justify or condone it when Japanese educators and politicians engage in such equally dubious practices.

[Ridwan]

I don't think Japan is inherently evil, but their establishment does seem to be wholly unimaginative in their vision of statehood.

And no, I'm not positing Japan cannot get their military back. In fact the opposite. To be honest I don't even think US will mind all that much of them going batshit as long as they're PC about it and have China as target.