Japanese Politics

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Kinny Riddle

Last I heard, the Brits are still ruled by a Queen, albeit mostly in name.

If "Rozen Aso" wasn't that much of a ultra hawk, I'd probably be backing him by now to last at least half as long as Koizumi.

Anyway, what of the major opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan? It's taken nearly 50 years since the War for there to be a credible opposition to the LDP (controlling the upper house and such) and still not much is known about them outside Japan. All I know is that the DPJ in its current incarnation formed around 1998 after various amalgamations over the decades, while its leader Ozawa Ichirou used to be a senior LDP MP. The current English wikipedia article doesn't reveal much either.

Domestic problems first and everything else like foreign affairs can be thrown in to the back burners for now.
As I have wrote earlier the main agenda for next election will be TAX HIKES I for one do not mind paying taxes but when I see how grossly mis-used then I will talk with my votes.
One more thing I can't stand how the LDP selects their head representative.
The electerial system is that the elected representatives(member of the upper and lower house) has one vote each counting to 182 and the entire remaining party members represents 312(?) votes.
How many party members are there anyays?
They've got to have more than one million party members aren't they?
So one regular party member's vote has only 0.04% of the total while the elected few who can meet regularly represents 3% of the total?
This system is a hot bed for deciding the next PM behind closed doors.

[Quarkboy]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

Domestic problems first and everything else like foreign affairs can be thrown in to the back burners for now.
As I have wrote earlier the main agenda for next election will be TAX HIKES I for one do not mind paying taxes but when I see how grossly mis-used then I will talk with my votes.
One more thing I can't stand how the LDP selects their head representative.
The electerial system is that the elected representatives(member of the upper and lower house) has one vote each counting to 182 and the entire remaining party members represents 312(?) votes.
How many party members are there anyays?
They've got to have more than one million party members aren't they?
So one regular party member's vote has only 0.04% of the total while the elected few who can meet regularly represents 3% of the total?
This system is a hot bed for deciding the next PM behind closed doors.

It's sounds similar to the nominating process in the US, where indivdual "super delegates" (about 400 or so) have the same weight as the 1500 or so delegates that are actually elected in each of the individual state primaries.

The fact is normally the "elite" votes follow the "electoral" votes anyway, (or maybe vica verca) so it doesn't really matter in the end. Any party that overrules the popular vote of its members too much ends up losing power in the end anyway.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Maybe that's why she's being considered. Genderbending FTW?

Umm... if you check the AFP source, it refers to her as an anchorwoman.

The "genderbending" wasn't a mistake though. That what was just me practising the misogynistic house style of a certain newspaper in my recreational time. I shan't name any names — my privacy is more important.

[Autumn Demon]

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/...ry_id=12070500

The Economist has long been hoping that the reformist members of both the LDP and DPJ will break away from their parties to form some kind of progressive party to create an actual two party system in Japan. I can't imagine such a drastic thing like that happening, but things should get interesting after the next lower-house election (September 2009 at the latest). The LDP will lose its supermajority of over 2/3 and will no longer be able to ignore the DPJ controlled upper-house.

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Kinny Riddle

I beg your pardon? Whatever did I say to warrant such a response?

I was merely asking about the chances of the DPJ from ever taking power. Must you get so bloody abrasive? What's your problem, man?

OK let me define my words, I do not give a horse's ShXT whether it took 50 years or if Ozawa was a former senior LDP MP and I certainly care less whether foreign press, critics, and/or opinion approves or not.
As I have painfully stressed, Domestic problems first and everything else like foreign affairs can be thrown in to the back burners for now.

[Kinny Riddle]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

OK let me define my words, I do not give a horse's ShXT whether it took 50 years or if Ozawa was a former senior LDP MP and I certainly care less whether foreign press, critics, and/or opinion approves or not.
As I have painfully stressed, Domestic problems first and everything else like foreign affairs can be thrown in to the back burners for now.

Your points themselves are fair enough. But what I have a problem with your reply was perhaps your lack of emoticons as well as me being a sensitive bastard, I find it too be way too abrasive.

It's as though I've offended you or something and I ought to apologize. Let's say you unintentionally something that might be misinformed and then someone yells, quoting your post, "TO HELL WITH THAT", you wouldn't feel nice now, would you? Discuss things with a cool head, mate.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

OK let me define my words, I do not give a horse's ShXT whether it took 50 years or if Ozawa was a former senior LDP MP and I certainly care less whether foreign press, critics, and/or opinion approves or not.
As I have painfully stressed, Domestic problems first and everything else like foreign affairs can be thrown in to the back burners for now.

Then... its probably a good thing you aren't in charge because Japan is a bit too important in the world to "not give a shit" about its foreign perception and relations. However, you're on target with the need to "clean up home affairs".

I find the pressure for her run at the office interesting. Is it cynical diversion? A real attempt to shake things up? A realization that all those women voters are kind of pissed off with the failure in "rice'n'soy" issues? (what we call bread'n'butter issues in the US).

It is pretty clear the public in Japan is damned unhappy with the inability of the politicians to steer the bureaucracy and unhappy with the bureaucracy for forgetting their cushy lairs require keeping the populace at least marginally satisfied with government services (roads, healthcare, transit, help for rural sectors, etc).

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Then... its probably a good thing you aren't in charge because Japan is a bit too important in the world to "not give a shit" about its foreign perception and relations. However, you're on target with the need to "clean up home affairs".

I find the pressure for her run at the office interesting. Is it cynical diversion? A real attempt to shake things up? A realization that all those women voters are kind of pissed off with the failure in "rice'n'soy" issues? (what we call bread'n'butter issues in the US).

It is pretty clear the public in Japan is damned unhappy with the inability of the politicians to steer the bureaucracy and unhappy with the bureaucracy for forgetting their cushy lairs require keeping the populace at least marginally satisfied with government services (roads, healthcare, transit, help for rural sectors, etc).

Who Koike?
She is just an eye pleaser to gain coverage by the media, sympathy from the female voters and evade the real topic at the house of representative election.
She is only going to be a one point relief and be disregarded after election.
Knowing those LDP's tactic make me more frustrated and even if she remains, she is going to be a puppet and god forbid who know's who the puppeteer is going to be.
As for foreign affairs, I am aware of it's importance but as I said many times it can be placed in the back burner FOR NOW.

[Autumn Demon]

Anyone know anything about Yosano Kaoru? I've never heard of him before this.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15e7a8b0-7...077b07658.html

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Autumn Demon

Anyone know anything about Yosano Kaoru? I've never heard of him before this.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15e7a8b0-7...077b07658.html

Yosano at the age of 70 is a grand son of a famous writer and poet Yosano Tekkan and Masako and sone of a diplomat.
He began his political career becoming a secretary for Nakasone after quiting his job.
He is an avid follower of raising the consumption taxes thinking it is the only way to obtain primary balance of the national budget.
My impression is that he also has somewhat of a grude in tax hikes since he lost an election at the time when introduction of the consumption tax was a hot debate for the then election and now it looks as if he wants to settle the scores.

To me he always seemed as a pushover following the footsteps of his mentor Nakasone, the greatest Yes-man politician of the decade.

[Quarkboy]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

Yosano at the age of 70 is a grand son of a famous writer and poet Yosano Tekkan and Masako and sone of a diplomat.
He began his political career becoming a secretary for Nakasone after quiting his job.
He is an avid follower of raising the consumption taxes thinking it is the only way to obtain primary balance of the national budget.
My impression is that he also has somewhat of a grude in tax hikes since he lost an election at the time when introduction of the consumption tax was a hot debate for the then election and now it looks as if he wants to settle the scores.

To me he always seemed as a pushover following the footsteps of his mentor Nakasone, the greatest Yes-man politician of the decade.

In america, any politician running on a platform of "double the sales tax" would be laughed out of the country.

Does such a position in Japan actually have any popular support?

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Quarkboy

In america, any politician running on a platform of "double the sales tax" would be laughed out of the country.

Does such a position in Japan actually have any popular support?

I guess unlike the US, tax hike(reforms) in Japan it is accepted more as a nutrual agenda.
Japan is more of a Liberal authoritarian society than a republican state accepting limitation of freedom to obtain benefit as a society as a whole, like nation wide mass transit system, universal insurance and so on.

The key to this debate is fairness, but at the moment the bureaucrat are sapping away tax money with no real consideration of the general public and the LDP government is impotent to correct that situation and some will even comes back saying we need to hike up taxes to obtain primary balance?

If the politicians real can show a better future 20 years down the road then a proposal for tax hike will be seriously considered by the voters but not in a situation like now.

[X10A_Freedom]

Turns out I've consumed 3-6 litres of Yili milk in the past month. Shame as those milk are the tastierst ones we get here in Hong Kong.

Taro Aso wins the LDP leader vote by a landslide.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7628495.stm

one country, one civilisation, one language, one culture and one race

As a non-Japanese in Asia, I'm not looking forward what Taro Aso might do...

[Mystique]

^
How come?
I'm more curious as to what he's gonna do for foreigners living in Japan.
but his profile sure breaks the mould for a change

Mr Aso is set become Japan's first Catholic prime minister
The party now hopes Mr Aso's brash straight-talking style and charisma - he is known for his love of adult manga cartoons - will prove an antidote to the opposition's rising popularity.
The 68-year-old veteran is promising greater public spending to try to stimulate the economy - particularly in rural areas, where the party is traditionally strong.

hmm, 68, a catholic when there are something like 1-2% of Christians in Japan (feel free to update me on a 2008 statistic), brash, straight talking and has a love for manga (or did they mean anime I wonder)
But 68, wonder if he's keeping in touch with the rest of us

[Anh_Minh]

Straight talking conservative? Is he a maverick?

And by "adult manga cartoon", do they mean pron? 'cause that's a strange thing to be known for, for a politician.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Straight talking conservative? Is he a maverick?

Not even close. Aso looks much more like a throwback trying to go back to the LDP's root support base of rural folks.

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

And by "adult manga cartoon", do they mean pron? 'cause that's a strange thing to be known for, for a politician.

It probably means that he's a fan of manga like "Salaryman Kintaro"; in other words, works for older people. It's just unfortunate that "adult" now connotes "pornographic" in the minds of much of the English-speaking world.

[Autumn Demon]

It's official now, Aso Taro will be the next prime minister of Japan.

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/...=features_box1

I hope he calls a snap election so the LDP loses its two-thirds majority.

[Vexx]

wait... he's Catholic and he's "one civilization, one culture, one race"????

Considering the rise in mixed marriages in Japan and foreign residency .... and the basic qualities of Shinto/Buddhism interwoven in the culture --- this should... prove interesting

[aohige]

Originally Posted by X10A_Freedom

Turns out I've consumed 3-6 litres of Yili milk in the past month. Shame as those milk are the tastierst ones we get here in Hong Kong.

Taro Aso wins the LDP leader vote by a landslide.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7628495.stm


As a non-Japanese in Asia, I'm not looking forward what Taro Aso might do...

Ok, that line is taken way out of context it's not even funny.

He said "Japan is the only country that has had one culture, one civilization, one race, and one language" at the opening ceremony of a cultural museum in Kyushuu.
He did not state in any way, that that is his political goal. It was statement saying Japan has been, for the majority, only one culture in its history.
(In contrast to say, China which is compromised of various mixed east asian culture, race and language, and obviously the "melting pot" of the world America)

That statement is not entirely true, of course, since there were other cultures in Japan (and other nations with the same trait).
But majority of those predates the current Japanese culture, and it still doesn't change the fact that the country's history was comprosed in majority of one culture by a single race.
(the "sakoku" period during the modern times in 19th century no doubt attributed to it also, and postponed the modernization process)

There has been many media... especially in his opposition party and outside of Japan, that only quoated part of that line, to make it look like that was his political goal.
Political pandering makes me sick to the stomach.

[Kang Seung Jae]

Originally Posted by aohige

He said "Japan is the only country that has had one culture, one civilization, one race, and one language".

The main reason I hate Aso. Seriously, those ultranationalists ignoring their relatives across the strait.