Japan Sinks under Ozawa's Despotism, Hatoyama's Irresponsibility

The threat of Japan sinking under the weight of Ichiro Ozawa's despotism and Yukio Hatoyama's irresponsibility has become frighteningly real. The 2010 budget is the worst mix of recession-extending tax hikes. It's a budget that will sink Japan.

Japan's economy is in the middle of an unprecedented crisis that could be called The Great Heisei Depression. The government's most important task is to get Japan out of this economic slump. It needs to halt the bankruptcies of small and midsize businesses, reduce unemployment and resurrect the long-suffering economies of the provinces. To be more explicit, we need an expansionist fiscal policy, not more fiscal reform. Even if we shelve the fiscal reforms for awhile, we need to work on getting the economy out of its current doldrums. To do this, cut taxes and increase public works.

But the Ozawa-despot/Hatoyama-not-my-problem Cabinet has decided that "at first, we should hold bond issuances to 44 trillion yen." In other words, the Hatoyama Cabinet is a fiscal reform cabinet. This puts Japan on a downward spiral, adding tax hikes to the Great Heisei Depression. Japan won't be able to withstand it.

What did the tax hikes of the Great Depression in the 1930s bring? Answer: economic collapse. It's as if Ozawa and Hatoyama are going to bring about the same situation.

The Ozawa/Hatoyama Cabinet threatens not only the economy, but also the sense of fairness in Japanese politics.

Ozawa's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is a party that limits the petition rights of the people. Its stance is clear: If you're not in agreement with party chief Ozawa, you won't get the right to petition.

This repudiates the sense of fairness and impartiality necessary for governance. It's as if the Ozawa/Hatoyama Cabinet is out to destroy the economy, stomp on political ethics and begin the reign of Ozawa the despot. This is not something we can ignore.

If we continue down the path we're on, then the August 30, 2009, election will be the one that not only ruined Japan's economy but also destroyed its democracy. It would be a tragedy if the results of that election ended in failure. To change routes, there needs to be a revolution within the DPJ and a return to democracy. But if the DPJ doesn't have enough strength to change itself, it must be defeated in the next election. To do this, those opposed to Ozawa's despotism and Hatoyama's unprincipled politics need to come together and form a united front. Actually, I've been hearing rumblings about the formation of an anti-Ozawa/Hatoyama movement. I will investigate this and write about it in the future.