Tuesday, December 28, 2010

DPJ's Unprincipled Alliances Mean No Fixed Policies

Yesterday, Kan cozied up to the Social Democrats; today it will be the Sunrise Party; the Kan government goes here and there to build a coalition

"A reed swayed by the wind." — Jesus in the New Testament

The chaos within the Kan government and the Democratic Party of Japan is enough to make you want to look the other way. Yesterday, the party made eyes at the Social Democrats, and if it is rebuffed, it plans to move on to the Sunrise Party. What is going on? The Social Democratic Party defends Article 9 of the Constitution. The Kan government has formed a coalition with this party. If that doesn't work out, it plans to turn to the Sunrise Party, whose de facto leader is right wing hawk and Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, an advocate for constitutional reform. The Kan government doesn't know whether to turn left or right. What exactly is the principle behind this government and the DPJ? Is it all about numbers? They'll go anywhere and do anything to acquire two-thirds of the House of Representatives. It's repulsive, really.

What Prime Minister Naoto Kan should do is return the government to the people. He needs the courage to dissolve the lower house and hold a general election.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

What in the Heck is the Kan Cabinet Doing?

As the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula increases, the ruling party has become obsessed with trivial matters. Is this really the time for Kan and Ozawa to meet? It's too stupid for words.

I really want to know what the Kan Cabinet is up to. Its actions are just too ridiculous.

The idiocy of Prime Minister Kan, Chief Secretary Okada and Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku is unsurpassed. Just as the tension rises over a possible second Korean War, they are immersing themselves in trivial intra-party matters. The actions of Kan and Okada make me want to scream!

The problems of Ichiro Ozawa are matters for the justice administration to handle now. The problems of the Political Ethics Hearing Committee have become inconsequential. The other parties have been amazed at the foolishness of the Kan Cabinet.

When Ozawa was chief secretary and embroiled in the "politics and cash" problems, Kan, Okada and Sengoku never said a word. They were silent. They just followed Ozawa's lead. It wasn't until the Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution decided to prosecute Ozawa and he lost his leadership role and his political power that his invitation to the Diet became an issue. This is just too unfair.

The whole country is amazed at the foolishness of Prime Minister Kan and Chief Secretary Okada. It seems to the voters that these two figured an anti-Ozawa stance would help boost their support ratings. But this is a serious issue. To prop up their own popularity, they would turn on their ally and use his unpopularity as leverage. They are treating the public like simpletons, looking down on the average citizen.

Ozawa's trial will begin in 2011. The Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution will entrust the courts to make a judgment in the case. The invitation to testify at the Diet should have happened before the committee decided to pursue the case against Ozawa. But at the time, the politicians feared Ozawa's power and stayed silent. Kan, Okada and Sengoku waited until Ozawa started to weaken to raise their voices. It's quite unfair. Kan, Okada and Sengoku should be made responsible for their actions. Ozawa's political power is waning. Once the court case starts, many of his "allies" will distance themselves. It sickens me to watch Kan and others use Ozawa to prop up the cabinet's popularity. This should stop!

I have something to say to Ozawa: Isn't the job of a senior politician to negate one's self and think about the future of one's supporters?

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Future Crisis for Japan's Tourism Industry

What is threatening the industry? Visitors from China are important for Japan; they should be welcomed warmly

Why has the number of tourists from China plummeted? Because of an incident I relate below that has spread across the Chinese Internet. The Chinese have come to see Japan as a dangerous place.

The news is a little old, but asahi.com ran a headline on Sept. 29, 2010, that said, "Bus of Chinese Tourists Surrounded by Propaganda Trucks." Here's some of the article:

More than 10 right-wing propaganda trucks gathered around a bus carrying Chinese tourists on Sept. 29 at around 4pm on a road in front of the Fukuoka City Hall in the city's Chuo district. A commotion ensued for about 20 minutes as the trucks would not move out of the bus's way. More than 10 men came out of the trucks to kick and punch the bus and yell at the Chinese to "Come out of there!" The police came and helped the bus pass through without anyone suffering any injuries.

The location of the commotion was the center of downtown Fukuoka, where many foreign visitors gather to shop, according to the city. The people on the bus were returning to their cruise ship, which was docked in Hakata Port. The tour had attracted about 1,300 tourists, the majority of whom were Chinese.

The propaganda trucks barred the bus from passing, lining up one after the other. Right-wingers yelled through megaphones that "the Senkaku Islands are Japanese territory" and other slogans. The men approached the bus, hooting and hollering. The Fukuoka prefectural police reported that on this day in 1972 Japanese-Chinese relations normalized. About 50 right-wing organizations throughout Kyushu, totaling about 160 men and about 60 propaganda trucks, descended on the Chinese consulate in Fukuoka City to protest China's stance in the Senkaku Islands collision. Part of the group started making trouble with the Chinese tourists as they passed by the city hall.

A 22-year-old engineering student from Shanghai who was visiting Japan for the first time with two of his friends was perplexed by the situation. "We're just travelers. We haven't done anything wrong," he said.


This news made it back to China and has been spread far and wide over the Internet. Many Chinese know of this incident. The Chinese people are starting to see Japan as a dangerous place. This is why there are fewer Chinese tourists coming here. Japan's travel industry is on the verge of crisis because of the extreme actions of Japan's right-wing groups. If this sort of thing continues, the theory that Japan can rebuild based on becoming a sightseeing destination is a dream beyond a dream.