Kan DPJ's 'Everyone for Themselves' System Threatens to Further Isolate Japan on Global Stage

As problem is aggravated, Japan may never regain its stature; DPJ members, this is no time to be asleep — we need action!

The "everyone for themselves" ethos of Japanese politics is gnawing away at the country. All sorts of evils spring from this same source.

I am sincerely anxious that most of the legislators on the Democratic Party of Japan have lost that sense of what it means to be a politician. From my vantage point, Prime Minister Naoto Kan seems only concerned with defending his own territory. Chief Secretary Katsuya Okada and Kan are cut from the same cloth, acting only in the interest of preserving their positions. The same goes for former Foreign Minister Maehara, Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano, Economics Minister Yosano and the other Cabinet members. They look as if they only care about protecting their own turf. I can't help but think that their spirits have been worn down by the "everyone for themselves" mentality that permeates the Kan administration.

The DPJ as a whole seems to have no vision for the future and no strategy. They just try to prolong their political lives by dodging the dissolution of the Diet and general elections. It's a serious problem.

Now that the budget bills have passed the lower house, the DPJ lawmakers should rise to the challenge. They should hold a joint plenary meeting of both houses of the Diet and decide whether the Cabinet should resign en masse or a general election should be called. To prolong things with no vision and no strategy is the worst option.

The confusion surrounding the Tokyo gubernatorial election stems from an "everyone for themselves" attitude that begins with current Governor Shintaro Ishihara. The chaos surrounding that election is caused by just about every candidate being consumed by a desire to put themselves ahead of the crowd.