Minoru Morita Unravels Japan

We Need to Speed up the Cleanup

2011-07-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

There's no time for delays. Get the four opposition parties' disaster waste management bill approved quickly! The Kan administration needs to accept the LDP- and Komeito-led bill.

We need to speed up the cleanup. It has been more than four months since the East Japan earthquake and tsunami, yet disaster waste management is not progressing. The waste and downed trees are a hazard in this hot summer. It's not just about the stench. As the waste ferments, the temperature will rise. There's the danger of fires. We need to clean up this mess as quickly as possible, but the Kan administration has been slow to act.

This clean up is not about ruling or opposition parties. It's something all parties should cooperate on. The Democratic Party of Japan should accept the bill put forth by the four opposition parties, led by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.

The points of the opposition bill are: 1) The nation should act as a proxy for damaged municipalities when those municipalities request it, and 2) the country should assist in paying for processing the waste, maintaining facilities and managing the project (according to a report in the Komeito newspaper on July 10).

If the nation doesn't act as a proxy in this cleanup, it won't progress. With the nation's support, the cleanup could proceed promptly.

If the ruling and opposition parties can negotiate an agreement, a quick, thorough cleanup of debris is possible.

I'm counting on a courageous decision by Tatsuo Hirano, the minister in charge of disaster prevention, and Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, the senior vice minister.

Originally published in Japanese on July 13, 2011.

Thoughts on the Immoral Media and Their Frontmen Politicians

2011-07-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Kan and his "me-first" mentality are being propped up by the mass media

"Great is journalism. Is not every able editor a ruler of the world, being the persuader of it?" — Thomas Carlyle

These words from Carlyle are a eulogy to the able newspaper editor. At the same time, they also speak to the great power an able editor holds.

In today's Japan, the mass media's influence is enormous. We can't help but admit that the media's editors are the true rulers of Japan. This is the reality.

But Japan's editors are not proper editors. They don't strive for the highest good as Japanese journalism requests of them. That's because their sense of ethics is out of whack.

The able editors of today's Japan demand more money and fame as well as the right to rule Japanese politics and government. They are power hungry.

These editors have hazy morals. They use their murky sense of values to drive Japan's politics, government and economy in the direction they believe it should go. To get the results they want, Japan's most powerful editors band together. By uniting, they exert enormous power.

In other words, Japan's politics is controlled by these editors with their murky sense of values. They sent Japanese politics into decline, introducing a bad single-seat electoral system that gives a handful of parties despotic control, while treating the large majority like children. It's the mass media that has allowed the Democratic Party of Japan trio of Ichiro Ozawa, Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan to win despite not having the ability to properly run the country. The jaded media is behind Kan's current administration as well. This immoral mass media is an enemy of the people.

Watch out for the Loud Chorus Calling for a DPJ-LDP Coalition

2011-06-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

DPJ Chief Cabinet Secretary Okada and his ilk abet the cause by making remarks in support of a coalition assuming that Prime Minister Kan
will step down. It's dishonest, hypocritical politics, and it's dangerous. It is not necessary to dance to the media's tune just because they are agitated about a possible coalition.

"If the paper boat doesn't sink today, it will sink tomorrow." — Indian proverb

A grand coalition, or a politics that doesn't lean one way or the other, is not something we should pursue. Parties should pursue cooperation with opposition parties in the Diet. A grand coalition means that one party (the governing party) and a second party (the main opposition) lean against each other, creating a system where no one takes responsibility. When one party holds political power, the second needs to use the Diet to bear witness, criticize and point out the ruling party's faults.

When a governing party finds it necessary to take on a coalition partner, it should unite with a smaller opposition party. A grand coalition blurs the responsibilities of the government and the governing party. It also absolves the leading opposition, the Liberal Democratic Party, of any responsibility because a vote for the LDP would simply return political power to the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.

To revive the country in the wake of the East Japan disaster, political cooperation should occur in the Diet. A grand coalition between the DPJ and the LDP would leave out smaller parties such as New Komeito. That would be a grave mistake. The politicians of the smaller parties such as Komeito work much harder than the average DPJ politician. And they clearly make greater efforts than LDP politicians. These efforts are what hones a politician. The politicians of the smaller parties have honed themselves much more than DPJ and LDP politicians. Compare them on an individual basis, and the politicians of Komeito and other smaller parties have greater capacities. There are some exceptionally capable politicians in New Komeito and the New People's Party. To exclude the capable while fusing together the incapable and arrogant is a very dangerous proposition. What we need to do right now is end the con job of Kan politics. This is our biggest obstacle. Then the DPJ and New People's Party should get behind the idea of making NPP President Shizuka Kamei a candidate for prime minister. This is where we need to start.

What's the Point of this Failed Premier's String of Meetings?

2011-04-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The only reason for the revival conferences run by the rudderless, irresponsible Kan is to prolong his system of government. The biggest obstacle to rebuilding from the great quake is Kan himself. Getting together a bunch of academics who don't understand this point is not going to produce creative results. Real creativity requires a serious approach. This conference ought to be scrapped.

"The Congress dances, but it does not advance." — Archduke Rainer

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has a thing about making meetings. The latest conference to revive the nation, announced with much fanfare, is his 19th such meeting. There is even talk that he's planning to create a rebuilding headquarters. That would result in his 20th meeting. It is becoming increasingly clear that the objective of these meetings is to preserve Kan's government. There are no bureaucrats or people in positions of responsibility in these meetings. The biggest problem facing the government right now is that the administration doesn't work. Kan doesn't have the intention to get the bureaucrats moving; he just keeps shouting at them. Kan and the Democratic Party of Japan seem to have forgotten that the bureaucrats are people of pride.

The people are waking up to the fact that the biggest problem with the rebuilding effort after the quake is the irresponsible me-first philosophy of Prime Minister Kan. He doesn't have the vision, ideas or sense of responsibility that a political leader should have. Instead, every day he yells at the bureaucrats. Then he forms discussion groups filled with sycophantic academics who tell him what he wants to hear. When information from these discussions gets leaked to the press, he panics and denies that he said anything. And then he repeats the process. Most of the populace has the feeling that he's lying.

The revival conference is nothing more than a study group out to make Prime Minister Kan more popular. Academics of integrity must not join this group.

This is not the time for the premier to get lost in a fog of meeting-making. He needs to be brave enough to stop these useless meetings. The most effective move Kan can make to begin rebuilding from the disaster is to retire.

Excessive Self-Restraint Will Lead to Shrinkages, Dispiritedness

2011-04-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

If the whole country contracts, Japan will be ruined. While it is natural to want to put all our efforts into the revival of the quake- and tsunami-damaged areas, for a more long-term revival, we need to improve all of Japan. We need to energize the overall economy.

"Too much of a good thing is good for nothing." — Ieyasu Tokugawa

Too much of this self-imposed control sweeping the country is dangerous. Overdo it, and Japan will shrink. Tokyo is already on the verge of overdoing it. If all of Japan overdoes it, Japan will be led down the road to ruin.

The government needs an aggressive economic policy. But then comes the Pavlovian response: An aggressive economic policy will lead directly to a financial collapse. If the nation's debt rises, so will interest rates. If that happens, there will be a steady procession of small and midsize companies heading for bankruptcy protection. Japan's economy will falter.

They want to push for a tax hike. And it's not just the Finance Ministry and its scholars saying this. The majority of the politicians in the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party as well as government officials are in agreement with the Finance Ministry. And the mass media provides the echo chamber. In fact, the media is more than an echo chamber; it's leading the charge.

But the Finance Ministry's austerity measures, fixation on debt repayment and push to hike taxes will shrink Japan's economy in the long run, increasing financial debt. In other words, if we follow the austere policies of the Finance Ministry, Japan will fall apart.

The abnormal level of self-imposed control and shrinkage after the great earthquake presents a new danger. Too much of this control could send Japan to the brink. We need to change policy right away.

I think that without a policy that plays on Japan's strengths, there will be no revival. The government needs to change course to aggressive policies. On March 11, 2011, everything about Japan — its politics, economy, society, international position — changed. We need to acknowledge this and change direction too.

A Bad Prime Minister in a Bad Situation is a Formula for Disaster

2011-04-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

We need a political leader who can harness the ability of the country's civil servants to help us overcome this crisis. Prime Minister Naoto Kan is not that man. We should form a new cabinet with People's New Party leader Shizuka Kamei as the premier.

We need the focus and ability of our country's civil servants more than ever.

Japan is facing a national crisis. Political power without crisis-management know-how is worthless. A politician like Kan, who can't motivate the bureaucrats, leaves one hundred problems and no solution.

To overcome the lack of energy caused by the nuclear incident and the East Japan Earthquake, politicians need to do more than pledge unity. We need political leaders who can mobilize the national and local government employees and guide them to make the most of their abilities. Prime Minister Kan isn't up to the task.

No system will get the bureaucrats motivated and moving. We need the leadership of people. If we don't have people in positions of power who are capable of rallying the bureaucrats, we're in trouble. '

But the sad truth is there are very few politicians around these days who are up to the task. Kan has already failed. The only two in the political world who can get the government employees motivated are Shizuka Kamei and Ichiro Ozawa. Both of these men need to have a central role, but Kamei, leader of the People's New Party, is most suited for the top position.

I have a request to make of Prime Minister Kan: quietly bow out of the government and recommend Kamei as your replacement. If you do this, we'll finally have a government that can handle crisis management. A prime minister who can't rally the bureaucracy is worthless right now. I think the Democratic Party of Japan should get behind the idea that Kamei should be entrusted with the leadership role.

A Word to the Government on its Great Quake Policies

2011-03-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Thoughts of a grand coalition without sincerity create a hundred potential pitfalls and no advantages; there are no true friends in a me-first system

All that begins sincerely will end sincerely. Sincerity is the basis for all human action. Without it, nothing is obtainable.

The actions of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chief Secretary Katsuya Okada don't seem especially sincere. What creeps out is the same "me first" philosophy we've seen before.

They continue to disregard the policy requests of the opposition but then request that Liberal Democratic Party President Sadakazu Tanigaki join the Cabinet. They use "sincerity" as a political strategy. Propriety is lost in favor of bad faith bargaining. The ways of Kan and Okada lack propriety. I have repeatedly urged the government to "sincerely request cooperation from those who can help," but Kan and Okada have chosen an improper strategy. And thus nothing will move forward. Their approach is poor.

If you're going to solicit the help of the LDP and other opposition parties, then first the Diet's proceedings must be normalized. Rethink the idea of separating the budget from other related bills and bulling through a vote, and instead aim for normalizing Diet proceedings. The ruling party must also consider the demands of the opposition.

In the political world, many are talking about how Kan and Okada deliberately acted in a way that would muzzle the LDP. That show's how bad they have handled things.

If they are really interested in creating a renewed sense of national unity and getting the cooperation of the opposition, they need to first normalize Diet proceedings and then ask properly for help. But to ignore the LDP's proposed bills on tsunami protection and ask for a "grand coalition" of cooperation is an insincere and bull-headed strategy. Insincere politics creates a hundred problems and no solutions. Using this disaster to measure one's political power is nothing short of a crime.

The Diet Has Work to Do

2011-03-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

First on the list: take measure of the tsunami prevention bills shelved since last year and supported by lawmakers in the LDP and New Komeito

"Don't hesitate to correct errors." -- Confucius

How many lawmakers who refused to endorse the tsunami prevention bills tabled since last year paused to reflect on their actions once they saw the vast tragedy of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami? Many lawmakers didn't listen to Diet member Toshihiro Nikai's plea that "we should act quickly on these tsunami bills." But if any are feeling embarrassment or remorse for ignoring his plea, these are honorable politicians.

Supporters of the bill were Nikai (the former minister of trade and industry) and other members of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito Party. Nikai is an expert on crisis management, considered the top authority on the subject in the political world. He is second to none in his knowledge of disasters, earthquakes and crisis management. He has also studied tsunamis. For a long time, he has been preaching the necessity of the tsunami prevention bills.

There is no "if" in politics, but when the bills were introduced last year, if the Democratic Party of Japan had understood the need for them, they most likely would have passed and the laws would have been part of current policy toward the giant tsunami.

But we can't change the past. There's no use worrying about what might have been. It's still not too late for these bills. To bring Nikai's legislation back to life, the ruling and opposition parties need to hold a joint conference right away.

Finally, I have some harsh words for the government and the ruling party. The Kan Cabinet is using this moment to realize its DPJ manifesto, This is no time for foolishness. Put all your energy into crisis management.

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

2011-03-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

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.

Finance Ministry, BOJ Plans to Shrink Economy Loom Large

2011-03-02T08:31:00.001-08:00

If the populace doesn't wake up to this threat, Japan's future is in danger. The next worry is that they'll use the excuse of suddenly rising food prices to hike interest rates. It's quite likely that the small companies and mom-and-pop shops suffering under the deflationary spiral will suffer more when rates are hiked. The Finance Ministry and the central bank are walking Japan to the brink.

Japan is trapped in a deflationary spiral that has left many of our fellow Japanese without jobs or struggling to stay afloat. Small businesses and mom-and-pop shops are struggling with finances every day and looking bankruptcy in the eye.

However, the government, the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Japan ignore the lives of the Japanese people and worry only about finances. The central bank gives no thought to the welfare of the people and leaves the country on a deflationary course. The central bank ignores the importance of employment.

While all of Japan suffers from deflation, the rest of the world is being hit by rising food prices. Countries are moving to control the price hikes. In the midst of this, there's a danger that Japan will raise interest rates. If the Bank of Japan does this, it's going to unleash some major problems. Small companies and mom-and-pop shops will be trapped in a nightmare if some prices start to creep up while their businesses are trapped in a deflationary depression. The government needs to execute policies that counter rampant deflation. If Japan can't overcome the deflationary depression, it has no future.

Faulty Logic

2011-02-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Kan and Economic Minister Yosano say a hike in the consumption tax will be coupled by a re-examination of the social security system and tax code. They're trying to slip by with faulty logic. This sort of obvious hoodwinking of the populace is not a proper use of government authority. They should know that this insensitive major tax hike in the middle of a deflationary spiral will bring Japan's economy and its people to their knees.

Prime Minister Kan is ruled by the principle that fiscal reconstruction reigns supreme. No matter what, he's scheming to raise the consumption tax, appointing one of the Economic Ministry's minions, Kaoru Yosano, as minister for fiscal affairs, and bulling ahead with this major tax hike.

To make this happen, he has been fudging on two points:

First, while his true aim is to execute a huge tax hike, he refers to it as a "social security" issue. A debate on social security helps to mask his plans for a major tax hike.

Another smoke screen he sets up is that while the deflationary spiral is the most pressing issue the nation needs to overcome, he maintains that the most pressing concerns are fiscal reconstruction and social welfare. He should know that a major tax hike in the middle of a deflationary recession will bring the economy to its knees.

Kan and Yosano are blurring reality in these two ways. The national media in Tokyo have been furthering their cause. The mass media is helping to plant these faulty seeds in the minds of the populace. It's a dangerous ploy. The Japanese government should be focused on escaping the deflationary spiral and building up the economy and employment. It needs to find jobs for its people. To do this, it should be aggressively pursuing public-works projects.

I Protest Premier Kan's Declaration of Slavish Loyalty to the US

2011-01-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

His foreign affairs speech on Jan. 20 was a declaration of subjugation; if he is going to turn his back on his party's manifesto from the last election, he should step down and hold another vote

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's foreign affairs speech on Jan. 20 in which he pledged loyalty to the US was a declaration of subjugation. There has never been a more disgraceful speech in Japan's history. It's as if Kan is asking the U.S. to save his faltering government. We didn't hear one sliver of a sense of independence or pride from Japan's political leader.

Watching Prime Minister Kan's sad dash to subjugate the country's diplomacy to the US makes former Prime Minister Hatoyama sparkle in comparison. You want to scream, "Go, Hatoyama, Go!"

Isn't the prime minister supposed to make efforts to boost our national spirits? Prime Minister Kan's recent actions seem like an imitation of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. In fact, Kan may even outdo Koizumi in his sycophantic stance toward the U.S.

To the lawmakers in the Democratic Party of Japan, I have this to say: Can you face up to Prime Minister Kan's betrayal?

The Mortal Sin of the New Kan Cabinet

2011-01-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

The lack of generational change results in a move backward to a cabinet of "me first" types

Why didn't Prime Minister Kan select any of the excellent young politicians this time? His new cabinet is filled with "me first" types. This new group is completely made up of egoists who've been clamoring for a certain position and who think only of themselves.

The Democratic Party of Japan has some Diet members who may not have served very long but have some dynamism to them. While these young people should have been selected and put to work, Kan avoided appointing any of them, with the exception of new Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. But even Edano ran from responsibility after serving as DPJ secretary general during the party's most recent upper house election defeat.

The DPJ has very capable and diligent representatives in the lower house such as Osamu Fujimura, the acting secretary general, and Megumu Tsuji. The best way to revive Japan politically is to turn over the reins of power to this younger generation. Kan turned his back on that generation while remodeling his cabinet, and, frankly, that stinks.

Morita: Kan's new cabinet could be 'over at any moment'

2011-01-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

From the Mainichi Shimbun comes this report on Prime Minister Naoto Kan's new cabinet. Pundits, including Mr. Morita, are underwhelmed.

Kan seems likely to press for a higher consumption tax rate -- something the Japanese voters don't want for obvious reasons but the US government does. It's yet another example of the Japanese government ignoring the voters and doing the bidding of Washington DC.

Premier Kan's 'Heisei Opening' is Nonsense

2011-01-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Transpacific Partnership is essentially a US-Japan issue that makes permanent a system where the US dominates Japan's economy and sucks away the Japanese people's wealth; to bring more light on this, let's have the people of Japan debate the TPP

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has been pontificating about how the Transpacific Partnership represents the third opening after the Meiji Opening and the Occupation after World War II. Of course, this is ridiculous.

Japan is subservient to the US when it comes to not only diplomacy and the military, but economic matters as well. Japan is a vassal state of the US. It's essentially an American colony. Japan's government leaders, bureaucrats, economists, the mass media and the academia can't face this uncomfortable truth, so they continue to tell lies about how Japan is an independent country.

For Japan, the TPP is a bilateral issue with the US. The Kan government is clearly more willing to serve as lackeys to the US than even the Liberal Democratic Party governments were. The Kan government does whatever the US government asks without conditions. It's a government that can't say no. The TPP presents an international framework to further strengthen the US hold on Japan. Let's debate the TPP. I have been saying this because I want to have a discussion about the true essence of this "partnership." The Kan government is so sycophantic toward the US that it's as if the Koizumi government has been reborn. Kan's politics is just the return of Koizumi politics. Kan's Democratic Party of Japan has transformed into Koizumi's LDP. We can't afford to forget what this government is truly made of.

What Should We Do in 2011?

2011-01-10T02:14:00.000-08:00

We need to carry out a drastic conversion of economic policy to revive the economy, taking measures to escape the deflationary spiral and realize full employment

What should the Japanese people do in 2011? With humble hearts we must look reality straight in the eye and fix the mistakes of the past.

What's important on the political front? Economic revival. We need to forge a new path, leaving behind the government's mistaken economic policies and adopting new policies that work. The Japanese economy is on the brink of collapse due to those mistaken economic policies. The economy has weakened and shrunk. The economy is not only at a standstill, it is declining. Unemployment is still a serious issue. The people's livelihoods have steadily declined. Corporate bankruptcies continue apace. Large and midsize manufacturers continue their moves overseas. The regional economies remain impoverished. The nation's smallest businesses are still suffering. To escape this situation, we need to revive the economy and put it back on the path of growth by enacting policies that will help us achieve that goal. The most effective step to invigorate the economy is to launch public-works projects with the aim of enlivening the regional economies.

The Kan Cabinet's decision to cut public works is a big mistake. The budget draft on the agenda of the 2011 regular Diet session needs to be altered. If we continue to cut public works, the regional economies will continue to dwell in poverty. We have to fix this. We need to enact economic policies that are centered around a large expansion of public works.

The top priority of the government when it comes to economic policy is to get us out of this deflationary spiral. We have to stop the neoliberal structural reforms that are bringing Japan to its knees. An addiction to fiscal reform is dangerous. Anti-industrial welfare policies are also dangerous. The Kan administration is spellbound by neoliberal reforms and anti-industrial welfare policies. We need to get out of this situation starting now.

DPJ's Unprincipled Alliances Mean No Fixed Policies

2010-12-28T16:05:00.001-08:00

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.

What in the Heck is the Kan Cabinet Doing?

2010-12-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

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?

The Future Crisis for Japan's Tourism Industry

2010-12-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

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.

Korean Peninsula Crisis Demands Our Utmost Attention

2010-11-30T23:14:00.001-08:00

We must make our best efforts to avoid war; a bipartisan deal is needed

"An unjust peace is better than a just war." - Cicero

We must quell the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. We should make every effort to do so.

When the crisis erupted on Nov. 23, I was traveling. While I was in Shingu, Wakayama, I got a call from Tokyo Shimbun's breaking news department (I'd like to thank that reporter for calling me). My comments were included as part of a special report that ran on page 22 of the Nov. 24 morning edition (the article was accurate, which was why I want to thank the reporter). Here is an excerpt:

Political commentator Minoru Morita said, "The South and North are in a very precarious position that should not be thought of lightly. Japan, a geographic neighbor, needs to show some leadership on this issue. Japan should work with the six-member commission, which includes China, the U.S. and Russia, to bring about a solution to North Korea's nuclear problem."

But Prime Minister Kan seems to have disregarded diplomacy. The problem lies first with the Foreign Ministry. The Democratic Party of Japan's stance "has left the diplomats with no motivation. It's all wait and see. They aren't working at all," Morita says. "The official residence doesn't function, and the Cabinet creaks as if it's hollow. They have no administrative ability. It's a state of emergency and all they do is look serious."

So what needs to happen to change this situation? "We have a chance to unite under a bipartisan system," Morita says. Former foreign ministers should be added to the government's diplomatic team. "First assemble a meeting of party leaders. Prime Minister Kan must request the cooperation of members of the Liberal Democratic Party and other parties. Then they should work to get the Foreign Ministry moving. If the crisis on the Korean Peninsula escalates, Japan would be greatly affected. We can't just be spectators. We must have correspondence that breaks out of past frameworks."

The crisis on the Korean Peninsula should not be minimized. Japan should make every effort to preserve the peace. We should mobilize all our networks, get all the affected countries moving and return Northeast Asia to peace. Having a domestic meeting of all political party leaders is a good start. But the way they are doing things now is not good. Kan needs to sit down one-on-one with LDP chief Tanigaki and have a heartfelt conversation. Peace must be brought about by bipartisanship.

DPJ's 'Sorting Out' Process is Incoherent

2010-11-24T20:42:00.001-08:00

The so-called "sorting out" is nothing more than a political performance to gain favor with voters; the major media needs to critically assess this program they've been promoting, and the politicians, academics and celebrities pushing this misguided policy need to do some soul-searching.

"Pride must have a fall." — William Shakespeare

The conceit and arrogance of the camp backing the sorting-out process is flagrant. Their egos have been inflated by Tokyo's major media outlets. This whole plan to sort out the waste from the budget has come from the combined efforts of the Finance Ministry and the media. But the overwhelming arrogance of the politicians, academics and celebrities backing the idea has made the public lose trust in the plan.

Lately, the talk has been incoherent. The Kan administration sets fires just to put them out.

The major media outlets are responsible for the reckless promotion of this idea. The media should look critically at this incoherent policy they've been trumpeting. The newsroom executives who bowed down to this policy ought to apologize to the people and resign. The media is becoming increasingly arrogant. It must stop playing politics.

Ozawa Can't Run from Congressional Testimony

2010-11-10T11:35:00.001-08:00

This political leader has a responsibility both politically and morally; the Diet is the nation's ultimate authority, so avoiding testimony there would strip Ozawa of any right to continue as a representative; he should resign!

Ichiro Ozawa should not be allowed to escape from testifying in the Diet. He bears great responsibility as a long-serving political representative. A political leader such as Ozawa has more than a legal responsibility to do the right thing -- he can't shirk his political and moral responsibilities either.

Ozawa should go to the Diet and testify about the problems he faces. If he runs, he abdicates his responsibilities as a Diet representative. Ozawa is a leading politician. He needs to set an example. If he can't do this, he should end his political career and resign from the Diet.

For more on this story, click here.

Major Crimes against the State

2010-11-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's a major crime against the state to use the power of the prosecutor's office to inflict human rights violations; the public prosecutors who did this need to be severely punished.

Many defendants have come forward to say that the public prosecutor's office used a secret interrogation room to threaten and inflict mock-executions and torture on the defendants until they signed on to the stories made up by the prosecutors. This is a major state crime. But the prosecutors who presided over these inhuman acts go largely unaccused of any misdeeds. We can't overlook this.

While the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office was shaken to the core when word of the evidence-tampering scandal involving Tsunehiko Maeda of the special investigation unit surfaced, the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office has practically succeeded in making it a case for the Osaka office alone to work out. The mass media has helped by circling the wagons.

But the whole country knows that Maeda is just the tip of the iceberg. An overhaul of the whole prosecutor's system is necessary. At the very least, we need to take a scalpel to the current status quo, where the special investigations division of the public prosecutor's office has the right of arrest and the right of prosecution at the same time. In fact, the office's power is untethered.

The Diet should enact laws that make investigations transparent. The Diet should pass a resolution that to overcome human rights violations, transparency laws should govern investigations. The Maeda incident will not be resolved if it is framed as an Osaka prosecutor's problem. A complete overhaul of the Public Prosecutor's Office is needed.

Why is Foreign Minister Maehara Repeatedly Roiling Japan-China Relations?

2010-10-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

What does Prime Minister Kan think? And why won't the DPJ say anything about this foreign minister's provocations? What will we do when the Japan that has lived by its peace Constitution loses the peace? Isn't it the foreign minister's job to worry about the environment of Japanese working in China?

Why is Japanese Foreign Minister Maehara continuously using violent language in regards to the Chinese people and government? Why did Prime Minister Kan entrust the foreign ministry to this violent man? And why aren't Kan and Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku warning Maehara?

The Oct. 22 morning edition of the Tokyo Shimbun ran the headline "China Criticizes Foreign Minister Maehara" with the subhead of "A summit meeting is up to Japan." I've excerpted a rather long section here:

Beijing (By Minoru Ikeda) -- Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Hu Zhengyue said on Oct. 21 that "the verbal attacks on China continue day after day" in reference to a comment by Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara that a Japan-China summit "didn't need to be rushed."

Hu also said that the possibility of a Japan-China summit alongside the ASEAN meeting in Hanoi at the end of the month "depended on having the appropriate conditions and atmosphere." The next move was up to Japan, he said. Referring to Maehara's most recent comment, he said, "The China-Japan relationship needs both sides to work toward improvement. So why is there no rush? Why is he stirring things up around the China-Japan relationship and trying to harm it? Did the Chinese leadership say something to set him off? We only said that we wanted to aim for close communication."

Prime Minister Kan, why are you so forgiving of Foreign Minister Maehara as he continues his verbal violence? What do you think about the fact that the words of your foreign minister are putting the expat Japanese working in China in more danger? The more he continues his extremely provocative comments, the more anti-Japanese sentiment will rise in China and the more a boycott of Japanese goods will spread. The troubles of Japanese working in China will deepen. Even considering all this, will you let this man of profound personal anti-Chinese sentiments continue his provocations? If he wants to live by his anti-Chinese ideology, then ask for his resignation first.

Peace is Our Priority

2010-10-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Peaceful coexistence among nations is maintained through agreements to not interfere in others' internal affairs

"Peace is the ideal. It goes without saying that peace is difficult, unstable and under threat." -- Hermann Hesse

Japan must not participate in the collective "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" trend. It can't get caught up in China bashing. It shouldn't join the ranks of those who look for a Nobel Prize by lambasting China.

To defend peace these days, we need to approve of peaceful coexistence among countries with different political systems. We must agree to refrain from meddling in each others' internal affairs.

Within Japan's media and political world, the diplomacy of Koizumi and Abe is making a comeback.I can't think of a more idiotic approach.

Remarkably, there are those within Japan today who advocate a Chinese containment policy. Japan should not attempt such a dangerous thing.

To look into the mistakes China has made, we need time and calm. We should remember the words of Pythagoras: "Anger begins with folly and ends in repentance." We can't be moved by our emotions alone.

Five Powerful Items to Change People's Consciousness

2010-10-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

China and the Senkaku Islands, the rare earth embargo, the Osaka prosecutor special investigation scandal, compulsory indictment of Ozawa and the Nobel Prize in chemistry going to Suzuki and Negishi; Now more than ever we truly need a government for the people!

"The people's well-being is the highest law." -- A Roman edict

Lately, a lot of shocking things have occurred. Looking at the main events since September, we have the Senkaku Islands controversy, with China playing offense; the connected embargo of rare earth shipments to Japan; the scandal involving falsification of information in the special investigation division of the Osaka District Prosecutor's Office; a committee's decision to proceed with the indictment of Ichiro Ozawa; and the awarding of the Nobel Prize in chemistry to two Japanese scientists.

The big event here is the China shock. It has brought out the anti-Chinese fervor of some Japanese people. If this anti-Chinese sentiment continues unabated, it will be hard to continue the friendly ties Japan has developed with China. That's how big this shock has been.

Second is the scandal in the Osaka District Prosecutor's Office. This has blown away the trust the people once had for the police. It is also spreading distrust of the nation throughout society. This change in consciousness will not be easy to undo.

Third is the awarding of the Nobel Prize in chemistry to two Japanese scientists. This has created breathing space for those of us who don't want to dwell on the dark realities and would prefer to look forward to a hopeful future.

These three items will weigh heavily on the people's consciousness. Politicians won't be able to just fight for the sake of fighting. They must work to find something for the people to believe in. Politicians will feel the wave of distrust from the populace. The political world will need to figure out how to work in the interest of the citizenry. It's time to think of making bipartisan efforts.

Watch out for Mass Media's Fanning of "Anti-China" Flames

2010-10-07T15:12:00.001-07:00

The Heisei Era version of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association brings the DPJ and LDP together in a big union of China-baiting, saber-rattling and threats to national autonomy; the media is riding the anti-China, anti-coexistence wave for all it's worth. This movement must be stopped. The political and media worlds are hurtling Japan down a dangerous path toward conflict with China

"There never was a good war or a bad peace." — Benjamin Franklin

Lately I've been making an effort to watch as closely as possible Tokyo's major newspapers and key television outlets. That's because in today's Japan our media holds a decisive power that can sway the populace. I'm worried about the media's recklessness.

Pay attention to the appearances and the remarks shown on Tokyo's major TV outlets. It's all the leading anti-Chinese elements of the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party. Some politicians must advocate peaceful measures, but those people don't get called into the TV studios. The TV networks have all their focus on the most bellicose elements. The major TV commentators are in the anti-China, anti-coexistence camp.

The failure of Japan's leaders before World War II was their inability to stand up to the pressure exerted by the great military power, the United States. Japan became belligerent and rashly entered a war with the US. The leaders of that day didn't have enough conviction that war was the one thing the country should avoid. They couldn't endure. Their commitment to peace was weak.

The younger generation of politicians in Japan are quick to raise a ruckus over random legal matters or principles of justice, complaining loudly that their opponents are bad for this or that reason, but I think they lack the strong will to protect the national interest while walking the path of peace. Diplomacy needs to put actions ahead of words. There's no way we can jump on the media's bandwagon, embrace its narrow-minded patriotism and also conduct diplomacy. Foreign Minister Maehara is wrong. A politician in a position like the foreign minister's can't say idiotic things that frighten leaders of other countries. We need to escape from this infantile "diplomacy."

Foreign Minister Maehara Timidly Clings to Secretary Clinton for Support

2010-09-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Why don't the Kan administration and Foreign Minister Maehara contact China directly instead of clinging to the US government and letting it do everything? Isn't Japan's government just becoming the kind that has to consult the US on everything before it can make a single move? It's losing its ability to independently solve problems.

When US Secretary of State Clinton said that the Senkaku Islands issue probably falls under the purview of Article 5 of the US-Japan security pact, Maehara looked relieved.

Article 5 of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the US says that the US is obliged to provide defense for Japan. Put simply, it's as if the US said, "Don't worry if China does something to you. We'll be there to protect you."

The problem is that once the dispute in the Senkakus arose, the Japanese government did not act in a way that would lead to diplomatic resolution. It just looks like Japan is clinging to the US.

The Japanese government needs to take action so that it can use its own diplomatic strength to resolve this dispute with China.

Kan's Handling of Human Affairs Lacks Grace

2010-09-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Too many tricks, too little sincerity leave a lasting scar

Prime Minister Kan's handling of human affairs is undignified. He comes off as tricky and insincere. Take the case of Chief Secretary Okada for example. It's said that Kan really wanted Okada as his chief secretary, but for the sake of the party he first reached out to Kawabata-san. Once Kawabata turned down the offer, Kan chose his true favorite, Okada. If this is true, it shows how the process under Kan lacks dignity.

Within the Democratic Party of Japan, many think that Kan expected to be turned down when he offered to make Ichiro Ozawa and Azuma Koshiishi acting party leaders. He took the step to make it seem like he was doing his duty, the thinking goes. He cuts off the Hatoyama group and isolates the Ozawa faction. It's a dirty strategy. The person with the most power and authority needs to refrain from makeshift moves.

The newspapers report that the man at the center of this all-encompassing anti-Ozawa push is Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku. Really? I'd like to look into this if I have the opportunity. The mass media may be trying to start a confrontation.

At any rate, Kan's approach lacks grace. It's all smoke and mirrors. The mass media broadcasts his moves with great interest, but the reporters lack dignity too. I think it's time to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you keep doing what you're doing, interparty squabbling will go on and on. The nation won't trust a party like that. The party will just fall apart. I'd like our politicians to start showing some spine.

The Gods of Incompetence

2010-09-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

I heard an executive at a small company cry out: "If the government, Finance Ministry and central bank, with their image of extreme incompetence, are entrusted with Japan's economy, we're in for a collapse." The message is clear: Get to work on measures to boost the economy!

Recently, I listened to what an executive of a small business had to say. Here's a sample:

"It's as if Prime Minister Kan, former Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa, Finance Minister Noda and Bank of Japan Governor Shirakawa know nothing about the lives of the Japanese people. They are very insensitive to the worsening economic conditions. Too insensitive, in fact. Those of us running small businesses are in life-or-death mode now. The cash is not flowing. The banks aren't providing financing. It's like they have the attitude that if we fail, we fail.

"Prime Minister Kan doesn't know anything about the lives of the Japanese people. All Finance Minister Noda talks about is fiscal reconstruction. I don't get the impression that they are trying to improve our situations and help the people out. Ichiro Ozawa keeps talking about the manifesto. If that manifesto was enforced, Japan's economy would be brought to its knees. It needs to be rethought.

"But the worst of all is BOJ Governor Shirakawa. He is the God of Incompetence. When I see his face on TV, I quickly turn the set off. He's completely unreliable and ice cold. It's as if he only thinks about himself and the BOJ. I wish he'd make the central bank work for the people. If not, I wish he would step aside."

Kan, Ozawa, Noda and especially Shirakawa, if you don't have the will to fulfill the duties of the position you hold, now would be a good time to step aside. I would like to ask Shirakawa to voluntarily step down from his post at the Bank of Japan.

The DPJ Needs to Shed Its Arrogance

2010-09-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Party has inflated view of self since the Hatoyama government took over in September 2009

Over the course of the past year, the Democratic Party of Japan has succumbed to arrogance and selfishness.

The DPJ's arrogance surfaced when then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama began discussing his united party theory.

Hatoyama was after his own rehabilitation. It was the ultimate expression of the "me-ism" of the party -- Hatoyama's brand of egoism. It's clear that as the former premier worked to strengthen the Ozawa-Hatoyama-Kan triumvirate, he was really working to rehabilitate his own position. When his government stepped down in the first half of June, he announced that he would not run in the next election, choosing to retire. "As someone who has experience being prime minister, I will not offer comments on the current state of politics," he said at the time. But Hatoyama later withdrew this comment. The troika system was supposed to be the first step for Hatoyama's return, but the strategy failed.

The troika system was responsible for betraying the people's expectation for regime change. If the DPJ doesn't destroy and get out from under this system, it has no future. Hatoyama confused the Futenma issue on Okinawa; former party chief Ichiro Ozawa's money scandal was ignored by the Diet; and Prime Minister Naoto Kan continues to obfuscate on the consumption-tax issue. These three lost the trust the people placed in a DPJ government. Hatoyama's aim was to perpetuate this troika. It's perfectly natural for an idea inflated with so much conceit to fail.

Backroom politics came up with the perpetual troika idea. At one point, the party leaders discussed doing away with party elections. That would result in the 34,000 party members having their authority stripped from them. Democracy within the party would have been trampled upon. And it would have brought about the perpetual rule of shadow boss Ozawa. The DPJ needs to fight this aggressively. Party members need to swear off the arrogance and conceit that emerged when the DPJ took power in 2009 and pledge to fix the party.

The DPJ Splits into the Public Opinion Slaves (Kan) and the Anti-Public Opinion Camp (Ozawa)

2010-08-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

How long can the Ozawa camp endure as it battles public opinion?

The Aug. 29 edition of the Tokyo Shimbun contained the results of a Kyodo News poll conducted on Aug. 27-28. The poll revealed that when people were asked which candidate they wanted to lead the party, 69.9% answered Naoto Kan while 15.6% said Ichiro Ozawa. Among Democratic Party of Japan supporters, 82% opted for Kan. Prime Minister Kan's cabinet won 48.1% support, up 9.4% from the last survey. Kan's stance on ridding the party of Ozawa's influence is winning support. On Aug. 30, other papers also published the results. No matter how you cut it, Prime Minister Kan has a big lead.

However, Ozawa enjoys strong support from DPJ lawmakers in the Diet. Even if Kan has support among party members and local legislators, if Ozawa exerts pressure on Diet members, it will be hard for Kan to prevail.It's clear that Ozawa is leading in the early stages of the campaign. But public opinion is not behind him. In Tokyo, Diet legislators are voicing their support for Ozawa, but in the provincial districts they are being noncommittal. Most DPJ members try to strike a balance between a middle road and the desires of voters in the provinces. But how long can they maintain this balance of contradictory views? If Ozawa wins, his administration would begin by opposing public opinion. It looks like the party is at a dangerous crossroads. If Ozawa wins, the party will go from being a slave to public opinion to becoming a foe of it. The former is not a good approach, but the latter is much worse.

I want to reach out to the DPJ one more time: Don't you have a candidate who can carve out a third way that is not the Ozawa or Kan way? If the DPJ comes up with a third candidate, it could escape both the Kan and Ozawa paths at the same time. Why won't the DPJ go down this third path?

A Word about the Government's Economic Policies

2010-08-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

If there is something that needs doing to revive the economy, then get it done

The actions of Prime Minister Kan and the Bank of Japan governor have been slow — too slow. The world knows that Japan's business sector has stalled. The unfavorable exchange rate, low stock prices, meager consumption, spiraling deflation and rising joblessness all run the risk of getting worse. And yet the government and the Bank of Japan are still slow to act. The alarming truth is that those in government who should be taking responsibility are enjoying leisurely summer vacations.

The information coming from government sources is all about small policy matters. They talk of extending the eco-point system, supporting the job searches of new graduates, offering financial support to small and midsize businesses. Well, if there's something they can do, they ought to act soon. But the worsening condition of Japan's economy is not going to improve with small policy steps.

Of all the major newspapers, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun seems to have a sense of urgency. From August 17, it started running a front page column above the fold entitled, "The Economic Slowdown: What Must be Done?" The first article featured University of Tokyo Professor Motoshige Ito proposing that the corporate tax be dropped 5%. In a part of the feature where the reporter expresses his or her opinion, called "Through the Reporter's Eyes," this journalist explained that there is ¥5.4 trillion allotted for child welfare, but a drop in corporate tax by 5% would erase ¥1 trillion or so in tax revenue. If the child welfare budget were cut, the reporter continued, the budget could be maintained.

I believe a corporate tax cut is necessary. Professor Ito said of the Democratic Party of Japan, "They are not getting out a message about what they are thinking." I agree.

The second article featured Masayuki Oku of Mitsui-Sumitomo Bank saying that to end the high yen rates, the government needs to take a firm stance. I believe that's true. The government and the central bank need to take a strong stance. Oku said of the DPJ, "I wish it would show some urgency and tension." I agree with this too.

We have no need for a government or central bank that's unwilling to act. If you're not going to do your job, then step down.

Media's Bias in Economic Reporting is Flagrant

2010-08-19T07:59:00.001-07:00

It is unusual and irresponsible to entrust analysis to economists from big financial institutions and stock brokerages; the media shouldn't become a lackey of the financial world

The media's economic reporting is very biased.

First, most of the commentators are private-sector economists from big financial institutions and stock brokerages. The coverage is extremely one-sided. There are academics who can offer economic analysis. There are neutral research organizations too. Yet those appearing on TV are economists from the big banks and brokerages. These economists work for the financial world and the stock market. They are mostly Milton Friedman disciples, influenced by his views on monetarism. Most of them are swayed by the Finance Ministry's principles for financial reconstruction.

What's up with the media? They are way too biased. The media should be training analysts to be independent and original.

Second, the media always finds a financial crisis to make a fuss about. Some newscasters keep repeating how Japan is already bankrupt. The media has become the frontman for the Finance Ministry. For the last 20 years, the Finance Ministry has pushed financial reconstruction, but it's been a failure. Economic analysts who don't admit this are frauds.

The media rarely reports on the realities of unemployment, the regional economies and small to midsize businesses. The reporting is biased. The media is out of whack.

They should report the news fairly.

Kan Cabinet's Economic Policies Would Sink Japan

2010-08-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

Premier's plan should make full employment a top priority

The economic thinking of the Kan Cabinet is flawed. Actually, it's more than just flawed; it's a terrible, ruinous policy. The mass media, which has cozied up to the Kan administration, actively advertises the abnormal thought process of Professor Ono, known as "Kan's brain," who espouses the idea that "tax hikes can result in growth." It's a ridiculous economic hypothesis. To raise taxes significantly in the midst of a deep deflationary spiral is a death wish of sorts. Follow through on this plan and the economy will be crushed. I can think of nothing more dangerous than putting our trust in the soft-minded politicians who believe Professor Ono's bizarre theory.

While not as extreme as Professor Ono, a fair number of Democratic Party of Japan legislators believe that social welfare can spark economic recovery. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said before the August 4 upper house election that "welfare will bring about a recovery."

The government's hottest topic these days is what to do to escape this deepening deflationary spiral. It must reduce unemployment. That needs to be the urgent priority in any economic policy. The objective of government is to reduce joblessness and realize full employment. A society is stable when all the able-bodied and mentally capable people have work and can provide for their families. Social welfare programs tend to those people who cannot work. Taking a large view, the biggest boost in social welfare would be to realize full employment. This needs to be the priority.

The best policy to bring this about would be to start a public-works program to renew the nation's infrastructure. But to pull this off, the mass media would need to stop its prejudicial and malicious coverage of public works.

Trio of Political Leaders Put Yoke on Japanese Politics

2010-08-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

The DPJ must shake loose of the Ozawa-Hatoyama-Kan era if it is to have a future; party members must liberate themselves, removing the three-layered scab and bringing about a generational revolution.

There's a problem with the mass media's take on the Democratic Party of Japan: It focuses solely on the activities of Kan, Ozawa and Hatoyama, and ignores the rest of the party. But at the same time, if the more than 400 members of the DPJ can't stand up to these three and muster some independent spirit, then the party's future is bleak. At this rate, the number of DPJ members serving in the lower house will be cut in half in the next election.

Now is the time for DPJ members to liberate themselves.

Once this extraordinary Diet session comes to an end, a politician with the will to lift up the Japanese people should run for the party's top post in the September vote. DPJ members, free yourselves from the shackles of this terrible trio. Pick away the three-layered scab and start a revolution.

Doubts about Former Agent Provocateur Kim Hyon-hui's Japan Visit

2010-07-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

No matter how I look at it, her arrival seems like a performance to recover some of the DPJ-led Kan administration's former popularity; all of the cost associated with this visit should be borne by the party, not the country. The government should be engaging in diplomatic exchanges with North Korea; without diplomatic efforts, there will be no solution to the abduction issue.

To solve the abduction issue, the governments of Japan and North Korea need to engage in diplomatic negotiations. There is no possible solution to work toward when neither country is engaging the other diplomatically. Increasing the punishment without diplomacy will not bring about a solution.

Although it is self-evident that diplomacy is necessary, every administration since the Koizumi government has refused to make an effort. We've followed the suggestion of the family groups and increased the economic sanctions, but we haven't moved ahead one bit. The family groups have asked the US for help, but the Americans aren't going to engage the North Koreans in place of the Japanese government. Senior US officials are giving the family groups nothing but lip service.

Among the people involved in the abduction issue, not one has urged the Japanese government to engage in urgent talks with the North Koreans. Why? Do they think negotiations aren't necessary?

They all look at the family associations to figure out which opinion to take. The reason these groups have such unparalleled influence is the support they get from Japan's mass media. If this continues, diplomatic talks won't advance at all. This Japan visit by former agent provocateur Kim Hyon-hui is nothing more than a performance aimed at boosting the popularity of the DPJ-led Kan administration. The Democratic Party of Japan should be footing the bill.

The DPJ government should not be focused on performances aimed at the domestic mass media. The party's efforts should be put behind honest diplomatic negotiations.

What the DPJ Needs to Do

2010-07-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

The party needs to overcome its Ozawa-Hatoyama-Kan legacy and create a new system of leadership; if it continues unchanged, the party will fall apart

Do the 400-plus members of the Democratic Party of Japan in the Diet understand the serious meaning of the loss their party was handed on July 11?

When a party loses a national election, it means that the voters have rejected the idea that the party is qualified to govern. The August 30, 2009, election results were also a rejection of the party in power. If we don't wake up to this reality, the future is bleak.

The voters have rejected the DPJ-run government, which held power since September 2009, beginning with the Hatoyama administration. The three leaders during this reign were former DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Prime Minister Naoto Kan (formerly deputy prime minister).

The DPJ has to accept this cold reality. The DPJ's first chapter (which began in September 2009 with Ozawa, Hatoyama and Kan) is over, and the second chapter must begin with a big change of direction. Foreign Minister Okada, Transport Minister Maehara, Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku and the heads of the party's various branches need to face the same fate as Ozawa, Hatoyama and Kan. The new leadership needs to remove any remnant of the Ozawa-Hatoyama-Kan regime and rebuild the party. The way forward for the DPJ is to clean house and install a new group of leaders.

Kan's DPJ Beaten Down as LDP Gains in Upper-House Vote

2010-07-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

The government can revive the economy, promote employment and spark economic growth by turning around the nation's economic policies

The Kan administration stumbled to defeat in the upper-house election after advocating a 10% consumption tax. The political mood took a sharp turn when the DPJ won 44 seats to the LDP's 51. The administration should first admit its mistake. Imposing a 10% consumption tax in the midst of a worsening deflationary recession would have brought Japan to its knees. We learned in the 1930s what raising taxes in a deflationary spiral can do; history teaches us it would destroy the people's economy. We'd do well to mull over this particular lesson.

The Kan government brought about its own downfall by assisting the Finance Ministry with its plans to drastically hike the consumption tax. It was a very foolish move. But what was also foolish was the administration's wishy-washiness. Prime Minister Naoto Kan is the ultimate populist, as evidenced by his speeches. But because of these moves, he's lost the trust of the people.

The Democratic Party of Japan needs to open its eyes. What the government needs to do above all else is figure out how to get the economy out of its deflationary spiral and onto a path for growth, and how to boost employment. To do this, we need to mobilize on the fiscal and monetary fronts.

After some severe self-criticism, the Kan administration ought to right itself by embracing an aggressive economic agenda to fix our economy.

Something We Shouldn't Forget or Forgive

2010-06-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Kan Cabinet and the DPJ run from the Diet without convening budget committees in either house; justice for this political crime should be meted out by the voters in the July 11 election

The Kan Cabinet and the Democratic Party of Japan escaped parliamentary deliberations. Though they could have convened the budget committees of both houses, the cabinet and the party quashed any hopes for deliberation and fled. They pulled a fast one.

Parliamentary deliberations are for the people. It's an important way that a democracy gives voters the material they need to decide their votes.

It's criminal for Kan and the DPJ to eliminate debate just as we enter a crucial time where we're deciding who to vote for in the upper-house election. If we allows this sort of immoral politics, we invite chaos and unhappiness. We have to leave behind the politicians who choose to act immorally. There's no reason for the Diet to exist if we allow lawmakers and politics that don't show esteem for the institution. I want the power of the people to get behind the Diet, the most esteemed institution of our government. To do this, we must punish those who run from it.

Why I Predict a Big Loss for the DPJ in the Upper House Vote

2010-06-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Kan Cabinet is continuing the Hatoyama administration policy of ignoring Okinawa; will the citzenry support Kan's government anyway? Will the media?

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has shown that he will follow the lead of the Hatoyama administration when it comes to policy surrounding the Futenma military base. He's continuing to disregard Okinawa.

At the same time, opinion polls show high expectations for Kan. But something doesn't make sense. Support for former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama had slipped into the 10% range, while support for Kan -- espousing the same policies as his predecessor -- soars above 60%.

Are the Japanese people saying they are fine with the policy of disregarding Okinawa that both Hatoyama and Kan have followed?

The major media in Tokyo have turned into cheerleaders for Kan. For most of them, the main reason for this cheerleading is that Kan has vowed to turn away from Ichiro Ozawa. If he disregards Ozawa, will it be OK to disregard Okinawa too?

I'd like to pose a question to the national media and the voters who support Kan. Do you agree with the government's policy of disregarding Okinawa? There is danger in the national media supporting Kan as he vows to uphold the US-Japan joint communique and ignore the people of Okinawa. The people shouldn't trust the media as they praise Kan. We have to be careful of mass media types with political ambitions and a desire to push the populace in a certain direction.

Why Didn't Hatoyama Resign before the US-Japan Communique?

2010-06-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Premier steps down after damaging Japan's national interests; we need to fix this with a general election for both houses

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama gave two reasons for his resignation. First was the Futenma military base problem and the departure of the Social Democrats. Second was the money and politics scandal.

These are extremely selfish reasons. If he's going to resign, why not do it before the release of the US-Japan joint communique? His timing raises a lot of questions and a lot of problems: He resigned after causing damage to Japan's national interests. It's really quite a bad move.
On the afternoon of June 1, US Ambassador to Japan John Roos said Japan and the US would work together to move Marine Air Station Futenma (in Ginowan, Okinawa) as quickly as possible. He also said that Japan's prime minister represents the Japanese people. This was interpreted as a request for Japan to fulfill its part of the agreement even if a different prime minister were in charge. Some people say this killed any chance of bringing the Social Democrats back into the fold by revisiting the US-Japan agreement.

Hatoyama governed without clear ideas. He did not reflect on his haphazard policies or his egotistical concerns. He should have apologized for mishandling the government. He governed like a reed swaying in the wind, without definite ideas. If no one in the Democratic Party of Japan is willing to reflect on or criticize this fundamental problem, then the party is unfit to rule. We can't allow the DPJ to quietly sweep all its sins under the rug.

The normal course for democratic politics in the wake of Hatoyama's resignation would be to appoint a new prime minister and then dissolve the lower house so that an election of both houses could take place on the same day. If the DPJ is going to present a new government to run Japan, it should do so resolutely.

Diet Needs Sworn Testimony from Ozawa

2010-05-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

Making the DPJ chief testify should be the top priority; The LDP and other opposition parties need to unite to make this happen. If the DPJ uses its majority to block Ozawa's testimony, the opposition should walk out of the lower house and start a citizens' movement.

The Democratic Party of Japan is wrong. It's fixated on government "of Ozawa, for Ozawa and by Ozawa." The party has forgotten the people and is intent on protecting its leader, Ichiro Ozawa.

Ozawa should cooperate with the federal investigation. Here's a very important point: The 5th Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution agreed unanimously that it was unjust to not prosecute Ozawa. If the Diet chooses to ignore this, it is abdicating its responsibility.

All the opposition parties should unite and not diverge from the goal of getting Ozawa to give sworn testimony. If the DPJ denies this request, the opposition should stop discussing any bill submitted by the Hatoyama cabinet and appeal to the people that the DPJ has acted wrongly. If the DPJ continues to protect Ozawa, the opposition should call for the dissolution of the lower house and new elections. If the issues surrounding Ozawa and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are treated vaguely, the people's trust will be lost. The DPJ would definitely lose a general election centered on the theme of "politicians and money" and the roles of Hatoyama and Ozawa.

Forecasting the Summer Upper-House Election

2010-05-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Big losses for DPJ, rebound for LDP, progress for Your Party

The trend for 2010 is the opposite of the trend for 2009. It's quite likely that the Democratic Party of Japan and the Hatoyama administration are going to suffer a big loss.

I estimated the outcome of the 2010 upper house election this summer based on opinion polls. There are 242 seats in the upper house. Half of these, or 121 seats, are up for election every three years. Of that half, 48 are decided through proportional representation and 73 are through direct elections.

Of the 48 proportional seats, the top two parties will take about 30. The remaining 18 will be split among New Komeito, the Japan Communist Party, Your Party, the Social Democrats, People's New Party and other parties. While polls show the DPJ with a small lead, as the election nears, that lead will shrink. I forecast that the proportional seats will go this way: DPJ, 15; LDP, 15; Komeito, six; Your Party, eight; Communists, three; Social Democrats, one.

As for the direct elections, I see Tokyo's five seats split equally among the DPJ, LDP, Komeito, Your Party and the Communists. As for the 15 seats in the three-seat districts (Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka), I see it breaking down this way: DPJ, five; LDP, five; Komeito, two; Your Party, three. The 24 seats in the two-seat districts (Hokkaido, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Niigata, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) will be split 12-12 by the DPJ and the LDP, I predict.

The upper-house showdown will occur in the 29 single-seat districts. The DPJ faces an inevitable battle here. The dissatisfaction with and distrust of the Hatoyama administration is growing because of its decision to disregard rural communities when making policy. Here is where the election will be decided.

Prefectures where the DPJ is likely to win (based on recent opinion polls) are Iwate, Tochigi, Nara, Tokushima, Kochi and Oita — a total of six. Another five prefectures — Yamagata, Yamanashi, Mie, Shiga and Okinawa — are too close to call between the DPJ and the LDP. The remaining 18 prefectures — Aomori, Akita, Gunma, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Wakayama, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Kagawa, Ehime, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima — are likely to go to the LDP.

My forecast is for the DPJ to take 42 seats, the LDP 53, Komeito nine, Your Party 12, the Communists four and the Social Democrats one. Of the five prefectures that are too close to call, I gave three to the DPJ and two to the LDP.

As of the middle of April, it's unlikely that there will be any new parties winning seats except for Your Party. It will corral the votes of people expecting something new. The DPJ leadership may try to mitigate its losses by announcing a lower-house election on the same day. If it can keep 241 seats in the lower house, the Ozawa system will remain intact. But the DPJ faces a big problem over whether the Ozawa system will win support or bring on repudiation. The DPJ is the Party of Ichiro Ozawa.

The debate about whether to hold an upper- and lower-house election will begin to get lively. They'll release trial balloons while debating the negative points of an election of both houses until the likelihood of a general election grows. In the end, they will likely opt to hold the election for both houses.

One Thing to do before Focusing on Child Care

2010-05-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Employment policies would provide necessary 'parent care'

"Work is the backbone of life." -- Freiderich Nietzsche

The Child Care Act has become law, so starting this June, families will receive an extra 13,000 yen per child. Most major newspapers are saying that the measure was enacted as part of Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa's strategy for winning the upper-house elections. A government handout of cash is likely to influence the elections. But we can't call this just politics. Politicians must govern in a moral way.

There are many problems with this approach. Let me point out two. First, the plan is to make this child subsidy permanent, but the legal standing for it is vague. The version that just passed is effective for only one year. There's no clear guarantee from the second year. Citizens have a lot of thoughts about this. I have been receiving emails and letters about this issue. I'd like to share one:

"I welcome the child-care subsidy, but I'd like it to continue once it starts. However, if you think about our fiscal resources, it seems likely that there won't be money to fund the program at some point. That's the biggest sticking point for me. I'd like them to make it so there's never a situation where a child has to stop going to school."

Looking at the economic situation today, it's very unlikely that tax revenue will grow next fiscal year. The DPJ has pledged that next year's child-care subsidy will double. The problem is whether we have the fiscal resources.

The second problem is the way the funds are being allocated by the government. The DPJ and the Hatoyama administration are calling the child-care payments both social welfare and economic policy. As far as economic policy is concerned, having government hand money directly to the citizenry is very low on the list of effective measures.

Economic policies that involve outlays of government cash must work to enrich the whole country. The government is expected to use government funds to -- as much as possible -- revive the economy for the benefit of the whole society. First, revive industry and business. Then reduce unemployment, getting pay into the hands of as many people as possible. Then improve family living standards. That's how it's supposed to be done.

A worker should be able to handle household expenses from his or her income. The normal state of things should be that the head of the household has stable work that rewards him or her with enough money to cover expenses and provide for the family. The first thing the government should be doing is helping people get to this state. That's the government's role.

The government's policy on social welfare should be to help those who can't fill the available jobs. It should make solving the unemployment problem a top priority.

It's too bad that this distorted view of the government's economic policy has spread recently. More and more economists, analysts and business journalists are saying there's no need for the government to enact full employment measures. There is hardly anyone advocating full employment as a policy. This is the Achilles' heel of politics.

The government should aim for full employment and reduce the number of jobless people. I'll go so far as to say that before we start doling out allowances for households with kids, we should resolve the employment situation for young men and women who want to become parents and raise their own families.

The Hatoyama administration and the DPJ are wrong when it comes to economic policy. The most important thing the government can do right now is enact employment policies and boost the economy. Especially necessary are investments in the provinces to improve peoples' livelihoods. Public investment has dropped precipitously. The Hatoyama administration's plan to dole out money to families to bring about economic recovery is likely to try the most patient man's soul.

It's the government's duty to find ways to make sure able and willing people have a place to work.

Time to End Politics that Ignores the Provinces

2010-05-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

"A nation's power resides in its provinces." — Roka Tokutomi (late 19th, early 20th Century novelist)

If the provinces are abandoned, the nation will decline. What's important to a country is the ability to strike a balance between the central government and the provinces, the metropolises and the outlying regions, urban and rural areas, industry and agriculture. If the balance is lost, society, the economy and the government start to destabilize. The important role of politics is to strike a social and economic balance. However, Japan is not in balance. Neoliberal and free-market policies have the nation teetering. The population is concentrated in our largest cities, especially in Tokyo. The wealth is also concentrated there, as are the corporations. Politicians show little concern for the provinces.

We hear lots of noise about decentralization and regional sovereignty, but the reality is that while the provinces decline at a rapid pace, they get only unsubstantial decentralization measures from the government. The gap between the center (Tokyo) and the outlying areas
widens. If this trend continues unabated, Japan will be weakened. The world is sensitive to this danger. Japan is threatened by politics that ignores the provinces, but even after we ushered in a new administration, nothing has changed.

"A person who brightens one corner is a treasure to the nation." — Saicho (Buddhist monk, 767-822)

These words encourage a life dedicated to helping people in the dark corners of our society. This is the starting point for a life in politics. To live by these words, politicians must put priority on the provinces, the small businesses and employment. But the political will to carry through on this has been anemic lately. The spirit needed for this work seems to be seeping out of today's journalists, economists and career bureaucrats. This is a serious situation. In the days of the medium-size constituency system, politicians took better care of the provinces than they do today. Once the small-size constituency system was ushered in, the focus turned to the parties, and the politicians lost the will to fight for the provinces.

"Creating one advantage is more powerful than eliminating one harm." — Yelu Chucai, retainer to Genghis Khan

The provinces are sensitive to the movements of our nation's politicians. Politicians who disregard the provinces are drawing more criticism. As the summer upper-house election approaches, voters are beginning to single out these politicians. Policies affecting the provinces will be the hot issue. While many leading politicians are unaware of this movement, a noticeable minority is starting to pay more attention to the outlying areas. Voters are beginning to show signs that they'll support this group of politicians.

The big issue for Japan on the political front is going to be the removal of politicians who disregard the provinces, small businesses and employment. The rumblings of a larger movement have already begun.

Best and Brightest Disappear from Central Bureaucracy

2010-04-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

More career bureaucrats are considering retirement or a change of jobs as they contemplate their future dealing with the idiocy of the Democratic Party of Japan's chosen ministers, vice ministers and officers.

The best and brightest are starting to leave the bureaucracy. They are despairing over the small-minded nitpicking of the three top DPJ members, who are showing too much interest in the work of the assistant managers when they should be looking after state affairs. The deteriorating state of politics is sucking the energy out of our national government employees.

I recently had a phone call from a former government worker. What he had to say surprised me. Here are his words:

"Once the Hatoyama Cabinet was formed, career bureaucrats whom we expected to be the next government leaders in Japan started resigning or making preparations for other work. The top appointees from the DPJ were abnormally fixated on trivial issues and had no interest in dealing with the current situation in the country. They seemed more concerned with the work of the section chiefs and chief clerks. Many of the bureaucrats lost their zeal for government work, saying it had become 'idiotic.' They started to leave in droves.

"Once the Hatoyama administration took over, more and more bureaucrats felt reluctant as the ministers, vice ministers and officers appointed by the DPJ harped on trivial matters. It's become a difficult matter to fix. The members of the DPJ seem to have no ambition as statesmen. They deal in the politics of the infantile. If we keep this up, Japan's future is dark."

The deterioration within the bureaucracy is frightening. The DPJ is crushing Japan from within. Japan is facing an unprecedented crisis. And as the DPJ came on the scene, it has dealt with the crisis like a bunch of children. The top political appointees at each ministry are fixated on sorting out issues at the section chief and chief clerk level. They've lost themselves in governmental trivia. In response, Japan's best and brightest government workers are calling it quits. Idiotic politicians are destroying a talented bureaucracy.

The LDP Should Rally behind Party President Tanigaki

2010-03-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Ozawa-Hatoyama government is the most despotic and irresponsible regime in Japan's postwar history. If it wins in the summer's upper house election, there will be no end to irresponsible government. Japan will be crushed. The onus for stopping this is on Tanigaki. If the LDP, Japan's No. 1 opposition party, is destroyed, it would be Japan's loss.

The main role of government is to avoid worst-case scenarios and keep the people safe from crises. The main crisis facing Japan today is the potential for a triumph of the Ozawa-Hatoyama government.

The Ozawa-Hatoyama-led Democratic Party of Japan pulled one over on the people last summer when it won the general election. However, just a half year into the administration, people are starting to realize the danger of this regime. In a Jiji Tsushinsha poll conducted in the first half of March, the Hatoyama administration's approval rating was 30%; those who disapproved totaled 48%. A Mainichi Shimbun poll conducted in early March elicited similar results. Asked whether they thought the first six months of the Hatoyama administration was a success, 31% said yes while 66% said no. Approval figures sank further after DPJ Deputy Secretary-General Ubukata was pushed out of his position for giving a speech criticizing Ozawa. The people are waking up to the idea that the political change they voted for last August 30 has resulted in the Revolution that Wasn't.

Meanwhile, Ichiro Ozawa, de facto ruler of Nagatacho, uses deception to destabilize the LDP. In Nagatacho, Ozawa is top dog. But in the rest of Japan, this government is like a candle flickering in a windstorm. This summer, we'll see whether this anti-Ozawa trend will grow or whether Ozawa will be able to muscle through with his anti-democratic government. We need to stop this despotic, irresponsible regime. I'm asking the Japanese people to see through the deception.

To do this, Tanigaki needs to lead a robust LDP. And the LDP needs to support its leader. There's a movement to splinter the party, but that bad idea needs to be put to rest. If certain party members can no longer endure under the LDP banner, they should resign as quickly as possible.

Politics is not a Game

2010-03-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

A word about how Masuzoe, Yosano and Kunio Hatoyama are flirting with a new party: Get serious and unify behind Tanigaki, a sincere LDP leader

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan needs a return to seriousness. Politicians need sincerity. That's why the LDP should unify behind party President Sadakazu Tanigaki.

There's no persuasive power in the declaration made by Kaoru Yosano in the April edition of Bungei Shunju that a new political party should be formed. He talks of forming a new political party, but voices no political beliefs or policy stances. The only reason to create this party seems to be that Tanigaki didn't put forth policy in the Diet the way Yosano had proposed, so Yosano wants to form a new party to scare Tanigaki. Yosano can't suppress his personal ire. What a miserable story! Yosano's aim seems to be to improve his position within the party.

Masuzoe's story is the same: He talks of forming a new party without revealing any political beliefs or policy goals that would define that party. His only apparent reason is dissatisfaction with Tanigaki. From a distance, Masuzoe's maneuverings look just like Yosano's. They're both vying for position within the party.

While they rattle on about forming a new party, those in the know say there's another way to look at it: They're aim is to destroy the LDP from within. A very powerful member of the Democratic Party of Japan is working behind the scenes, this line of thought goes. This view is unexpectedly strong among some people and is believed in Nagatacho (the site of the Diet).

On March 15, Kunio Hatoyama left the LDP. People assumed he was setting up a new party. Hatoyama is a rich man, so money would not be an issue, but he doesn't have any beliefs or policies that he stands for. Many believe he's going to find himself all alone.

But after decades of working within the LDP, why do these men without exception have no desire to stay and rebuild the party? Tanigaki looks quite good when standing alongside Yosano, Masuzoe and Hatoyama. He quietly works very hard.

The movement among Hatoyama, Yosano, Masuzoe, Sonoda and others to form a new party gravely affects the serious members of the LDP. If the would-be defectors thought about the suffering they are causing their more serious party members, they wouldn't be able to go on making such a racket. These men have no empathy.

The Hatoyama/Ozawa Way: Ignore Constitution, Law, Diet

2010-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Article 83 of Japan's Constitution reads: "The power to administer national finances shall be exercised as the Diet shall determine."

The Hatoyama administration has ignored the decision of the Diet and put a stop to part of the first supplementary budget of fiscal 2009, shutting down as much as 3 trillion yen in spending. This action is in clear violation of Article 83. So is the fact that the Democratic Party of Japan has been leaking information about the location of public-works projects. But these infractions are drawing little debate. The Hatoyama administration is addicted to the party manifesto, elevating it above even the law and the Constitution. It's taking the authoritarian step of elevating the manifesto beyond the reach of the Diet. This tendency is going uncorrected.

◆ "This Constitution shall be the supreme law of the nation ..." (Article 98)
The article continues: "no law, ordinance, imperial rescript or other act of government, or part thereof, contrary to the provisions hereof, shall have legal force or validity." Yet Transport Minister Maehara announced immediately after taking his place in the Hatoyama administration that he was going to stop the construction of Yanba Dam "in line with the provisions of the manifesto." The budget for this was canceled. The Yanba Dam construction project was approved in accordance with river, multipurpose dam and water resource laws. The transport minister's arbitrary decision to revise and abolish parts of this budget for Yanba Dam construction is another clear violation of the Constitution.

◆ "The establishment of political ethics provides the basis for parliamentary politics." (Japan's code of political ethics)
The code of political ethics adopted by the Diet on June 25, 1985, is a regulation worth protecting. At one point it clearly states the duty of Diet lawmakers: "When there is any doubt about a potential violation of political ethics, we should sincerely work to clarify the situation and make our responsibility clear." Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and party chief Ichiro Ozawa are not living up to this code. In fact, they're completely ignoring it. Ozawa's disregard for the Diet is plain to see. This man who raises so much doubt among the populace is amassing power on a large scale. A democratic nation cannot stand for this.

Tardy Ministers Show Baseness by Passing Buck to Bureaucrats

2010-03-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

Satsuki Eda, president of the upper house, correctly chides the latecomers

The three ministers who showed up late for a budget debate -- Haraguchi, Sengoku and Maehara -- should apologize for their embarrassing actions.

Let's look for a moment at the current trend of politicians and mass media making everything the fault of the bureaucrats.

It's an ugly trend. At its core is a politically motivated attempt to revise the national public service law. This should be stopped.

First it's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama obstinately insisting that he knew nothing of donations made by his mother. Then it's party chief Ichiro Ozawa using political funds to hunt for real estate, abandoning any attempts at accountability, putting the burden on his secretary and stressing his own innocence. And now it's the three tardy ministers: Haraguchi, Sengoku and Maehara. The spirit of the Democratic Party of Japan leadership is seriously impoverished. The people of Japan need to open their eyes to the reality behind this DPJ fantasy that's being propagated.

We should heed the discerning advice given to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano by House of Councillors President Satsuki Eda. He was quoted in the March 5 morning edition of Mainichi Shimbun as saying, "I was amazed to hear that the ministers were late. But it's unbecoming to blame it on a clerical miss while claiming to show political leadership."

I agree with Eda.

Politicians and mass media are too quick to blame the bureaucrats. This trend of making the bureaucrats the scapegoat while angling for a revision of the national public service law is a dangerous one. The bureaucrats do well to show their character and hold their tongues, but the subsequent bureaucrat-bashing is just wrong. DPJ lawmakers and media pundits ought to rethink their approach.

My Reply to B-San, Friend of the DPJ

2010-03-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

"Please remember your original intentions. If you submit to Secretary-General Ozawa's authoritarian rule, for what purpose did you become a politician? You should be working to loosen his iron grip. Remember why you chose this profession and please fight for your ideals."

B-san. I was pleased to receive a letter from you. Here is my reply. B-san, open your eyes. If we forgive Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa's authoritarian ways, that's the end of Japan as we know it. That's the end of the Democratic Party of Japan. Ozawa barks "turn right" and the DPJ turns to the right; he says "turn left," and the members promptly turn to the left. We must never forgive this sort of authoritarian politics.

Just about every DPJ lawmaker is ready to fight to protect Ozawa, but you know what this really means, don't you? A large amount of money used for political funds — ¥2.1 billion, to be exact — has been misreported; put more bluntly, the politicians are protecting the falsifying of financial reports. We can't forgive this sort of unjust money politics. Have you discarded your ideal of having the DPJ govern in a clean manner?

It is also strange that most of the DPJ supports and believes Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama when he says that he didn't know his mother was making donations to him. Turning away from the money problems of Ozawa and Hatoyama is the equivalent of abandoning political ethics.

B-san, please open your eyes. I hope you become a politician who fights for democracy.

The DPJ Roils in Dissatisfaction

2010-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Party needs a democratic revolution from within

I went to find out for myself what's going on within the Democratic Party of Japan. Simply put, the party is convulsed with dissatisfaction. It's no exaggeration to say it's like the moment before a bomb explodes.

The basis for this dissatisfaction is that there's no freedom to discuss or debate ideas. One veteran DPJ lawmaker told me: "The DPJ has screwed up its rise to power. There was no planning before we took over the government. It was clear we wouldn't succeed. When we should have been confronting the LDP government with everything we had, we didn't do it. The DPJ blew it."

A midlevel DPJ Diet member had this to say: "There's no place within the party to say anything. Why did they abolish the Policy Affairs Research Council? I don't get it. We can't discuss policy matters within the party."

Everything is decided by DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa. The rest of the party is supposed to fall in line. That's Ozawa's dictatorial system. For many Diet members, it's becoming too much to bear.

The DPJ needs to ignite a revolution from within.

Prosecutors Mustn't Allow Separation of Powers to Weaken

2010-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Feb. 18 edition of Shukan Bunshun ran an article entitled: "Ozawa's Derisive Laugh; What is the Special Investigative Unit Doing?" What happened in the prosecutor's office? Independent administration of justice is the jewel of democracy.

From the Feb. 18 edition of Shukan Bunshun: "'Seventy percent of the nation wants him to resign. We can prosecute Ozawa.' Why did the prosecutors saying these things go silent? They were weighed down by passive executives arguing that they didn't want to 'provoke the Democratic Party of Japan.'"

If this information is true, it means the leadership in the judicial branch buckled under once Ichiro Ozawa and the Hatoyama administration applied pressure. The article points the finger at Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, but the truth should be revealed in the Diet. If the judiciary doesn't have the courage to execute its duties, we'll see even more corrupt politicians. When the political fund control law is violated, it will be the secretary who is punished as the influential politician walks away scot-free. If the prosecutors really did buckle to pressure from the administration, then Ozawa's DPJ can pretty much do as it pleases.

The nightmare scenario would have the prosecutors at Ozawa's beck and call. At the very least, we hope that the prosecutors will not play a role in Ozawa's political vengeance. If they do acquiesce, then Japan will enter its own Stalin era. We need our judicial branch to be strong and independent. The separation of powers is fundamental to democracy. The prosecutor's office must not yield to political power.

Morita to Speak on FCCJ's Urban Security Panel

2010-02-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Morita-san will be on a panel at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan on March 2 from 11:30 to discuss "Security and Crisis Management in the Megapolis." Here's the brief from the FCCJ:

"Security and Crisis Management in the Megalopolis"

Time: 2010 Mar 02 11:30 - 13:30
Summary:

PANEL DISCUSSION
Koki Kaku, Associate Professor of National Defense Medical College
Minoru Morita, Political Commentator
Toshiyuki Shikata, Professor of Teikyo University & Security Counselor to the Governor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, Professor of Kyorin University

Language:

The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with simultaneous interpretation.

Description:

Will life in the city be better tomorrow? Will it be safer? More secure? Urban living and whether large metropolises can meet the needs of their inhabitants are becoming increasingly important subjects for city planners, sociologists and crisis management officials. The root cause of course is explosive population growth.

In 2000, Tokyo was among 18 mega-cities that have populations in excess of 10 million inhabitants. Tokyo's metropolitan area, which encompasses 87 towns, has 35.7 million people, more than the entire population of Canada.

By 2025 there will be 27 mega-cities in the world, and Tokyo, with 36.4 million people in its urban agglomeration, is projected to remain the world's biggest metropolis. Asia alone will have at least 10 hyper-cities. Among them, each having populations exceeding 20 million: Mumbai at 33 million; Shanghai, 27 million; Karachi, 26.5 million, Dhaka, 25 million; and Jakarta, 24.9 million. By 2050, India will have 55 percent of its people in urban centers

This explosion of population impacts almost every aspect of our lives including the air we breathe and water we drink, access to food and energy resources, and availability of housing and schooling. Population growth will increase the risk of terrorist attacks and the spread of killer diseases, there can be big casualties in natural disasters.

The subject of our panel discussion will be the role of government in meeting future challenges of urban living and what risks we face if no political action is taken.

Our distinguished group of panelists includes Professor Toshiyuki Shikata of Teikyo University and Security Counselor to the Tokyo Governor Ishihara, Associate Professor Koki Kaku, National Defense Medical College, Professor Yoshihiro Yamaguchi of Kyorin University, and Minoru Morita, one of Japan's most prominent and respected political commentator. Come look into their crystal ball.

The DPJ's Potentially Short Stay on Top

2010-02-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

If the party doesn't find solutions for the Ozawa and Hatoyama scandals, fix its mistaken economic policies and check its arrogance, it won't be in power much longer

What should the Democratic Party of Japan being doing right now? Looking for a way to solve the three very large problems it faces. I'd like to see them grow beyond being Ozawa's children and become politicians who can think for themselves and are willing to fight injustice and irrationality.

First, the party needs to clearly separate money from politics. Specifically, it needs to solve the Ozawa and Hatoyama scandals. Just because Ichiro Ozawa is not being prosecuted doesn't mean he has no responsibility for what happened. The citizens and the Diet should pursue a thorough review of his political and moral responsibility. We should show renewed interest in Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's money scandal too. The party has been too passive about these scandals. The country is disappointed with the DPJ's dependency on Ozawa.

Second, the mistaken economic policies embraced by Hatoyama need to be changed in a hurry. The policies his administration is supporting are basically the same as the structural reform policies of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. They both support fiscal reform over everything else, favor big money and want to reduce public works. These policies will crush Japan. We'll be in trouble if we don't change them.

Third, the arrogance and disdain of party chief Ozawa and premier Hatoyama have to be acknowledged and challenged. Hatoyama comes off like a soft-spoken man, but deep down he's arrogant too. He turns defiant quickly. He's egotistical and arrogant — a politician with a sense of entitlement. Ozawa, on the other hand, is consistently arrogant. He's cut from the cloth of dominating politicians such as Kakuei Tanaka or Shin Kanemaru. Transport Minister Maebara is another arrogant and cold-blooded politician. Once the decision to not prosecute Ozawa is final, his swagger will be even more pronounced. We need to ratchet up our criticism of these people.

At the very least, the members of the DPJ need to become the "thinking reeds" of which Blaise Pascal wrote. Think with your own brain; liberate yourself. Then tackle the three big problems facing the party.

Ozawa, Take One Step Back to Gain Two Steps Forward

2010-02-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

The DPJ, DSP and PNP must not get wrapped up in Ozawa's personal legal battles; the best solution is for Ozawa to pull himself out of the picture

I am compelled to again call for Ichiro Ozawa to step down as party chairman.

Japan is facing serious danger. The economy is at a critical juncture. Regional economies have lost their spark. Bankruptcies of midsize and small businesses continue to soar. Unemployment is worsening. If we leave things as they are, Japan is in danger of collapsing.

For the Hatoyama administration to focus on finding a way to break out of this economic funk, it needs to distance itself from the public battle between Ozawa and the prosecutors. This could happen if Ozawa steps down as president of the Democratic Party of Japan.

The issue of whether political fund laws were broken should be decided in the halls of justice. Ozawa needs to separate this fight from the political world and take it up in court. Change this political feud to a judicial one. If Ozawa takes his battle out of the political sphere, it's likely he'll be lauded in the future as a great politician. He would do well to remember that "those who flow with the river ride the rapids smoothly" and give himself up.

Ozawa and some of his supporters imply that if he were to step down as party chief, the DPJ would collapse. That's absurd. The DPJ can survive just fine without him. In fact, the party could start to use the concentrated strength of all its members. The time has come for the DPJ to bid farewell to the Ozawa era.

Dictator Ozawa Mustn't Entangle Govt. in His Personal Battle

2010-01-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Japan is endangered by Ozawa's recklessness. A political party unable to discuss issues freely can't be trusted. There's no future for an anti-democratic DPJ frozen with fear of its dictator.

"With all fears, the most frightening thing is a person who clings to panic." —Friedrich Schiller, German playwright (1759-1805)

By chance, I recently ran into an old friend and Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker. I asked him, "I've heard that no one feels they can speak up within the DPJ. Is that true?"

"Yes," he replied. "The climate inside the party is strangely oppressive."

The DPJ has become a major party with more than 300 seats in the lower house, but at the same time, it has become an anti-democratic monolith that won't allow free discussions. A reporter who covers the party told me, "No one can criticize party chief Ichiro Ozawa. Everyone seems abnormally scared of him. They're so scared of Ozawa, they can't say a thing."

Ozawa continues to ignore prosecutors' requests to question him in connection with the recent money scandal. The average citizen would never be able to get away with this behavior, but Ozawa keeps arrogantly disregarding the requests. The situation remains confused because Ozawa has taken such an arrogant and privileged stance.

When Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is asked about this, he replies that it's "something for party chief Ozawa to decide." Hatoyama is the head of the executive branch. The public prosecutor's office is part of that branch. Hatoyama is protecting Ozawa as the latter defies the prosecutorial requests. It's simply ridiculous. One can't help but conclude that Hatoyama doesn't have what it takes to be prime minister. The Japanese government is beginning to panic, creating a dangerous situation. Fears grow about the August 30, 2009 elections backfiring. The political change we voted for has been betrayed by Ozawa, Hatoyama and the rest of the DPJ. The Japanese people need once again to bring about political change in order to protect their living standards and their democracy. We need the courage to bring Ozawa despotism to its knees.

A Message to All DPJ Representatives

2010-01-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

Protect the Political Code of Ethics! Isn't it the height of irresponsibility to support party chief Ozawa's selfish decision to not respond to questions from the prosecutor's office? How can you show your face to voters after that?!

Every Diet member must protect the Political Code of Ethics passed on June 25, 1985. If lawmakers don't have the will to stand up for it, they should step down.

This is what the code says:

"We will devote ourselves to high ethical standards to be worthy of the voters' trust. We will eliminate any mixing of public and private matters that could invite distrust in politics. We will maintain integrity. We should work to avoid voter distrust by eliminating political corruption and improving political ethics."

Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa's decision not to respond to prosecutors' questioning collides with this code of ethics, as does his unwillingness to explain his actions to the public.

To the lawmakers of the DPJ, I say this: Not a single member of your party is willing to criticize Ozawa for his selfish stance and unwillingness to explain himself to the voters. It's simply too much. You should know how disappointed the voters are in the poor showing of your party. Look inside yourselves and find the courage to hold your party chief accountable!

Pundits & Journalists Sidle up to Despotic Ozawa Regime

2010-01-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been hearing newspaper reporters, freelance journalists and political pundits who used to support the Liberal Democratic Party heap admiration on Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa. I knew that ever since the August 30 general elections, journalists and academics began an about-face in their political allegiances. but it's troubling how so many journalists sidle up to whomever has political power.

These reporters and writers need to be leaders. Or at least they need to try. At the bare minimum, they need to be independent from those in power. They need to be skeptical. But it's worrisome to see just how many of them are quick to flatter those in power.

Lately I've had two illuminating experiences.

The first was on August 30, 2009, when journalists who had supported the LDP and repeatedly criticized the DPJ turned on a dime and began writing, "Ichiro Ozawa is a political genius. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's leadership is wonderful." The way this message rang out so loudly and clearly was surprising.

The other was when I heard a certain well-known TV journalist say, "Anyone who criticizes the DPJ system under Ozawa and Hatoyama is really saying they wish the LDP would return." I heard something similar to this on another occasion, when a journalist who works like a member of the DPJ's advertising team said it on TV. Using this logic, the journalist sought to insulate the Ozawa regime.

Of course, this is nonsense. The LDP has less than one quarter of the seats in the lower house. There's no way for the LDP to return to power. Those of us telling the LDP to get a grip were simply saying that we wanted to see it show some backbone as Ichiro Ozawa, like a Heike fugitive hunter, seeks to thoroughly crush the party. That's all there is to it.

There is only a small group of people who are criticizing the DPJ, but probably none of them expect the LDP to rebound.

Those of us criticizing the rule of Ozawa and Hatoyama are asking for the DPJ to go through an internal transformation. We are looking for a revolution from within, where party members criticize the despotic politics of Ozawa and the irresponsible governing of Hatoyama. The most important issue in Japan's political world right now is the self-reform of the DPJ so that it breaks away from the current despotic system and returns to a true democratic path.

Hatoyama to Let JAL File for Bankruptcy

2010-01-12T09:50:00.001-08:00

In a break from the past, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is set to let Japan Airlines Co. file for bankruptcy as early as next week. Retired employees of the airline are likely to see pension cuts. A report from Bloomberg provides the details.

How Will We Survive a Kaleidoscopic 2010?

2010-01-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

New Year's greetings to all of you reading this blog post. Thank you for your continued support.

We need the strength and resolve to begin a new era. What we need at this moment is a strong enough spirit to overcome the immense difficulties ahead.

The Great Heisei Depression will worsen in 2010, and the economy will travel a rocky road. We have to find a way out of these hard times. Massive government power and giant pools of capital are behind these wars and the neoliberal approach. The world is unraveling into an everyone-for-themselves mentality. The mass confusion brings about a mass single-mindedness and more pain for all of us. But we don't have to give up.

International society will continue to destabilize. The unstable condition will bring pain to the people of many nations. The strength of national governments will weaken. They will find themselves less and less able to secure, stabilize and settle their people.

How should we live in the midst of this mess? Where can we turn? We should focus on our families, our homes, our businesses and the local economies. We must outgrow these painful times by solidifying ourselves at the grass roots. To do this, we must revive our Japanese spirit. I offer these five quotes from our predecessors to help us find out what the Japanese soul consists of and which way we need to go to get out of this mess:

1. Shoutoku Taishi. "Harmony is to be valued." Japanese society and the Japanese way of life is founded on a spirit of harmony and cooperation.

2. Saichou. "A person who brightens up one corner is a national treasure." Each of us needs to make an effort to light up the corners we live in. In other words, we need to embrace the spirit of mutual support.

3. The first of Emperor Meiji's five-part written oath: "Deliberative assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by open discussion." Let all members of the family, the business or the region participate to bring about wisdom and share that wisdom. Open discussions can save this society.

4. Yukichi Fukuzawa. "Heaven does not put one man above or below another." People are fundamentally equal. We must not create a prejudice or unequal society.

5. Roka Tokutomi. "The nation's ability resides in the provinces." The path to Japan's revival starts with revival of the provinces. To rebuild Japan, start with the provinces.

These five lessons from our predecessors can protect us and help us work together to overcome the hardships ahead and create a new Japan. If we keep these five principles in mind and work together, the Great Heisei Depression will not defeat us.

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

2010-01-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

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.

The Hatoyama Cabinet Strays Off Course

2009-12-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

"The secret of success is constancy to purpose." — 19th Century British politician Benjamin Disraeli

I want Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to hear Disraeli's words. Lately, Hatoyama has been veering flagrantly off course. I've been hearing more people devoted to political change in Japan say they feel "betrayed" by the premier. It is impossible to get a grasp on what Hatoyama stands for by listening to him or watching him in the political sphere. Why did he run for the position, and now that he's got it, what does he want to do with his political power? We can't tell. He looks right, looks left and just sits there without deciding a thing. We can't tell what his objectives are, and he seems incapable of making a firm decision. If he continues like this, the people will begin to remember the historic election of August 30 as the Revolution That Wasn't. If he just sits in the seat of power, he hasn't really changed much from the previous administration. If he doesn't have clear and firm goals, he should retire as soon as possible for the sake of the country.

Lately I've been hearing this sort of comment from a lot of people: "The economic policies of the Hatoyama Cabinet are a lot like Koizumi's structural reforms." Koizumi's reforms were based on the neoliberal views propagated by the US Republican Party: fiscal reform, financial reform, deregulation, small government and a reduction of public works. The fiscal reforms stopped economic growth and squeezed our finances. Deregulation protected the strong and discarded the weak. The Democratic Party of Japan won the election on a platform of opposing the Liberal Democratic Party's approach, and yet once the Hatoyama administration was established, it began the very sorts of Koizumi-like reforms it should have been denouncing. Hatoyama's economic policies are the very essence of neoliberalism. The Cabinet's penchant for fiscal reconstruction, its economy-shrinking policies, its disregard for the provinces and its attack on public works add up to the re-emergence of Koizumi era neoliberal reforms. It's quite reasonable, then, that many people are starting to grumble about what this whole struggle was for.

Prime Minister Hatoyama needs to solve the fiscal scandal surrounding his political organization in a way that meets the approval of the voters. He can't keep running and hiding from the problem. He needs to find the strength to focus his party. Conflict in the ruling coalition can also be tied to Hatoyama's lack of leadership. It makes me want to scream, "Get it together!"

The Code of Political Ethics adopted by the Diet on June 25, 1985, includes this passage: "When there is any doubt about a potential violation of political ethics, we should sincerely work to clarify the situation and make our responsibility clear." Prime Minister Hatoyama needs to live up to these words.

Hatoyama "Head Clerk" of Ozawa's Government

2009-12-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

Who's in charge here? Jun Hongo argues in The Japan Times that it's Ichiro Ozawa who holds the power, and that can be most plainly seen in Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's flip-flop on a campaign pledge to cut a gas tax.

Morita seconds that opinion, telling Hongo: "Hatoyama is clearly just the head clerk of the administration."

It seems the change we voters believed in on both sides of the Pacific is little more than a change in rhetoric.

Hatoyama Hangover

2009-12-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

The New York Times reports that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's popularity is waning because of a financial scandal implicating his office:

“Every day, he seems to say and do something different,” said Minoru Morita, a political commentator who runs an independent research organization in Tokyo. “This is starting to shake the people’s confidence in him.”

The article states that a recent opinion poll shows the premier's approval ratings dropping from the 70% range to 56%.

Obama's Nobel Speech Must Be Protested

2009-12-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

US president's logic — "... we can build a just and lasting peace" and "[T]he instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace" — works against peace and rationalizes war

"There never was a good war or a bad peace." Those are the words of famous American diplomat Ben Franklin (1706-1790). And he is right.

Or take the words of Cicero, the Roman politician (BC106-BC43): "No such thing as a just war." He is also right. A "war in the name of justice" is just a warmonger's way of quibbling.

This idea of a "just peace" is a dangerous, unsophisticated theory. All sorts of warmongers and hawks have used "justice" to rationalize war. President Obama uses this logic to rationalize the Afghanistan war, but he shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

There were those who disagreed from the start with the choice of giving President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. In the wake of his speech rationalizing the war in Afghanistan, those who disagree with the choice will rise in number. That's only natural.

I believe that peace-loving people of the world should criticize Obama's speech and call for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Premier Hatoyama Can't Escape Political Code of Ethics

2009-12-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama ought to take a stand, respect the political code of ethics and clearly explain the problem of false reports made by his political fund-raising organization.
This is not something you slough off with an "I don't recall." That's a clear violation of the political funding regulation law. The prime minister should not shuck and dodge these questions.

I'd like to read from the beginning of the political code of ethics. Here's what is written:

"The establishment of a political code of ethics serves as the basis for parliamentary politics. We should be conscious of the fact that we have been entrusted with the authority to govern the nation by the people, who are the sovereigns. As politicians, we must retain a conscientiousness, humility and sense of duty as we work. We must make efforts to retain the trust of the people."

Prime Minister Hatoyama is the leader of Japan's political world. He should display bravery and sincerity. If the leader of the political realm slips around the laws, he will lose the trust of the people. This problem is connected to the moral sense of the Japanese people.

Domestic politics matter for US-Japan relations

2009-12-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Social Democratic Party is a small party, but when it threatened to drop out of the ruling coalition if the government approved a plan for US bases in Okinawa, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama had to pay attention. If the SDP dropped out, the coalition would lose its majority in the upper house. So the US, used to getting its way with Japan on foreign policy matters, has to learn to be patient:

Daniel Sneider, a Japan expert at Stanford University, said the United States has yet to really take into account the significance of the political changes wrought by the August election. "Domestic politics matter in Japan now in a way that they didn't when you had a virtual one-party state for 50 years," he said. "Do elections and domestic politics influence foreign policy in the United States? Of course. Now they do in Japan, too."

Here's the full article from the Washington Post.

Focus on Deflation is Govt's Biggest Problem

2009-12-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

The Hatoyama Cabinet, Finance Ministry, Democratic Party of Japan, Bank of Japan and Financial Services Agency have all been essentially focused on deflationary policies. They tighten finances, cut fiscal spending and tighten finances again. Deflationary trends are worsened; unemployment soars. When the price of goods is falling, it's a crime to pursue deflationary policies.

Japan's economy is in the midst of a deflationary spiral. And yet, the Hatoyama administration, Finance Ministry, Bank of Japan and DPJ are all promoting deflationary policies. The mass media is praising and abetting the very moves that are at the heart of these policies: reducing fiscal spending. The weeding out of projects is the ultimate deflationary policy. In its ignorance, the media is committing a grave blunder.

The government, Finance Ministry and national media would do well to look to the provinces. Most of the high school students nearing graduation have yet to figure out where they will work.

The government should be focused on a plan to overcome these deflationary trends. It needs to stop immediately its current plans.

Politicians Grill Bureaucrats on Live Webcasts

2009-11-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

The circus surrounding budget cuts and politicians grilling bureaucrats over their spending has captivated much of Japan. Here's a piece from Reuters on the hoopla over the Webcasts. Of course, as Mr. Morita points out, a lot of this is just smoke and mirrors. Reuters quotes him as saying:

"If they really wanted to cut the budget, they should be looking at big items like defense spending and the overseas aid budget. But they're sticking to the smaller items."

The Fascism behind the DPJ's Manifesto

2009-11-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

The faults of the Hatoyama administration are starting to come into view as the upper and lower houses hold their summary discussions at the extraordinary Diet session.

First, the administration's move to halt some spending and tweak other parts of the 2009 supplementary spending bill raises the possibility of serious constitutional violations. At the very least, it raises questions about our parliamentary democracy.

The supplementary budget, which is being used now, was approved by the highest authority in the land, the Diet. Any halting of spending or rearranging of funds must be approved by the Diet. For the administration to change on its own something approved by the Diet is an act of arrogation. It is also a denial of the principles underpinning a parliamentary democracy.

This illegal stoppage of supplementary spending has depleted the efforts of local governments to overcome the recession. The damage is extensive. The Hatoyama administration is piling deflation on top of deflation. The administration bears a lot of responsibility for these actions.

Three Bits of Advice for Prime Minister Hatoyama

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Political leaders shouldn't slink around in the background. At a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on Nov. 2, Prime Minister Hatoyama apologized for his answer in a previous meeting on Oct. 28. At the earlier meeting, he had responded to Liberal Democratic Party President Tanigaki's main question by saying, "I don't want to hear that from you guys."

Lately the premier has been apologizing a lot. This was a problem with him even before he became premier, but he's had to apologize for thoughtless remarks since becoming prime minister too. He needs to develop the strong consciousness required of a prime minister. At this rate, his politics will turn into so much fluff. The members of the Democratic Party of Japan and the mass media who applaud Hatoyama's thoughtless and untimely remarks should think about their actions.

The DPJ made a contract via its manifesto that ties it to taking political initiative, countering the bureaucrats and dismantling Kasumigaseki, the center of bureaucratic power. It's focused on loosening the bureaucrats' hold on power and abolishing a system where retired bureaucrats head to lucrative positions in private companies. However doubts were raised when Hatoyama appointed former Finance Vice Minister Jiro Saito to run Japan Post. Some questioned the premier's sincerity. At the heart of the public's distrust is Hatoyama's quibbling sophistry. He needs to be honest and sincere with the public.

I travel around the country and talk to people from many regions. These days I'm hearing more dissatisfaction and fear because Hatoyama is ignoring the provinces. Ever since former Transport Minister Maehara halted repairs on Yamba Dam, it's been clear that the government is ignoring the provinces, refusing to answer their questions and using state power to get their way. Midsize and small-scale construction firms are going bankrupt, businesses are closing at a rapid rate because of the extreme cuts to public works spending in the name of cutting the waste in the fiscal 2009 supplementary budget. This lack of understanding by the government is leading us directly to a deep recession in the provinces. People in these provinces are starting to feel that Hatoyama is abandoning them. More people are saying they've been stabbed in the back by the Hatoyama administration and the DPJ. Hatoyama ought to take a modest stance and listen to the people in the provinces.

Extreme Austerity Measures Invite a Hatoyama Depression

2009-11-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

We have entered a political age where policies run over the people in the name of financial reconstruction and only the Finance Ministry prospers. To put it more accurately, it's the age where we're governed by Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa and the Finance Ministry. The ministry has decided to run full-speed ahead with its fiscal reconstruction uber alles principle.

History is repeating itself. In 1993, when the Hosokawa-led anti-LDP coalition came to power, the ones holding the reins were Ichiro Ozawa, then head of the New Frontier Party, and Jiro Saito, vice minister of the Finance Ministry. At the time, the ministry and Ozawa were pushing for a national welfare tax of 7%. In the end, this resulted in the Hosokawa cabinet's demise.

This time, Ozawa and the ministry are drawn together in their "search for waste" as they rush to slash budgets. As the government trumpets its search for waste and budget cuts, the recession and unemployment are likely to worsen, and it becomes more likely that we're headed toward a Hatoyama Depression.

The most important thing right now is to stem the downward spiral of job losses and the recession and return to economic growth. To do this, we need to increase public spending and expand the money supply.

However Hatoyama (and Ozawa and the Finance Ministry) are setting off to do the exact opposite thing. Their policy will deepen the recession. At an Oct. 22 administrative reform conference, Inamori, a main member of the group and the honorary chairman of Kyocera, said, "Even if the recession gets worse now, growth in the future is what's important." In other words, as long as we're thinking about the future, it's OK that the current recession gets worse. Really? That's madness. I wish people would give these issues some real thought.

At this rate, the good ship Japan is headed for the bottom of the ocean. I listened to Prime Minister Hatoyama's policy speech on Oct. 26 and felt that he lacked a sense of urgency concerning the current economic situation. The prime minister doesn't seem to have noticed that his country is sinking. This is not the time for carefree talk about cleaning up government. There's no reason for a government to exist if it's out to destroy the people's economy.

Base Issue Gives Hatoyama Early Test

2009-10-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Hatoyama administration has been roiling the waters between Japan and the US over a plan to relocate a US military base on Okinawa. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he needs time to review the agreement. Meanwhile, the US is leaning hard on him to acquiesce. Hatoyama's ministers are voicing different opinions, and analysts are split on whether that's a sign of disarray or a way to gauge public opinion. Here's the latest from Reuters.

"Cut the Waste": A Dangerous Slogan for Strengthening One's Political Base

2009-10-27T19:17:00.001-07:00

At the heart of the "cut the waste" slogan is a move by those holding political power and people in the media to encouraging whistle-blowing and get people's blood boiling as we beat the bushes for waste. It's a dangerous gambit.

Look at how dictators such as Hitler or Stalin consolidated political power. They'd come up with a slogan that no one could be against. When people started voicing opposition to the ideas, they'd be attacked and suppressed. "Cut the waste" is one of those slogans that has served dictators well in the past.

There's no one against cutting the waste. If the political powers that be decide to start a movement around this slogan, no one can oppose it. If the media become cheerleaders for the idea, then those who oppose it will be the objects of witch-hunts and will be ostracized from society.

No one can come out against "cutting the waste." If they call for "eliminating wasteful spending of tax money," there isn't a soul who wouldn't agree with the concept. In today's Japan, when the mass media has such overriding influence, if it decides to pursue with all its might this idea of finding and eliminating waste, anyone criticizing them will be persona non grata. If the media speaks as one and says "the dam is a waste," no one will be able to challenge them by saying that the dam is necessary.

If the media decides to go after public works, saying they are wasteful, anyone standing up for the role of public works will be unheard above the din. If they decide to call the independent administrative agencies wasteful, the public will begin to hum the same tune. If the politicians use this and the media joins in, soon anyone who uses tax money will be "bad."

Just about every tax expenditure made by the previous coalition of Liberal Democrats and New Komeito is being labeled wasteful now. At the same time, if the Democratic Party of Japan does something, the media is quick to praise it.

Using a moral code of "getting rid of the waste" is a dangerous political ploy because it invites dictatorship.

In politics, balance is important. You need to be careful not to go too far. The Hatoyama administration and the media bring us closer to a dictatorship with their campaign against "waste."

Politics needs to be large-hearted. Using a slogan such as "cut the waste" as an excuse to trample on freedoms is an old trick of dictatorship. We can't afford to repeat this stupidity.

Hatoyama Stakes out New Ground in US-Japan Relations

2009-10-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Living up to his campaign promise of creating a more equal relationship with the US, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his administration have been sending signals that they may not let the US build a new airbase on Okinawa, according to Agence France Press.

Mr. Morita was quoted in the story as saying: "Hatoyama's 'no' is the first time Japan is rebelling against the US in decades ... Japan-U.S. relations are in danger."

Mainstream Media Cheers Budget Cuts Sure to Delay Recovery

2009-10-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Japan's mainstream media is a national media. The broadcasts and reports emanating from Tokyo are practically unanimous in their point of view.

The Tokyo-based media fell in line to support and praise Prime Minister Hatoyama's decision to "cut the fat" from the budget. But the government has stalled the recovery in the name of cutting the fat. The minority view that the cuts are bad was not given air time. The media simply ignored that view.

Opinion polls showed strong public support for the Hatoyama Cabinet's budget cuts, or as the polls put it, "getting rid of the waste."

Supplementary budgets are meant to help the economy recover. Cut them, and their ability to pump up the economy is weakened. The government plans to cut the budgets it should be spending and wait till next year to spend that money. This will weaken our current attempts at economic recovery.

The problems the government should be setting policy for are the recession and unemployment. Cutting the supplementary budget is a measure that slows the economic recovery. This step should be rethought. The mass media's support for this measure casts a dark shadow over Japan.

Media Attacks on Yamba Dam Amount to Witch-Hunt

2009-10-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

The weekly magazines Shukan Asahi, Sunday Mainichi and Shukan Gendai all had basically the same angle on the Yamba Dam story in their October 5 issues. They all joined in a campaign to support Land Minister Maehara. The points they raised were practically identical. They disregarded any objections. Is that the best they can do? I got the feeling that some people in the media were working behind the scenes to manipulate the situation. It reminded me of the vote to privatize the postal service in 2005 when Koizumi was prime minister. When political power coalesces with media power, the result is not good for democracy.

On the evening of October 6, I watched TV Asahi's Hodo Station. The wheedling tone of voice of newscaster F-san that night as he brushed aside any criticism of Maehara's plan would have been laughable if it weren't so ugly. Democracy faces a serious problem when the mass media becomes the mouthpiece for those holding political power. TV Asahi has been cheerleading for Prime Minister Hatoyama from morning to night on its broadcasts. A little moderation is needed. Journalism must be fair. Don't silence opposing views.

If all the mass media outlets fall in line with the administration, we're left with totalitarianism. If the media becomes the arm of political power, it's despotism, and despotism is something I am completely against.

Hatoyama Cabinet Needs to Ease off Party Manifesto

2009-10-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Hatoyama Cabinet is in too much of a rush. It would be better off if it slowed down a bit. Soon after the election, I offered advice to the Democratic Party of Japan and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in the form of a Shakespeare quote -- "To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first." It seems they weren't listening. Hatoyama appears to be in a hurry. He should calm down, think about what needs to be done, decide on the proper policies, then go to work. By rushing, he comes off as authoritarian.

The Hatoyama Cabinet should stand by two documents: The three-party coalition pact and the DPJ manifesto. Many people don't understand the difference between the two. I'll start from the conclusion. The Hatoyama Cabinet should give top priority to the coalition pact signed on September 9 by Hatoyama-san for the DPJ, Fukushima-san for the Social Democratic Party and Kamei-san for the People's New Party. This is how the Hatoyama administration formed its coalition with the two smaller parties.

However, some of Hatoyama's key cabinet ministers seem to ignore this pact while pushing the DPJ manifesto as the top priority. This is a mistake. If the DPJ is giving top priority to its manifesto, the three-party pact is rendered meaningless. In that case, it should have chosen to rule alone. Since the Hatoyama administration has chosen to form a coalition with the Socialists and the People's New Party, it should honor the three-party pact first and the manifesto second.

One man pushing the manifesto is 77-year-old Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii. This is his argument as quoted in the September 29 morning edition of the Mainichi Shinbun: "The DPJ won the lower house election because of overall support for its public pledges. There are probably discussions to have on various policies, but we mustn't keep adjusting our policies according to public opinion, or trust in the party will drop."

Fujii's argument just doesn't hold up. A lot of the DPJ's support came from people who wanted to vote against the LDP more than anything else. Opinion polls show barely 10% of DPJ supporters said they based their votes on the manifesto. Fujii has gone overboard. At a time when we need our elder statesmen to be flexible, Fujii's "executive decisiveness" is a bit much. He should know that a hardened line on the manifesto will lead to the collapse of the coalition. Fujii should put the needs of his nation ahead of concerns about trust in his party. A strict belief in the manifesto is a dangerous stance.

TV Commentator Tries to Diminish Premier's Financial Scandal

2009-10-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

"The false campaign-fund reports filed by Hatoyama's private office pose a small problem for the premier. In fact, it's odd to even call it a problem." Thus spoke a famous TV commentator on a highly rated program recently. However you view this case, I want to make my thoughts on the issue clear.

Our society is predicated on the assumption that everyone is supposed to obey the law. Legislators who make the laws should take extra measures to adhere to the law.

Rep. Hatoyama admitted as much when the campaign-fund scandal broke, announcing that he was firing the secretary in charge. But that doesn't make the problem of the false reports go away. There needs to be an investigation into whether laws were broken. This issue needs to be resolved in a clear manner.

When the same sort of scandal hit the Liberal Democratic Party, many LDP lawmakers resigned in response. But Hatoyama has explained the scandal once and taken no other action. During the election campaign, the issue of the false reports was all but omitted from the discussion. The media was silent. Is this what we want?

On the Sept. 20 broadcast of TV Asahi's "Sunday Project," T-san, a well-known commentator, said of the scandal, "It's a minor thing. We need to be debating bigger issues." His view is prevalent among Democratic Party of Japan members, but is it correct? It's not healthy to give someone a pass just because they climbed their way to the premiership. In fact, we should do the opposite: Because Hatoyama is the prime minister, he should be held to a high standard. No one is above the law.

Will the Hatoyama Administration Really Improve People's Lives?

2009-09-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Hatoyama administration began on September 16. The Democratic Party of Japan has been basking in euphoria since the election victory. The mass media has also shone an admiring light on the administration. Yet at the same time, anxiety is growing that this new administration will further the recession. More people believe that a DPJ administration will pull the economy down further and worsen unemployment.

Some readers may be surprised to learn that the DPJ has neither the policies to combat the recession nor a strategy for economic growth. It hasn't conceived of how the government can help industry and companies. Moreover, it is said that the party plans a large reshuffle of this year's supplementary budget. Confusion is inevitable. If this reshuffling gets stalled, then next year's budgetary process is likely to be delayed as well. And public works are apt to be reduced. If this is the case, then it will take even longer to overcome this recession.

On top of all this, the DPJ is pushing a policy of dismantling the bureaucracy, which is sure to sap the energy of government officials. A clash between politicians and bureaucrats will result in stagnation.

Yukio Hatoyama gave a speech on September 8, just before he officially became prime minister, in which he said Japan would reduce emissions that cause global warming to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. The overly ambitious target puts an added onus on Japanese companies. And it penalizes electricity and steel manufacturers trying to compete with China and other countries, setting those industries back by as much as several hundred billion yen. The government ends up putting an added burden on itself and Japanese industry by setting an unrealistic goal just because it wants to make a good impression with the EU. This is what I call the "Lone Nation Self-Admiration Principle."

The sky-high target puts pressure on corporate management. It could lower salaries as well, which would lead to a deepening of the recession and a further rise in unemployment. In fact, there's hardly anything in all of the Hatoyama administration's proposals that will directly fuel economic recovery and growth. The DPJ would do well to listen closely to the growing concerns about its approach.

The DPJ should focus on lowering unemployment, stabilizing the economy and setting it on a path for growth. These are the top priorities. But instead it wants to redo the supplementary budget, dismantle the bureaucracy and set unreasonably high goals for emission reductions -- all these policies have elements in them that could hurt the already ailing economy. If this new regime gives us a worse recession and increasing unemployment, the public is likely to wake from its dream in an extremely bad mood.

A Proposal for Premier Hatoyama: Value the Provinces

2009-09-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Where are Japan's politics heading?

First, we need to revive the spirit of cooperation and harmony among the Japanese people. We made a mistake when we followed the path of "structural reform," which was really market fundamentalism as espoused by the Republicans in the U.S. Japan's economy deteriorated, the livelihood of its people declined and its society was riven with gaps between the haves and the have-nots. This happened because of excessive globalism (and the disregard of domestic-demand-driven industries), a capital-centric system (with little investment in objects and industry) and a Tokyo-centric economy that all but forgot the provinces. The decline of the provinces has been especially egregious. This is what destroyed the Liberal Democratic Party, and now it is the Hatoyama Cabinet's responsibility to right this wrong.

Second, we should revive the idea of holding a lot of public meetings to forge a consensus on national issues. The reason the LDP lost the support of the people is because it grew arrogant and suffered from delusions of grandeur as it made arbitrary decisions for the nation. The Hatoyama administration will have to correct this mistake. One thing it can do is listen closely to the opinions of the people in the provinces.

Third, we need to re-establish a harmonious morality. Engaging in confrontation and contentiousness in the name of "reform" will bring a hundred problems before it brings one advantage. The giant media outlets are fueling the talk of reform. They are bringing the fight to organizations they don't like, painting those who challenge the media as being hostile to "reform." The media's target is the "public," especially anything to do with government offices and public works.

The media are turning into a kind of lethal weapon. The new Hatoyama administration has to rise above the mudslinging.

The Hatoyama Cabinet must undo the folly and mistakes made since the Koizumi administration. The LDP's ruin came about because it ignored the provinces. If the new administration is going to right this wrong, the people need to hold Hatoyama's feet to the fire.

My frank message to Mr. Hatoyama: Put emphasis on the provinces. You can do this by promoting regional farming and industry. The pillar of the local economies is construction. Treat the construction industry well!

Revival of the provinces will require spending that strengthens society: Promote environmental maintenance, disaster prevention and restoration, tourism and local industries.

This is my message to the premier.

The Democratic Party of Japan should not get caught up in being true to every letter of the manifesto it delivered to the people in the recent election. The party should have the courage to shelve the things that don't help the people.

The party should annul its proposal to greatly reduce public-works spending. It's the work of the neoliberal wing of the DPJ, and its enactment would mean further deterioration in the provinces. This sort of foolish policy should be withdrawn as quickly as possible. I repeat: Please put more value on the provinces.

The Mask

2009-09-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

As the Democratic Party of Japan seizes power after its historic victory, people are beginning to ask, "Who really calls the shots within the DPJ, Prime Minister to be Yukio Hatoyama or kingmaker Ichiro Ozawa?" Here's Mr. Morita's reply in a recent AP story:

“Ozawa is far more powerful,” Minoru Morita, a politics expert and author, said Saturday. “It’s as though Ozawa is wearing a Hatoyama mask. He is in control, although on the surface Hatoyama is the leader.”

And from Reuters, here's Mr. Morita's take on Naoto Kan, expected to be appointed head of the National Strategy Bureau, a policy-setting group:

"All he has ever done with the bureaucrats is fight them," said political commentator Minoru Morita. "The danger with Kan in this post is that the bureaucrats will simply stop working for fear of being attacked, so nothing will move forward," he added.

In Mr. Kan's defense, he does acknowledge that unemployment is the biggest issue Japan faces; Mr. Morita argues the same thing in the post below this one.

My Hopes for the New Administration

2009-09-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

The events of August 30 in Japan were a kind of peaceful revolution. It was a national uprising. The citizens used the ballot box to end one long political reign and give birth to a new political force. It was a huge shift. It's understandable that the winners were giddy and elated by their victory.

But the important thing is to proceed with care. Don't rush. First seek to understand the election results and figure out why this happened. Analyze the voters' opinions. Take a deep breath and start out by listening to the people. Don't let your passions get the best of you; you need to refrain from picking a fight with the bureaucracy right off the bat. The most important thing for the new administration is to have the resolve to fight the hardships facing the Japanese people today.

Human affairs are important in politics. The leaders need to balance a strong sense of responsibility with passion and vision. Bring the powerful Ichiro Ozawa into the cabinet as vice prime minister. This is the best way to dispel the notion that Ozawa wields his power from the shadows. Don't just appoint experienced ministers from the Democratic Party of Japan such as Naoto Kan, Kozo Watanabe and Hirohisa Fujii. Instead, make a coalition cabinet by appointing veteran lawmakers such as Mizuho Fukushima and Yasumasa Shigeno of the Social Democratic Party and Shizuka Kamei of the People's New Party. This not only serves the purpose of stabilizing the cabinet, but it also will smooth out adjustments with the government bureaucracy. The party and the cabinets need to strike a balance among old, middle-aged and young lawmakers as well. In the middle group, Katsuya Okada, Issei Koga, Hirotaka Akamatsu, Akihiro Ohata, Sakihito Ozawa, Masaharu Nakagawa, Yoshihiko Noda, Hiroshi Kawauchi, Yoshinori Suematsu and Hirofumi Hirano are all good candidates for the cabinet.

The top priority of the new administration should be to shore up people's livelihoods. They'll need to work on aggressive policies to fight the recession and stabilize employment. The unemployment rate is 5.7%. The ratio of job openings to job seekers is 0.42. Prices are falling at a rate of 2.2%. There's a pressing need for solutions to all these problems. Medical care, nursing and pensions need to be restored in a hurry. Put fiscal reconstruction on the back burner and focus financial policies on stabilizing people's lives. There is an especially pressing need for measures to alleviate the unemployment situation.

The First Family

2009-09-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

New Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama comes from a long line (four generations, to be precise) of Liberal Democratic Party members and his grandfather actually unseated former Prime Minister Taro Aso's grandfather for the premiership decades ago, according to this piece in the Christian Science Monitor.

Hatoyama's wife, the first lady of Japan, has been garnering her own press for claims that she was abducted by aliens and knew Tom Cruise in a past life. Here's Reuters TV on first lady Miyuki.

Memo to the New Administration: Show Some Modesty

2009-09-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

The romance of a revolution gets passed down through generations, but the truth is that right after a revolution, the people live in misery. I studied revolutions in my youth and found that while the romance lingered, the effects on society were tragic. That's the real legacy of a revolution.

It's natural for many people to want political change. The new administration will start out by issuing its manifesto. At the heart of that manifesto is the idea that the bureaucratic institutions in Kasumigaseki should be dismantled.

Former bureaucrats appearing in the media talk of the Kasumigaseki bureaucracy as the root of all evil. The heavy criticism has an influence on a wide swath of the public. But the remarks of the former bureaucrats are not fair. It's as if the media has found some former bureaucrats to do its bidding and speak poorly of current bureaucrats. It's difficult to watch these old boys pour abuse on their former home.

Actively serving bureaucrats have been silent. They endure the slander without response. The argument that Kasumigaseki is the root of all evil does not even garner a reply. But the media's attacks on the bureaucracy go too far. We need a fair analysis.

The new administration should heed this quote from Shakespeare: "To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."

And to the departing Liberal Democrats I say, "It's never too late to mend." The important thing is to reflect on what went wrong and try again.

Finally, to the new administration: Let modesty be your guide.

Thoughts on the Election

2009-08-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

The phrase "virtual reality" refers to a computer-generated image that is perceived as the real thing.

In the political world, we have an election that hasn't even occurred yet, the Democratic Party of Japan acting as if it has won a tremendous victory and the Liberal Democratic Party hanging its head in defeat. Excessive expectations surrounding the election and public opinion polls reporting an overwhelming lead for the DPJ have resulted in the false perception that the votes have been counted. Some members of the DPJ are as optimistic as politicians the day after an election victory.

Of course, there are some LDP candidates who are giving their all to win their seats. But it seems as if the LDP has abdicated its role as the top political party in Japan. A lot of LDP members think that the coalition with the New Komeito Party is no longer sustainable in the face of the rising popularity of the DPJ. Their spirit was crushed when they saw the voters further distance themselves from the LDP in the July 12 Tokyo assembly elections. It's as if they're content to wallow in memories of the good old days and avoid thinking about the hardships they face right now.

The smaller parties don't seem to have much energy either. These parties play a vital role. I'd like to see more spirit from the People's New Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Communists.

I've been worried by what I've seen recently. The LDP should reflect on its record and alter its traditional course to respond to today's reality. True reflection will result in a sincere confrontation of today's problems. The fringe parties need to save this election by mustering some energy in the final days.

Voters Grow Tired of Hereditary Politics

2009-08-24T09:40:00.001-07:00

Morita-san chimes in on the subject of hereditary politics, or seshu:

“Seshu is turning into a politically sensitive issue,” said Minoru Morita, who has written books on politics. “The trend will be toward declining seshu because such candidates are going to have a harder time getting elected.”

Here's the whole story, which focuses on former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's son having a harder than expected time getting elected to his dad's old seat. As one cab driver says in the piece, "Koizumi doesn’t really have that good a reputation around here. He didn’t do that much for us.”

Bureaucrats Prepare to be Bashed

2009-08-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

I recently received a phone call from my friend and former government official H-san. He is a reserved person, a consummate gentleman. This is what he told me:

"Lately, when I meet government officials, they seem a little tense. They've been feeling this way ever since people starting realizing political change could occur, especially once the Democratic Party of Japan started talking about dismantling the bureaucracy and the mass media joined in the bureaucrat bashing. If the DPJ wins, it will join with the media to bash the bureaucrats even more. Government officials can't help but think how they should respond when this bashing begins in earnest. Are Ichiro Ozawa and Yukio Hatoyama for real? If they dismantle Kasumigaseki and the independent administrative agencies, then what will happen? If they are serious about "dismantling Kasumigaseki," as they say, then we should prepare for some awful developments. It would be all-out war between the politicians and the bureaucrats. Can Japan really afford to have that fight?"

New Administration Will Need to Calibrate Change

2009-08-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's more and more likely that there will be a transfer of political power after the 45th House of Repesentatives election on Aug. 30. I don't think the Aso administration has the strength to avoid the loss of power or the destruction of the coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito Party. The public is eager to turn against Prime Minister Taro Aso and his ruling coalition. "Let's give the Democratic Party of Japan a chance to run the government" goes the general thinking. And there's really only a very small chance that this public sentiment will change a lot between now and Aug. 30.

One of the big reasons that the LDP could hold onto power for more than 50 years is that there was never a large bloc of people who hated the party. The public didn't dislike the LDP -- that's an important asset for a leader. The reason for this lack of hatred was that the LDP put value on moderation. There was a quality in the old LDP that seemed to dislike extremism of any sort and value the middle. This is why the party never inspired the hatred of the people.

But now, influenced by American extremism, the LDP is more likely to run to the extreme end of an issue. Moreover, it is no longer as able as it once was to put the brakes on extreme moves and get back to the middle. Its ability to find a balance has declined.

It's quite likely that the Aug. 30 elections will result in a coalition government of the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party. It's also possible that the DPJ will secure a majority on its own. If it does this, then the coalition will be a coalition in name only, with the DPJ calling the shots.

The main factor for the DPJ's success in responding to the people will be its ability to navigate a moderate path. Right after a new party comes to power, there's a tendency in politics for the new group to rush for results. The mass media will fuel that tendency by setting high expectations. It's important for the new political power to avoid this trap and set out on a path of moderated change. The wise path is to avoid sudden changes.

The top priority of the new administration will be to revive the economy. The constant flow of bankruptcies has to be stemmed. Rising unemployment has to be stopped. The new administration must quickly enact policies to stabilize people's lives and boost the corporate economy, and it will need the cooperation of economic leaders and bureaucrats. It will need to be sure that it has the support of the people. To do that, the new administration must clearly show the people that it has embraced moderation.

Reflecting on Peace

2009-08-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

The modern world is a frightening place. These days, even minor countries possess nuclear weapons. One such minor country in Northeast Asia has been openly holding nuclear tests and missile launchings. It is provoking its neighbors. This is an extremely dangerous situation.

In an age when many countries possess nuclear weapons, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is becoming even more of a misnomer.

The United States of America developed the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. It dropped these weapons of mass destruction on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Both cities were annihilated.

Reports on the experiences of A-bomb victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were tightly controlled under the US military occupation; the Japanese people heard about them solely through word of mouth. Only when the San Francisco Peace Treaty went into effect on April 28, 1952, (after being signed on Sept. 8, 1951) and administrative control of the country was returned to a sovereign Japan was it possible to report on the victims of the bomb.
I was a college student then. I was a student union leader and I quickly helped develop an exhibit of the atomic bomb victims to be shown throughout the country. I opened the exhibit in my hometown of Ito on the Izu Peninsula. From that moment on, I was committed to opposing nuclear weapons.

In the ensuing 57 years, I took a politically neutral position and maintained no party affiliation. For nearly 40 years, my main work has been as a political commentator. While I have not taken part in peace rallies, I have been against war of any sort. At the very core of my pacifism is the deep hurt parents experienced when they lose their sons (including my older brother) on the battlefield.

The anniversaries of Aug. 6 and 9 are upon us. And then there is Aug. 15. On these three days, the people of Japan pray for peace and pledge to never wage war again.

We are in the midst of a campaign for the general election. The timing is right for politicians to vow to uphold peace. I want all of them to recognize that their No. 1 priority as politicians is to defend that peace.

The great Eastern philosopher Confucius said, "Politics is justice." What he meant was that politics had to be based on justice. The great Western philosopher Aristotle said that the goal of politics is to realize the ultimate good, which is the achievement of happiness. And in 19th century England, William Gladstone said, "It is the duty of the government to make it difficult for the people to do wrong, easy to do right."

I believe that all these definitions of politics are correct. But I also believe that as the 20th century has brought us two horrific world wars, politics needs to be redefined. Here's my new definition: "The goal of politics should be to shield us from the worst outcomes" such as war, the loss of autonomy (and subsequent subjugation to another power), massive unemployment, runaway inflation and the destruction of our way of life.

The ultimate goal of politics should be to avoid the worst situations. And the worst of the worst is war.

A lot of politicians are running in the Aug. 30 general election. Among them are some young belligerent types to whom the words of the Greek poet Pindar apply: "War is sweet to those who have no experience of it." These hawks are in both the Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

It's easy to start a war but difficult to finish it. And a nuclear war could bring about the destruction of the human race.

The 45th election of the House of Representatives on Aug. 30 shouldn't be about which party one supports. It should be about which candidates will stand up for peace.

The 'Collective Groan'

2009-07-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

As the Liberal Democratic Party unveils its platform for the late August election, Morita-san is quoted by the Christian Science Monitor as saying he can hear a "collective groan" coming from Japan. Here's the full quote:

The LDP "have long failed to deal with protracted economic troubles. Japanese people don't even see Prime Minister Aso's seriousness," says Minoru Morita, an independent political analyst. "More people's lives have begun to crumble and many smaller businesses are on the verge of collapse. I can hear a collective groan coming from all over Japan."

My Hope for a Wide Open Policy Debate

2009-07-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

"In politics nothing is contemptible." These words from Benjamin Disraeli are troubling. Watching the actions of today's politicians, I get the suspicion that they have an "anything goes" attitude. Party leaders engage in far too much negative campaigning. The parties' upper echelon keeps making mountains out of molehills. The range of topics discussed is far too narrow.

The people of Japan want a wide-ranging policy debate right now. What sort of economic policy should we put in place? Are we happy with our current direction in foreign policy and national security? Are we content to continue following the US? What sort of society and economy does Japan want? The people are asking for a debate about the principles that will guide Japan from hereon out. Our political leaders should heed this request and begin the debate.

The nation is becoming more impoverished. The government delivers carefree pronouncements about how the economy has already hit bottom, and yet economic conditions for the average Japanese are deteriorating rapidly. The unemployment rate is skyrocketing. Bankruptcies are on the rise. A lot of people are at a vital crossroads, unsure of which way to turn.

But the government and the individual leaders of our political parties are not conscious of this reality. Politicians in both the Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan lack this consciousness. These individuals should look at the economic realities and the worsening livelihoods of their constituents and propose breakthrough proposals to help them. We need to weed out politicians without an economic policy and then begin a serious discussion about the reasons for this economic collapse.

Lately, something has really surprised me when I listen to party leaders talk. They have almost no strategic vision for the future. Should we continue with a capitalist society centered on the largest sources of capital? Or should we base our capitalism on an economy that actually makes things? Should we continue down the path of neoliberalism? Or should we pursue some sort of modified capitalism or socialism? Is a profit-oriented society with widening wealth gaps what we want? Or perhaps we should move to a middle-class society that values full employment, social welfare and the environment? It surprises me that none of our political leaders are discussing these vital issues. Our politics have become impoverished. Our political leaders need to develop a general vision for Japan's future.

Responsibility for Disorder Lies with Aso

2009-07-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Liberal Democratic Party is propelling itself toward self-destruction.

The destruction of the LDP is a serious matter. Responsibility lies with Prime Minister Taro Aso and his inaction, lack of common sense and inadequate leadership skills. The LDP chose a person with no natural leadership skills to be prime minister. The party needs to accept that fact.

The best method for resolving this mess is for Aso to resign as prime minister and party president. As long as he clings to these positions, the party will careen out of control.

So where do we stand today? The Aso Cabinet has dissolved the lower house and asked to be judged by the voters. The LDP faces the voters with an expectation that they will entrust the government to him despite the polls showing more than 70% disapprove of the job he's doing. Do they really think that they can dismiss the people's views and still prevail? What's at stake is the very survival of the LDP. A change in political power draws near in Japan.

The Problem with Pragmatism

2009-07-27T16:25:00.001-07:00

As the opposition Democratic Party of Japan begins to smell victory in the late August general election, it has also stepped up conferences with the US on security issues. Just how different would a DPJ government be in the long run? It's relationship with the Social Democrats, its partner in the upper house, could be a clear indicator, as Mr. Morita points out in a recent article from Asia Times:

"The DPJ is already increasingly exchanging views on security issues with the US government officials, and it is reviewing its previous stance," Minoru Morita, a noted political analyst in Tokyo, told Asia Times Online. "The alliance with the DPJ and the SDP would be fragile if the DPJ succumbs to pressure from Washington. Pragmatism is a double-edged sword for the DPJ for sure. The more the DPJ becomes pragmatic, the more the SDP aggravates a grievance."

Time to Bid Adieu to Celebrity Governor Mania

2009-07-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Liberal Democratic Party is being drained of its power at a rapid rate. It's becoming increasingly difficult to envision an LDP-New Komeito victory in the coming election.

The LDP has lost the trust of the nation because the ruling coalition policies have resulted in a worsening of the economy, a rapid rise in unemployment and a destruction of people's livelihoods. It's natural that the voters have become disgusted with the coalition.

Lately, people have quickened the pace at which they are separating from the ruling coalition. There are two direct reasons for this: One is that people are straying from Prime Minister Taro Aso. They've strayed because they no longer trust the party as it reshuffles the cabinet and changes its party executives. The other reason is that Aso turned to Governor Higashikokubaru for help.Turning to the former comedian in the middle of the term is a blatant ploy to boost the party's chances before the election; it's extreme folly to start talking about Higashikokubaru as the LDP candidate in the next election. The LDP is being played by a celebrity governor and held up for derision because of it. This is a pitiful state for a governing party to be in. At the root of this attempt to corral a celebrity governor is the LDP's bid to appeal to populist sentiment.

LDP, open your eyes!

LDP needs Soka Gakkai vote more than ever

2009-07-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Now that Prime Minister Taro Aso has announced a date for the general election — August 30 — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will be leaning more than ever on its coalition partner New Komeito to get out the Soka Gakkai vote. The Buddhist lay organization is known for its extensive and powerful get-out-the-vote machine, but will it be enough? Others within the LDP are pushing for Aso to step aside and let a fresh face run as head of the party. Takehiko Kambayashi filed this report about the coming election in the Christian Science Monitor.

My Appeal to the LDP and the DPJ

2009-07-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

If premier Taro Aso really believes he can defend his status and the status of the prime minister by dissolving the lower house, his administration is headed for pandemonium. To avoid this fate, Aso needs to resign. If he decides to do otherwise, the political situation will become muddled and the populace will further distance itself from the Liberal Democratic Party, leading to its ruin. That is what I foresee. He should know that public sentiment is against him. I recommend that he quietly read the situation and act accordingly.

The more difficult case is that of Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama. He was just chosen to lead the party about a month and a half ago in May. He ranked high in early public opinion polls. Yet there hasn't been another opinion poll since the most recent political fund scandal came to light. The DPJ is still under the illusion that Hatoyama is popular. A push for Hatoyama to step aside is not going to come from within the party.

There are DPJ supporters who sympathize with Hatoyama. But the funding scandal implicating him should not be brushed aside. At the very least, the person in charge of the funds in Hatoyama's office should be held legally liable. Hatoyama should not be allowed to avoid political and moral responsibility for this scandal either.

Hatoyama may be able to retain his leadership position. But is that really for the best? Hatoyama may even be able to lead his party to victory in the general elections. But it's a risky proposition. If this unique opportunity for political change is left up to Hatoyama, we could be left with nothing but regret. The only person who can do something about this now is Hatoyama himself. I am awaiting a bold decision from Hatoyama-san.

Rearranging the Deck Chairs

2009-07-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Taro Aso appoints Yoshimasa Hayashi to head the economy ministry in a last-ditch effort to get those poll numbers to stop descending. It really does seem like the LDP is in for a drubbing whenever it decides to hold the next election, which will be on September 10 at the very latest. Read the Bloomberg report here.