Category Archives: Japanese Politics

The LDP Abe administration wants to enact a new law providing draconian punishments for people found guilty of leaking (including inducing to leak) especially sensitive secret information. It is not clear what this will cover, but it is clear from … Continue reading →

Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro recently spoke to a right-wing gathering, and part of his comments got him more media attention. In the part that got the attention, he said: 日本が今置かれている国際情勢は、憲法ができたころとはまったく違う。護憲と叫んで平和がくると思ったら大間違いだ。改憲の目的は国家の安定と安寧だ。改憲は単なる手段だ。騒々しい中で決めてほしくない。落ち着いて、われわれを取り巻く環境は何なのか、状況をよく見た世論の上に憲法改正は成し遂げられるべきだ。そうしないと間違ったものになりかねない。 ドイツのヒトラーは、ワイマール憲法という当時ヨーロッパで最も進んだ憲法（の下）で出てきた。憲法が良くてもそういったことはありうる。 憲法の話を狂騒の中でやってほしくない。靖国神社の話にしても静かに参拝すべきだ。国のために命を投げ出してくれた人に敬意と感謝の念を払わない方がおかしい。静かにお参りすればいい。何も戦争に負けた日だけに行くことはない。 「静かにやろうや」ということで、ワイマール憲法はいつの間にか変わっていた。誰も気がつかない間に変わった。あの手口を学んだらどうか。僕は民主主義を否定するつもりもまったくない。しかし、けん騒の中で決めないでほしい。  Which I would translate as: By … Continue reading →

Even if we assume deflation is bad for the economy, we then still have the problem of how to stem it if it is caused by an excess of supply from outside (e.g., cheap Chinese imports). Can the It is … Continue reading →

There was a very interesting panel discussion at Temple University in Tokyo about the LDP’s efforts to amend the Constitution and what this portends for human rights. It was noted that part of this LDP effort rests upon a rejection … Continue reading →

Abe was in the Diet today claiming the LDP’s proposed amendment to the Constitution curtailing freedom of speech is necessary because otherwise they could not prevent incidents such as the Aum Shinrikyo sarin attack. Of course, that is nonsense. There … Continue reading →

A flyer from a local politician (Takita Kohtoku, a DPJ member of the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly) – that was put in mail boxes as opposed to being passed out at the train station – calls for amending the Constitution. There … Continue reading →

Governor Ishihara announced he is quitting the governorship and moving back into national-level politics. Of course, even as Tokyo Governor, he was very much involved in stirring the national political pot (e.g., with his bid to buy the Senkakus, which … Continue reading →

Hashimoto’s new political party has been formally named the 日本維新の会. Which is much more grandiose than, for example, 大阪都の会 and probably still does not do justice to his ambitions. But what is the English name, if any? Officially it is … Continue reading →

Japan really should stop insisting sovereignty over the Senkakus is undisputed. Because with all the noise that is being made, it is obvious that there is a dispute. So Japan should Weight is another issue that can bring about the … Continue reading →

When the government announced it plans to phase out nuclear power by 2039 — when they asked people, the target was 2030; but when they saw most people wanted a phase-out, they moved it back to “the 2030s” — they … Continue reading →