It is safe to assume that when Mori Yoshiro admonishes someone, the mood in the LDP is bleaker than previously thought.Mr. Mori, whose mission is not the advancement of an agenda of reform or reaction but the preservation of LDP primacy, has taken it upon himself to use his bully pulpit as a former prime …
Month: August 2008
Observing Japan on Radio Australia
I recorded an interview on Japanese agricultural policy for a story that aired on Radio Australia.Not my most articulate media appearance, but readers can listen to the story here. Ken Worsley of Japan Economy News was also interviewed.
The dissidents depart
In an unexpected but not wholly surprising move, the DPJ's upper-house dissidents will announce Thursday that they're leaving the DPJ to form their own party, citing the DPJ's failure to put the people before politics as the reason for their departure.The rebels — Watanabe Hideo and Oe Yasuhiro (both representatives from the DPJ national PR …
APSA blogging
I imagine that some of my readers may be in Boston for this year's APSA annual meeting.I'm planning on attending, and will be at a number of Asia-related panels (and possibly blog about what I hear).If you'll be at APSA, feel free to drop me a line (observingjapan@gmail.com).UPDATE: Blogging will depend on whether panels are …
Out with a whimper
MTC beats me to pointing out the futility of the forthcoming seventy-day extraordinary session, which will convene from Sept. 12.The government, he notes, will lack the time to pass the most significant pieces of legislation on the agenda (beyond a stimulus package) and override the upper house if necessary. No refueling mission extension. No tax …
Will the DPJ’s uncontested election have consequences?
Noda Yoshihiko's decision not to challenge Ozawa Ichiro for the DPJ presidency has prompted the expected comments from LDP politicians about the DPJ's failings.Aso Taro, never one to hold his tongue, said Saturday in Kagoshima, "A party leadership election is an especially good opportunity to fight over policy. If one cannot speak without hesitation, is …
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The onslaught begins
Last week, when Amari Akira announced his support for Aso Taro's taking over for Fukuda Yasuo when the latter's public approval dips below twenty percent, I wondered, "Will Mr. Amari's remarks be followed by a series of leaks to the press from anonymous LDP sources about disarray in the government and Mr. Fukuda's inadequacies as …
Noda backs down
I wrote on Wednesday that Noda Yoshihiko was prepared to stand against Ozawa Ichiro in the September DPJ leadership election.It seems, however, that Mr. Noda's own faction is reluctant to back him.(As of Friday morning, Mr. Noda has announced that he will not be running against Mr. Ozawa next month. It seems that Mr. Ozawa …
What will be the impact of the Chinese ASBM on the US-Japan alliance?
Reports are emerging that in the process of enhancing its short- and medium-range ballistic missile forces, China is also developing the world's first anti-ship ballistic missile, similar to the DF-21, a ballistic missile with a range of 1800 kilometers. (Whether the new version will have a similar range remains to be seen — it may …
Continue reading What will be the impact of the Chinese ASBM on the US-Japan alliance?
Noda to step in front of the Ozawa train
After months of deliberation, one of the DPJ's young turks opposed to the leadership of Ozawa Ichiro has indicated that he is prepared to step forward to run against Mr. Ozawa in next month's leadership election.Noda Yoshihiko, head of a small DPJ faction close with Maehara Seiji's group and the chairman of the DPJ's public …
Tobias S. Harris 