日本茶党, birthers, and the Oz Lady.

Yes, 茶党, not 茶道*。

And here I thought the Tea Party and the Birthers were some sort of "Only in America" thing. But on the day of PM Kan's victory over Ozawa, I was chatting with my old friend and ex-tutor whom I shall refer to as the Oz Lady as that fits both her name and her interesting ideas.

Claiming to speak no English--which, of course is not exactly true but very close in her case---she only knows what she reads in Japanese---or hears via the rumor mill. She has some strong political opinions, many of which have to do with the threat of foreigners to Japan. She once asked me about non-citizens' ability to vote in the US (the US is only standard that counts) before going into a mini-rant about the DPJs proposal to let non-citizens vote in local elections. (Her teaching experiences have not reduced her fear of foreigners although she does not dislike non-Japanese people---only the abstract idea of resident foreigners plotting to harm Japan). She has expressed concern about the rightwing's claim that the US would not defend Japan in case of attack, but would somehow instantly pull its troops out and abandon the country in the midst of it all. She also wants a strong Japan that can say no to any country without any repercussions. Naturally, China is a huge threat to Japan, as are those hidden "panda-huggers" in the Japanese government who are handing the country to China.

You would never know or suspect her true beliefs if you did not know her quite well. She seems like a somewhat typical mid-30s gal from the hills of Nagano who is not a member of the college educated white collar workforce. This is what makes her interesting---more interesting in a way than many of the folks I speak with. I like to believe her thoughts represent a different group, although they may only represent her.

In a discussion of the Kan/Ozawa contest, she seemed pleased when I told her that Kan had won. Then she asked me about US politics and if a naturalized US citizen could become president. When I said no, she asked about members of Congress. Naively believing she was actually interested in US politics, I went into an overly detailed answer to a question that she cared not a whit about anyway. It turns out that she was only asking about the US so that she could establish where Japan stood in relation to The Gold Standard of the Universe.

She let me in on a secret. Neither Kan nor Ozawa are Japanese! It seems both are naturalized Japanese citizens with Kan being Korean and Ozawa being Chinese (or visa versa, I was so surprised to hear her say this, I forget which is which). Not only did she say that with a straight face, she was obviously angry about it. Either would sell the country to China, she said, without explaining why a Korean would do so.

We soon moved on in our chat, but I must say that I was disappointed after our conversation. Extreme goofiness is neither an Only in America phenomenon nor something uniquely Japanese.

Anyway, I am still trying to absorb the fact that several years ago she looked at me with her "black eyes" and informed me that I have red hair. All my life, people had lied to me and said it was brown. How could a southern barbarian have anything but red hair?

This is meant not to disparage her. She just gets some interesting ideas from somewhere. I grew up with folks like her...

*Humor, or what must pass for it. 茶道 generally means tea ceremony (the way of tea), but 茶党 would mean Tea Party if it were a real word.

Ozawa, the Pinko Commie

It seems that the esteemed Washington Post published an idiotorial on the DPJ contest on Saturday. We don't know who wrote the piece, but I suspect that person may actually be a Ozawa mole sent to the Post in order to prove Ozawa's statement that Americans are "simple-minded." (WTF do we keep talking about monocellular? Is this the equivalent of goofily literal "Honorable teacup" type translating?)

[Ozawa] in his current incarnation he is less friendly to the U.S.-Japan alliance, and more attracted to China's dictatorship, than most Japanese leaders...Washington Post

Thank goodness we still have Old-School news media like Rush Limbaugh and talk radio, The Washington Times, and the editorial page of the Washington Post to keep us informed. I had never heard nor read anything from Ozawa that indicated he was "attracted to China's dictatorship." Unfortunately, the Post provided no links to check out that assertion.

Things do not bode well for the DPJ and the US government in the future no matter who wins if Japan in any way rocks the "alliance" boat. Where is "Change" Obama??????

Why am I always the last to know? More here and here.

By the way, isn't the Post's online site one of the worst of the "newspaper" sites on the web?

Maybe Ozawa challenging Kan ain't so bad after all. I have heard and read some discussion about the debates between Kan and Ozawa being a rare opportunity in Japan. They have certainly been of a different tenor than the arguments heard from the LDP as of late. If one can hear any arguments from the LDP.

Ozawa, who rightly or wrongly has gotten a lot of criticism for being selfish (not only from the media, but from regular voters), has an excerpted interview in Mainichi in which he criticizes the enshrinement of Class A war criminals at Yasukuni and again shows support for voting rights for permanent residents in local elections. He also addresses Futenma, although there is nothing new in what he says about that issue. Basically, it's a problem that need to be solved and requires the involvement of the US government and Okinawan residents:

Concerning Futenma, we have no choice but to come up with a good idea for settling the issue through talks with Okinawa residents and the U.S. government. We can't come up with any idea without talking with them. Mainichi

The excerpts offer nothing new or earth shattering, but one could believe that should Ozawa win, things would still be much better than any current alternative party. Of course the problem is, how will voters react if he become head of the DPJ and prime minister. Folks I talk to are not enthusiastic.

"Andy Warhol politics"

The Pink Paper pretty much nailed the feeling, if not the reality, of what Gerald Curtis called a creative destruction era of Japanese politics (I do wonder though, what is creative about it?) and the revolving-door prime ministership:

The situation is so dire that Japan – still one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced economies in the world – is now routinely underestimated... ...Perhaps more alarmingly, many of its own people seem resigned to being second best. Financial Times

Some of the folks I talk to believe that second best is unrealistically optimistic (edited to add: meaning that the sense of resignation is very real.)

Blogger spell check does not recognize prime ministership as a word. It does suggest however, ministers-hip.

PM Kan requests advice from a wise man

Mr. Ozawa, in yesterday’s press conference about Okinawa and the U.S., you said that people could impart wisdom so that both the Americans and the Okinawans would be convinced,”... ...If there is such a piece of wisdom, please educate me." Japan Real Time

who, it turns out, had none to offer except "some kind of" wisdom "for every body to be satisfied."

Oooohhhhh. Ahhhhhhh. Now that's wisdom.

Another perspective on Ozawa's rationale

Somewhere I read that Ozawa just might have decided to run against Kan because Kan had damaged the party with his curious idea to suggest a doubling of the consumption tax which cost the DPJ the July election. A possibility, but one which would not explain why Ozawa would risk doing even more damage to the party.

There's a more interesting explanation of Kan (and Hatoyama's) possible motives at Dispatch Japan.

Despite his flaws, Ozawa hardly resembles the money-hungry, power-grabbing, political opportunist he is so often made out to be. In person he is charming, genuinely warm, and very loyal to friends. Quaint or not, he lives by the samurai ethic of service to the nation while expecting from those he deals with the respect accorded a person of influence and power...

...Far from a political opportunist, Ozawa has been unusually consistent with his policy prescriptions...Dispatch Japan, Peter Ennis

Ennis explains Loopy Hatoyama's flip-flop as due to Kan's refusal to allow Ozawa more influence in the party, although Hatoyama will still try to work out a deal between the two.

And Ozawa is still not anti-American. Don't have any info about his feelings for the British...

Akiramemashita!

Really. I've given up.* The One-with-Whom-I-Share-a-Mansion, a woman with a US university degree who has spent the last 15 years dealing with derivatives in a large US firm that was bailed out by US taxpayers, has basically agreed with Ozawa on one thing---Americans are simple-minded. She is specifically referring to the understanding of Japanese politics. And most specifically, to me.

Not that her opinion is above suspicion as she has supported the commies in spite of the fact that she is in no way a commie. She often votes commie because they are the "opposite" of the LDP. "How about Ozawa?," I asked over a decade ago after being impressed with his English language book (A Normal Country? I forget. See Google search). "Baka! He's the same! Sneaky and cares only about himself." Koizumi? The same. Maybe worse. However, the fact that she has a US university education may have simple-minded her to the extent that she doesn't understand.

A few weeks ago, Gerald Curtis stated that we are in a "period of creative destruction and the destructive phase is not yet over." Boy was he correct. Whereas this destructive phase may be interesting and fun to study for academic purposes, when one is living here and will probably continue to do so for quite a number of years (good lord, why?) it ain't academic. These clowns and their stunts will have a significant impact on people's lives, and that impact does not look positive.

Just over a year ago, when the DPJ's chance for victory began to become realistic and enthusiasm was palpable---especially among the younger (say 45 and below)---I was working at an architectural office in Akasaka-mitsuke. This office was filled with sharp, relatively young people, most with overseas experience and education. It was run by a U.S. educated woman who was the opposite of the stereotypical Japanese woman. Not a fool there, except for me.

In the spring of that year, I was chatting with one especially bright young fellow and smugly giving my brilliant opinions on Japanese (and US) politics. Then he asked me a simple question for which I had no sensible answer. Talking about the LDP, he asked, "How do we get them out?"*** The easy reply would have been to say, "Vote them out," but I could not say that. It seemed childishly simple-minded---like me---and actually meaningless.

Ultimately, the LDP was voted out. But what the hell have we got in its place?

Apologies for the gratuitous use of Japanese in the header, something I have tended to do more of recently. I plead, and can prove, insanity.

*For the duration of this post.

**Which she refers to as "gambling" and sneers at the idea of supposed sophisticated investors who really understand them.

***The LDP still had a myth of near invincibility.

1455 edited for the normal spelling/grammar errors,

Ozawa to the rescue

NHK just reported that Ozawa will run against PM Kan for the head of the DPJ. The good news never ends.

12:10: Tell me it ain't so, Yukio. (in Japanese)

2PM: I must be the last to learn everything, even the NYT has the Ozawa story, the Japan Times recently added a report that included Loopy's involvment, and Some Fellow up in Abiko knew about it 5 hours ago. Need to pay more attention to Twitter.

2:55 Japan Real Time on Loopy Hatoyama's Latest Waffle. Obviously all this maneuvering has confused simple-minded Americans, even here.

Ever notice how bad the NYT's search is? It cannot even locate it's own stories unless you go into advanced search. I understand the NYT will start charging for its online news soon.

With Friends Like Us

the title of a new article by R. Taggart Murphy in The New Republic.

Having tied their fortunes so tightly to the United States—or, more generously, having had them tied by history and circumstance—Japan's power-holders in the LDP and the bureaucracy, in business, finance, media, and academia have, since the 1950s, built an elaborate and sophisticated infrastructure of relationships and institutions in the United States capable of detecting and acting on the most subtle shifts in American opinion where Japan is concerned—and, when necessary, influencing it...

...But until last August, these “agents of influence,” as the title of a controversial book on the subject put it, were deployed to achieve Japanese government objectives. Now they were brought out to undermine them. Any American seen able to influence Washington's Japan policy was fed a predictable line: Hatoyama was “weak and vacillating,” the DPJ was filled with “amateurs,” and, most damning, Ozawa was “anti-American.” The New Republic.

Murphy writes that Okinawa has "now been radicalized" and that the only way the agreement can be implemented is by "brute force." Should he be right, Kan (and ultimately, Obama) is in for a huge surprise. There is no way that he can fulfill his supposed promise to Obama to implement it.

8:50: Edited

A "Stumbling Revolution"

The next couple of years will be crucial for the realization of genuine Japanese democracy. More than that. If the Minshuto leaders succeed in carrying out their aim of creating a cabinet-centered government this will be a grand example for others – one of the very few positive turns of fate in the political life of our planet. But the obstacles to achieving this are formidable. Not only domestic forces but also Washington will seek to torpedo the plans for a truly independent Japan that can stand on its own feet in the world. Understanding those obstacles well could help Japanese citizens contribute to the chances for a good outcome. Japan Focus

The article, Japan's Stumbling Revolution, by Karl van Wolferen, originally published in Chou Koron in Japanese last March is now at Japan Focus in English.

The last time I posted van Wolferen's comments

One must be wary of using the label ‘revolutionary’, but if they [DPJ] succeed this would be appropriate in the context of Japan's controlling political institutions.

it irked one of the commenters who thought DPJ being revolutionary was absurd. I think he missed the key word "if." Today "revolutionary" is still in "if" form and that "if" may seem a little less likely every day. Karl van Wolferen writes that "to call the task that the Minshuto has taken upon itself a heavy one is very, very understated." No doubt about that.

I think his take on the Japanese system is always worth reading. And rereading.

Edited to add: His take on the big newspapers and their "creating political reality as it exists in people's minds" seems especially accurate. I wish I could paste the whole article here, it's very good.

Ozawa to keep fighting and the LDP to keep being hypocritical

Japan's main opposition party pledged Sunday to pursue a funding scandal involving political heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa...

Prosecutors are investigating whether Ozawa... ...took millions of dollars in bribes...

One could be forgiven for being confused, but no, the prosecutor's office is not the main opposition party referred to in the article.

Sadakazu Kanigaki of the LDP represents the opposition party:

"We will keep asking questions as to whether the leaders who run the government are qualified," Tanigaki said, vowing to win July's upper house elections. All quotes from AFP

Since Joesph Welch did not ask "Have you no sense of shame, sir?" of Senator McCarthy, I will feel free to ask Tanigaki and the LDP that question. However, I wonder if Tanigaki would like voters to ask his question of the LDP next summer?

In my usual un-random,* unscientific poll of friends and acquaintances of Japanese nationality, I have found nobody who is falling for this. Then again, the folks I poll are those who haven't enough sense to avoid me and as such, they may or may not be representative of the general public. They certainly aren't representative of those who ride the Wednesday/Thursday evening trains from Otemachi or the Saturday evening train from Kawasaki as most of those folks do a very good job of avoiding sitting beside me.

*Caution: non-standard English.

I am not implying that Ozawa is a victim of McCarthyism. (At least I don't think I am. Yet.)

Speaking of sweet

I have been about as surprised that the now official scandal involving Ozawa has resulted in arrests as I was to learn that caramel is sweet.

There had been talk that Ozawa might step in as PM before this summer's upper-house election if Hatoyama proves to be not up to the task, but I am sure that such a possibility has nothing to do with the prosecutor's decision to pursue this case. Some might assume that the purity-and-light party, the LDP, might be behind this in some way, but we know that cannot be true. All such cases are thoroughly and fairly investigated and then successfully prosecuted no matter who is involved. This is a country of laws, not men, that is governed by the elected representatives of the people, not faceless, unaccountable-to-the-public bureaucrats. The timing is a mere coincidence:

The 150-day regular Diet session convened Monday with the money scandals embroiling Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expected to snarl efforts by the ruling bloc to pass budget and other bills...

"We need to implement policies that protect the livelihood of our people, especially considering our current economic situation," Hatoyama said. Japan Times

(Not so fast Y, the only policies which could achieve those goals are the ones of the LDP which were just about to show results when you came in and spoiled it all.)

I will admit, however, to a bit of residual belief that the LDP and their buddies in the bureaucracy will never be truly defeated for any more than a temporarily spell at best. Not that I think many are fooled by what is going on, but months and months of "scandals" and a continuing poor economy has to take a toll. The good news is that we can be confident that the fair and impartial media will cover the stories with at least as much skepticism toward the prosecutors as it will toward Ozawa and the DPJ.

1242: Same JT article: Irony defined: "The supplementary budget is important, but to restore political credibility we ask that intense deliberations be conducted on the issue of politics and money," LDP Diet Affairs Chief Jiro Kawasaki said.

Washington Post solves Futenma

Having campaigned against the corruption of 50 years of rule by the Liberal Democratic Party, Mr. Hatoyama also has been dogged by his own fundraising scandal. Polls show his approval rating has fallen from more than 70 percent to less than 50 percent in just three months. Like the Japanese public, the Obama administration has not concealed its exasperation. The president and other senior officials visiting the country have repeatedly called for an "expedited" resolution to the base dispute. Washington Post editorial

Having been on vacation, I somehow missed the unconcealed exasperation of the Japanese public. Is it because of the Futenma issue? I even wonder just how exasperated the Obama administration is since:

"People tend towards the hyperbolic because that makes for more interesting cocktail conversation and better stories. I wouldn't exaggerate things," one administration official close to the issue told The Cable.

I have to admit that I don't understand the point of the Post editorial---it reads like an editorial in the Japanese press except the schoolmarmish tone of "must" and "must not" is missing. I think it means that even though Obama and the Japanese public are exasperated to tears with the wildly unpredictable Hatoyama, the Futenma issue should not be allowed to damage the alliance to the point where the smaller coalition parties get their wish and kick all US troops out of Japan. This, of course, is a real danger right up there with the alien invasion threat. Then there is the threat posed by folks like Ozawa who go to China and work on improving ties instead of staying in Japan and visiting Yasukuni like the Old Schoolers. But the key point is in the last sentence--something which no other person on earth has thought of:

Japan's nascent two-party system is a democratic achievement, not a diplomatic nuisance; give it a little time to find its course. (Washington Post)

We need a kinder, gentler Obama. This is why I read the Post.

Tweaked slightly at 1058

The original, the classic

and Hatoyama to the rescue:

The one below is still much better.

Man Overboard!

Although it's been days since the fearless Captain Ozawa woke up and decided that perhaps it was maybe possibly time for him to step aside, I have not been able to come up with a single thing to say. Perhaps that will change tomorrow as the "new" DPJ leader is scheduled to burst upon the scene and save us* from another 60 years of LDP leadership, but Ichiro's announcement left me just about as underwhelmed as I was to hear reports that some members of the US Congress may have known about waterboarding and such techniques, raised no objections until it became politically popular to do so, and then lied and lied about knowing.

Anyway, as a (yet again) final tribute to the good captain:


(I tried to find the original CM, but could not on YouTube. You'd be surprised---or not--- how many anti Ozawa/DPJ videos you can find there posted by shall we kindly say "right-leaning folk" including some overseas folks (in Canada and elsewhere) who love the LDP and Aso. This is probably better than the original anyway.)

*I realize that some folks would be offended by my use of the term "us" as I am not a Japanese citizen, but frankly I don't give a (censored) what those types "think".

Ozawa does the impossible

He's lost his lead over Aso, at least according to a poll by the Yomiuri Shinbun as reported by the IHT.

Aso was chosen by 32% as "best person to be prime minister", and Ozawa by 23%.

A pox on both their houses. (I've always wanted to say that.)

Go fishin' for trouble and

ya might get it.

...reports soon emerged that central figures of Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have also taken donations linked to the construction firm, including influential former premier Yoshiro Mori.

While Mori, an LDP heavyweight, said Thursday that he would return money linked to the company, reports also said former finance minister Koji Omi has received Nishimatsu-linked donations. AFP

Shocking. Just shocking. Now my faith in the purity of the LDP has been destroyed.

But the question remains: "Why have only Ozawa's offices been raided at this time before elections?"---DPJ secretary general Yukio Hatoyama from the same AFP article.

Correction: LDP not involved in any way

That's what many LDP politicians have been saying. Generally, these fine, believable servants of themselves----oops, the public---have been saying that it is ridiculous to think that the government would be involved. A politically motivated prosecutor? Not here!

Apparently, there are many ridiculous people in this country who believe otherwise.

What a disgusting mess---the LDP more than anything that Ozawa may have done.

Too soon to assume Ozawa will have to resign

"I don't think you can draw that conclusion yet," said Gerry Curtis, an expert in Japanese politics at Columbia University.

"I still find it hard to believe that a scandal, after years in which scandals have been so common, will make people say they will stick with a party and a prime minister."

Curtis also states that he believes that it will help the LDP, but will not alter the outcome.

If an agnostic can pray, I pray that he's right, especially about the ultimate outcome. It was easy to say that there wasn't much difference between the two parties until having to face the possibility of the LDP staying in power and thus ruling out any real change (I hate to use that now over-used word) for another 1,000 years.

(In my informal chats with my "focus groups---and individuals" eligible to vote, I have found a lot of disappointment. To a person, they have been suspicious about the timing or else will flatly state that the LDP is behind it. Most also believe that what Ozawa's secretary has been accused of is pretty much common practice among politicians. A least that's what my rather rag-tag group of interviewees---very carefully selected because I know them---believe.)

Ain't gonna resign

and there's nothing to feel guilty about, Ozawa said in a news conference which finished about 20 minutes ago.

At least, after months of more or less nothingness, politics in Japan has become interesting again. Interesting mainly because of the fear that the LDP will once again manage to pull a rabbit out of its hat and continue its increasingly incompetent reign.

Some already claim it's all a set up and that the LDP is guilty of the same thing anyway. "Why now?" was a question I heard. I doubt that there would be a huge shock to learn that the LDP and its buddies were behind the arrest. How else could they remain in power?

A quick check of the NYT site found nothing new about Ozawa or the DJP. Apparently, this is not very big news in the US.