MangaMan is tanned, rested, and ready

Now that it once again seems possible that the U.S. election will revert to folks advocating doing the same old thing over and over and expecting different results, Japanese politics may become interesting. Fukuda is a bit boring and although there are rumors that he is actually doing something, what that something is isn't noticeable unless all the new paint in your world has dried and you've nothing else to do except pay attention to him and his crew.

There is a post on Observing Japan about the comic book man and noted right-winger Taro Aso prepping himself for the prime minister spot after Fukuda fades away. (Well, old LDP leaders never die and also seem to never really fade away. Nakasone is still around in some role.) Taro has come to the conclusion that Japan needs a spine. Well, no doubt it could use one (and Uncle Sam could assist by withdrawing the supposedly evil, crime-prone U.S. military that the Japanese media so loves to hate, and by tearing up the Security Treaty) but the question is: What would getting a spine mean for Japan? Pretending it was a victim in WW2 and denying any wrong-doing? Insist that the women used as sex slaves during the war by the Japanese military apologize to Japan? Asking Korea to repay Japan for all the infrastructure it built during Japan's 35 year occupation of the country? Being more aggressive in its territorial disputes with China? Acting on "Blinky" Ishihara's idea from a few years ago to attack North Korea? Taking Abe's Beautiful Country ideas to the extreme?

Oh, MangaMan would be quite entertaining, infuriating, and everything else one would expect from a man who thinks that Japan could gain international understanding for its foreign policy through comic books. It has a foreign policy other than selling Japanese products or angering its neighbors?)