Sato Yukari, the "assassin" denied the LDP's nomination for Gifu-1, will receive the party's endorsement to run in Tokyo-5, which includes Meguro ward and part of Setagaya ward. The district's current representative, Kosugi Takashi, a former education minister, will be retiring at term's end.The LDP had considered endorsing Dr. Sato for other districts, but ultimately …
Month: February 2008
Is administrative reform a wedge issue for the DPJ?
Mainichi has an editorial about the government's administrative reform proposals — discussed in this post.Most of the editorial simply summarizes the contents of the proposals, but includes a paragraph about opposition within the LDP to the proposals."Wholly negative opinions — 'Not realistic' — can be heard from within the LDP regarding the restrictions on direct …
Continue reading Is administrative reform a wedge issue for the DPJ?
Nakagawa’s economic policy
As noted in this post, Tahara Soichiro thinks that Nakagawa Shoichi, instigator of the "True Conservative Policy Research Group," would make a fine leader in place of the current crop of party leaders and would be adept at addressing the many pressing issues facing the government.What, you wonder, does Mr. Nakagawa think about economic policy?Mr. …
Do-nothing leaders
Being back in the US, I have had a chance to reacquaint myself with American politics — and to be reminded of why I find the American political class so disappointing. The problem isn't just the failure to act; it's a failure to find new conceptual categories for the problems of the twenty-first century. US …
That rowdy budget committee
The Budget Committee in the House of Councillors is currently debating the 2007 supplementary budget before moving on to the 2008 budget.The opposition, now in control of the HC, has been giving the prime minister and members of his cabinet a rough time in deliberations, at least according to Yamamoto Ichita, LDP HC member. Writing …
The right laying low?
Since former prime minister Mori and Prime Minister Fukuda called attention to the crisis facing the LDP on consecutive days in mid-January — with Mr. Mori explicitly criticizing Nakagawa Shoichi's flirtations with Hiranuma Takeo — it seems that the ideological conservatives have backed out of the spotlight.Part of the reason, I think, is because of …
Waiting for autumn
As the temperature in the debate over the temporary gasoline tax lowers and the parties prepare to negotiate, it seems increasingly likely that Prime Minister Fukuda will succeed in pushing a general election until "after the G8 summit."Mr. Ozawa admitted as much Thursday in a speech at his annual political workshop. He declared that the …
The DPJ steps back again
Days after an agreement that resulted in the government's momentarily backing away from plans to extend the gas surcharge temporarily, Yamaoka Kenji, the DPJ's Kokutai chairman, has provided a reminder of just how precarious the agreement is. Mr. Yamaoka warned that if the government moves on the legislation in the HR before "thorough debate" — …
Tobias S. Harris 