To a certain extent, Japan’s political year ended in August when the Democratic Party of Japan defeated the Liberal Democratic Party in a landslide. From the vantage point of December, 100 days into the Hatoyama government, the Aso government and LDP rule already seem distant.But from another perspective, it is not so easy to draw …
Month: December 2009
The LDP chooses inertia
In the past week, three LDP members of the House of Councillors have bolted from the party, calling to mind among some LDP members, according to Asahi, the last time the LDP was in opposition (1993-1994). None of the three — Tottori's Tamura Kentaro, Ibaraki's Hasegawa Tamon, and Kagawa's Yamauchi Toshio — have decided to …
Why the DPJ should defend Hatoyama
As Japan heads into the final week of the political annus mirabilis that has been 2010 2009, Hatoyama Yukio, the face of political change as the first leader of a party other than the LDP to win a majority in more than a half century, finds himself under siege.The immediate cause — beyond falling public …
Winter of discontent?
December has brought little but bad news for the Hatoyama government, which has now been in office for just over three months.The economy continues to struggle (and deflationary pressure continues to grow), US officials are displeased over the government's decision to delay on Futenma, and polls show the public souring on the new government.Two recent …
New finance blog
My father, Yra Harris, has just launched a new blog, Notes From Underground. A longtime commodities trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and regular commentator on CNBC and Bloomberg, he will be providing his (somewhat) stream-of-consciousness analysis of the day's market activities, with a focus on currencies, here.
Preparing to retreat?
As the Hatoyama government approaches the end of its first 100 days in office, the air is thick with condemnation of the DPJ-led government's handling of the relationship with the United States, particularly the ongoing dispute over the future of Futenma air station and the US presence in Okinawa.Smelling blood in the water, the LDP …
Tobias S. Harris 