Prime Minister Aso Taro, faced with dismal poll numbers, a potential rebellion within the LDP, and an economy galloping into recession, sought to stem the tide against him by announcing a second stimulus package at a press conference on Friday.The government's purpose is to ease the insecurities of the Japanese people, but also to make …
Author: Tobias S. Harris
Tobias Harris is Japan analyst at Teneo Intelligence. He is the author of a forthcoming biography of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
This is an ex-faction!
Speaking of predictions, the destruction of the Machimura faction is proceeding apace.Before the LDP's September election, I asked whether anyone thinks that "the Machimura faction, that 89-member monster of a faction that sits at the intersection of the LDP's divisions between 'neo-liberal' reformers, party leaders, and ideological conservatives, will survive this party election."Events appear to …
Can the LDP save itself?
In a vitriolic post at Shisaku, MTC goes after those who insist that despite the LDP's current crisis — which has only gotten worse since back in January when Fukuda Yasuo called it the worst since the LDP's founding — the LDP will recover as it has done before.I have encountered this argument all too …
Importing the construction state?
Amity Shlaes, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of a recent attempt to discredit the New Deal, has an op-ed in the Washington Post in which she looks at President-elect Barack Obama's newly announced public works plan.Seeing the phrase "public works," she naturally thought Japan, and wrote a piece about Japan's …
The liberals step into the breach
Watanabe Yoshimi is not relenting in threatening rebellion against the Aso government.Speaking at a fundraising party on Monday evening, Mr. Watanabe speculated openly about scenarios for political realignment. Edano Yukio, a DPJ reformist, was in attendance and stated that if Mr. Watanbe decides to leave the LDP for the DPJ, he should be welcomed with …
The fall
The Aso cabinet is in free fall.The Yomiuri Shimbun has released its December public opinion poll, which found that not only has the Aso cabinet's approval rating fallen by half since the beginning of November (from 40.5% to 20.9%), but the cabinet's disapproval rating rose by twenty-five points to 66.7% during the same span of …
On the road again
In the coming weeks, I will be on the move once again.I will be in Chicago for a bit at the end of December, Paris for the first week of the new year, and Tokyo for the second half of January.As is always the case when I travel, I am happy to meet with readers. …
Conservatives, Clientelists, and Koizumians
Asahi has published a long article illustrating the feeling of crisis that has descended upon the LDP, especially following Aso Taro's disastrous showing in the latest Nikkei poll (discussed here).After months of building, it appears that the dissolution of the LDP may finally be in motion.The LDP can be roughly divided into three broad groupings, …
Continue reading Conservatives, Clientelists, and Koizumians
The center cannot hold
A new Nikkei-TV Tokyo poll conducted at the end of November found that Prime Minister Aso Taro's approval rating is in free fall.According to the poll, Mr. Aso's approval rating fell seventeen points to 31%, while his disapproval rating rose nineteen points to 62%. Twice as many respondents oppose the government's plan for a new …
Aso shops for books again
Aso Taro has apparently made it through his reading from last month and so took another trip to a bookstore with an aide this weekend.Once again he reportedly passed up manga for more serious reading.This time it appears that he's thinking hard about Japan's international role. He purchased Mindset for a strong Japan, a discussion …
Tobias S. Harris 