Since election night, there has been a conspicuous absence from the pronouncements of the Abe government: we no longer hear Mr. Abe speaking of building a "beautiful country."Mainichi suggests that the Abe camp has been reflecting on the meaning of the slogan, despite Abe's assertion that he doesn't think the election results repudiated his "course …
Tag: Abe Cabinet
More prime ministerial trouble
With Prime Minister Abe set to depart on his latest diplomatic jaunt on August 19th, the situation in Tokyo continues to worsen.The latest scandal involves Defense Minister Koike Yuriko, who is in a showdown with Administrative Vice Minister Moriya Takemasa, a long-serving defense bureaucrat who rose from within the ministry's ranks (instead of being seconded …
A step forward?
It seems that incumbent LDP Diet Strategy Committee Chairman Nikai Toshihiro is being considered as Shiozaki Yasuhisa's replacement as chief cabinet secretary. Nikai, a onetime member of the Takeshita faction (like Ozawa) who left the LDP to join former Prime Minister Hosokawa's Japan Renewal Party in 1993 and served as a vice-minister in Hosokawa's cabinet, …
Mori keeps talking; will Abe listen?
Former Prime Minister Mori took his campaign against Prime Minister Abe to the airwaves on Sunday, appearing on Japan's Sunday morning talk shows to talk about the coming cabinet reshuffle.The most headline-worthy portion of his remarks, based on articles in the major dailies, seems to be his call for Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki to be …
The shape of the cabinet to come?
Over at Shisaku, MTC relays a Yomiuri story reporting that Foreign Minister Aso will be Nakagawa Hidenao's replacement as LDP secretary-general.MTC correctly notes that the LDP secretariat is hardly the ideal position from which Aso can claim the premiership, indeed, it will likely burden him with the trying task of hammering together a unified LDP …
More signs of Abe’s end
Mainichi has a long account of the meeting between (now former) LDP Secretary-General Nakagawa, Upper House head Aoki, and LDP boss former Prime Minister Mori on Sunday evening as the returns came in suggesting a major LDP defeat.In case anyone still has any doubts, this article makes it clear that it is wholly unclear whose …
Doing the Abe shuffle
Prime Minister Abe has reportedly committed to executing a cabinet and party leadership reshuffle by the end of August, following his summer travels to India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.This despite pressure from within the party to act quickly, with former Prime Minister Mori suggesting that waiting too long for a reshuffle would be a "body blow" …
No surprises here
Akagi Norihiko, the late Matsuoka Toshikatsu's successor as minister of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, has resigned after two scandal-tainted months in the cabinet.His resignation in and of itself is not newsworthy. It is inconceivable that he would remain in the cabinet given that he has spent his entire tenure fending off corruption charges and in …
Who misses Koizumi more, the Japanese people or the foreign press?
This week's Economist and today's FT both carry articles discussing the shadow cast by former Prime Minister Koizumi over the Upper House elections — and over his hapless and, according to Mr. Koizumi, kawaiso successor.I have no doubt that there are segments of public opinion and sections of the LDP that would be glad to …
Continue reading Who misses Koizumi more, the Japanese people or the foreign press?
Keys to victory
With less than two weeks to election day, the campaign is beginning to take shape. Allow me to play John Madden (substitute a TV sports analyst of your choice) for a moment and give you what I think are the LDP's and the DPJ's Keys to Victory.Insert flashy opening montage + brassy theme music here.For …
Tobias S. Harris 