Yesterday I wrote about rising concerns that Japan will be criticized regarding the cheap yen at the G7 meeting this weekend in Germany; Japan, however, may also be running into trouble at the six-party talks due to restart this week in Beijing.This article in the FT hints at growing signs that Washington is increasingly open …
Tag: Japan
Japan repeats its "dissent"
Steven Clemons, Japan expert and fellow at the New America Foundation, calls attention on his blog to comments by Foreign Minister Aso reiterating Defense Minister Kyuma's criticism of the invasion of Iraq, which drew a response from the State Department (previously discussed here).It seems like a 2 + 2 meeting, between both countries' state and …
Japan walking into a trap at Essen?
The G7 is due to meet in Essen, Germany this weekend, and there are dark rumblings that Japan may be called to account for failing to allow its currency to rise as the dollar falls, which has forced the euro to appreciate to a greater extent than the yen, which has remained the weakest of …
Political Tourette’s Syndrome?
The new Diet session is more or less on hold, as the DPJ and other opposition parties have decided to boycott the Lower House's Budget Committee meetings on supplemental expenditures until Health, Labor, and Welfare Minister Yanigasawa resigns.Although Abe has apologized for his subordinate's remarks, the opposition has continued to push for resignation.And not without …
Abe ≠ Koizumi (or Reagan)
I'm going to link to this Bloomberg column by William Pesek largely without comment, because it's very much in tune with my own thinking.In short, Abe is unable to sell his policies, and has yet to articulate the specifics of how he will continue reforming the Japanese economy (a point also made by Ken Worsley …
New year, old news
Just when I thought that it was the DPJ that was off to a bad start in the new Diet session, the Abe Cabinet once again finds itself in hot water over the inability of a cabinet minister to control his mouth.As I noted earlier, Yanagisawa Hakuo, health minister, recently referred to women as "birth-giving …
The DPJ starts out on the wrong foot
As I alluded to earlier, in this post on Abe's speech at the opening of the new Diet session, the DPJ may find itself unable to attack the LDP for improprieties by LDP members in the raising of political funds due to the resignation of erstwhile DPJ member Tsunoda Giichi from his position as vice …
Abe inaugurates "The First Year for Creating a Beautiful Country"
Political Japan's long holiday is over, as the 166th session of the Japanese Diet opened Thursday, with Prime Minister Abe delivering his policy address Friday.His address, available in English here and in Japanese here, confirms much of what I have already written about Prime Minister Abe. He even quoted Fukuzawa Yukichi, leading intellectual during the …
Continue reading Abe inaugurates "The First Year for Creating a Beautiful Country"
Passing out leaflets on cold January morns
I've just arrived at the office after an hour and a half -- from 6:30am to 8am -- of distributing fliers outside a nearby train station. This was the third morning this week of standing outside a train station during the morning rush greeting commuters with "ohayou gozaimasu" and "Minshuto desu."I figured that three mornings …
Soy it ain’t so
And now for some serious news...In early January natto -- a uniquely Japanese soybean dish about which no Japanese is neutral -- was hailed on a Japanese variety show as being able to reduce a person's weight by two-three kilograms in two or three weeks if eaten twice a day. It turns out, however, that …
Tobias S. Harris 