Aso Taro, faction leader, former foreign minister, former LDP secretary-general (briefly), and losing contender for the LDP presidency in 2001, 2006, and 2007, essentially went into self-exile after the LDP's faction chiefs united to deny him the premiership and make Fukuda Yasuo prime minister. He indicated that he would not accept a post in Mr. …
Tag: Japanese politics
Violating liberties to protect human rights
Aside from the party's defense of the privileges of the road tribe and their allies in rural Japan, unity within the LDP has been elusive.The latest issue to divide the party's ranks is the Protection of Human Rights bill. The bill, originally submitted to the Diet in 2002 before being rejected in 2003, was equally …
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The protests (and apologies) continue
The situation in Okinawa continues to worsen. Staff Sergeant Tyrone Hadnott, the Marine accused of raping a 14-year-old Okinawan girl, is now in Japanese custody. Japanese officials at all levels of government have expressed their outrage at the US.On Wednesday morning, Onodera Itsunori, parliamentary vice foreign minister, arrived in Okinawa to meet with US military …
The end is near
If you haven't read it yet, go read MTC's account of the last days of "Tanakaism."
The limits of Japan’s bipartisan moment
With diminishing prospects for a general election before July and no signs of another attempt to form an LDP-DPJ grand coalition, Japanese politics appear to have entered a bipartisan phase.The most prominent symbol of this moment is the Sentaku movement, which, according to Yomiuri, may ultimately include between fifty and sixty members of the HR …
Is security policy back on the agenda?
On the same day that Foreign Minister Komura addressed the Munich Conference on Security Policy and promised that Japan, as a "peace cooperation state," would take up greater international responsibilities by participating in peacekeeping operations, Yamasaki Taku — LDP faction leader and troubleshooter — told reporters that the governing parties will form a project team …
The headline says yes, but the body says not yet
The FT's David Pilling reports that the DPJ will accept the government's nomination of Muto Toshiro, currently the BOJ's deputy governor, to serve as Fukui Toshihiko's successor as BOJ governor.At least that's what one might think from the headline: "Japanese opposition to accept new bank chief."The body of the article, however, indicates that while the …
Continue reading The headline says yes, but the body says not yet
Has Ozawa overstayed his welcome?
One consequence of a general election's being pushed back until this autumn at the earliest is that Ozawa Ichiro's term as DPJ president may expire before he gets his chance to risk his political career in a bid to unseat the LDP.There is a chance that his term could be extended without a party election, …
The Machimura faction grows
Seki Yoshihiro, an LDP member of the House of Representatives representing Hyogo-3, has announced that he is joining the Machimura faction, making him the eighty-fifth member of the party's largest faction.Mr. Seki, a "Koizumi kid" as indicated by his membership in the "Group of 83" (AKA, the Koizumi Kids Klub), is neither the first member …
The LDP and DPJ discuss personnel
Among the tasks facing the Diet in the first half of the regular session is the selection of a new heads for the Bank of Japan, the Board of Audit, the National Personnel Authority, and the Fair Trade Commission. Selecting personnel for these posts is done by a "dual key" system: both houses — in …
Tobias S. Harris 