Enjoying Cherry Blossoms in Short Life
In Japan people say a beauty dies earlier, just like a flower’s life is short. Traditionally in Japan, when the word “flower” is used in poetry, it means cherry blossoms.
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The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was at stake. However, it has narrowly averted the crisis of losing confidence of the people.
A lawmaker of the party had attacked the ruling party, focusing on a scandal between the Director-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the former Livedoor company president who had been taken into custody for various economic crimes.
However, soon after the public denunciation, the accusation turned out to be groundless as it was based on a bogus e-mail.
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In February, the people watched the lawmaker severely condemning Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in the budgetary committee on TV in a live telecast. But, the prime mister responded to it without panic, saying “Nagata-san, you are attacking the innocent director-general (of my party) Takebe-san based on false information.”
As the time went by, everybody understood that the accusation was based on a bogus e-mail, but DPJ lost a reasonable timing to apologize to the LDP. The leaders of DPJ were expecting that new information related to the scandal might be brought to them, which did not happen; eventually this strategy harmed their position.
What made it worse, the lawmaker who had brandished the false e-mail attacking the prime minister refused to resign as a lawmaker, while being requested so by the head of DPJ.
Finally at the end of March, the head of DPJ, Mr. Seiji Maehara decided to step down from his own position of the party; by doing so, he forced the lawmaker in question to resign as a lawmaker.
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It has taken a month and a half to settle the matter. While the media was concentrating on this political bustle, FY 2006 budget was passed without hitch, and the Koizumi cabinet has made it through unscathed in the Diet, so far as now.
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But, it is a little strange that a head of a political party had to resign from office (though keeping his seat in the Lower House) in order to persuade a troubled member of his party to give up his seat in parliament.
Anyway, it is an incident in Japan. And, people welcome such a story. Mr. Maehara seems to be coming through. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is going to serve his full term in office till this September.
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Now the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Japan. The season has changed. Indeed, Japanese people love the cherry blossoms so fine and thin in pale rose, without anything that protects them, destined soon to fall apart like snow keeping its color so lively.
No other races or tribes have a tradition of enjoying the cherry blossoms in the same manner as Japanese do.
“NOT ON STONE TABLETS, BUT ON HUMAN HEARTS”