(A Certain Place around Tokyo, August 31, 2008)Japan and The Puritan Roman Empire
As some stupid guys in the Japanese political community claimed that Tokyo metropolitan assembly election scheduled next summer was more important than the national general election, Prime Minister Mr. Yasuo Fukuda decided to wash his hands of this impolitic political situations in Japan.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1837919,00.html
But a difference and a disparity between Armageddon and the new Reformation are more critical in testing politicians.
SECTION I: SHOCK RESIGNATION OF JAPAN'S PM
Japan’s Prime Minister Mr. Yasuo Fukuda made it public that he will resign from the premiership as soon as a new premier is elected, though it is expected to take two weeks or so for the major ruling party LDP to elect the new head, namely the candidate for the next prime minister to be voted for in the Japanese parliament called the Diet.
So, the new prime minister who will succeed Mr. Yasuo Fukuda will be inaugurated in the third or fourth week of this month, September.
It is a big surprise for experts as well as the general public of Japan that Mr. Yasuo Fukuda has made such a decision at this point.
I thought that he would not decide when to resign at least until after the U.S. Presidential Elections is over this November.
Anyway, I hope that possible next Prime Minister of Japan, namely Mr. Taro Aso, the incumbent LDP Secretary-General, will concentrate on governmental administration and policy implementations as long as possible without easily resorting to the general election, though the Japanese media seem to find a big business chance in early election.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/world/asia/02japan.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/09/2008911340895958.html
The reason for his decision to resign is a low job rating or an approval rate between 20% and 30% that has been lingering for almost half a year since Prime Minister Mr. Yasuo Fukuda decided not to accept the request from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan to abolish a gasoline tax.
SECTION II: NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE ALPS
Even if you are a European American, you may not mind if your ancestors lived in the south or the north of the Alps, since a majority of voters living in New York and California are going to vote for a Democratic Presidential candidate, no matter who he or she is.
However, it is a little surprise to see that a very intellectual person, such as Max Weber, making great academic contribution earlier in the 20th century did not realize the stark difference in culture and traditions of the north and the south of the Alps until he travelled and studied Italy and other Mediterranean regions.
Or, the difference and distinction between the two Europes must be of a kind only pundits like Max Weber could find and realize.
(Yet, from the British point of view, there might be three Europes: Britain, the north and the south of the Alps.)
The so-called today’s global standards are, of course, Anglo-Saxon-natured rather than ancient-Roman-Empire-natured.
What Max Weber found as unique features of the culture in the north of the Alps might be represented by the Anglo-Saxon culture.
Without such a strong core as exemplified by the Anglo-Saxons among ancient Germanic tribes, the cultural mode and the religious tendency of the Roman Empire must have more prevailed than what we see today in France and, say, Ireland without mentioning Spain and Italy.
Then, there would have been no Martin Luther and John Calvin, so successfully.
SECTION III: The Puritan Roman Empire
In my view, this Anglo-Saxon culture might have been destroyed by the Roman Empire, if the Empire had succeeded in sustaining itself much longer in the history or in thoroughly defeating the then small groups of the Anglo Saxon tribe.
One opposite example is Celtic tribes. Once Celtic people had been a majority in the north of the Alps; but through long wars against the Romans they lost the potential for surviving as a major force in the north of the Alps while being driven to the barren corners of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland with some remnants in the French Plain.
The United States is mostly discussed on the analogy of the Roman Empire due to its overwhelming military, economic, and technological dominance over the world. But, its cultural roots might have been destroyed by the Roman Empire, since the home land of the Anglo-Saxons was not far from the Rhine.
On the contrary, as the Romans had swept the Celtic forces in England, the Anglo-Saxons could immigrate without significant obstacles into the great island to survive in difficult ages after the fall of the Roman Empire.
If the Roman Empire and its cultural successor in the north of the Alps France are pure Catholics, the Anglo-Saxons on the Great Britain Island are modified Catholics and the Anglo-Saxons on the North American Continent are no more Catholics, very reasonably.
Put shortly, the United States can be characterized as the Puritan Roman Empire which has been only made possible through the geographical and religious shifts of the Anglo-Saxons in the history. Indeed such shifts look like a kind of miracles looking back from today, since there were many North European tribes more powerful than the Anglo-Saxons who were then a very minor one, though they loved informality, pragmatism, and songs.
Puritanism did work more strongly and decisively in the United States than in Europe.
It is not simply vast lands, rich natural resources, European cultural traditions, and manpower consisting of every race in the world that has made the United States the superpower even Japan could not overwhelm ultimately and eventually.
It is the Anglo-Saxon type of Puritanism-based Roman Empire.
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Conversely, you should not understand and judge things and incidents in Japan simply from a view point based on the Anglo-Saxon global standards.
As the origin of the Anglo-Saxon global standards have a long history as I stated above, the influence of traditional culture of Japan on the contemporary society, including the current political circles, is deeply rooted in the Japanese history.
Though the Japanese media of today highly influenced and contaminated by American commercialism might blame or praise any Japanese politician for any act so simply and ignobly, the truth of the act might transcend the meaning conceived by the media people in a superficial context.
Conversely, if the era of the United States as the Puritan Roman Empire is yet to pass, every significant thing and incident happening in the United States must be analyzed and construed in the above stated context.
That is why I am telling you that if you cannot at least perceive and understand a crucial difference or disparity in any significant thing and incident as much as U.S. President Mr. George W. Bush can, if not as Max Weber could, you had better not try to run for any public office or congress.
As for former Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe and incumbent Prime Minister Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, I suppose they can do as much as.
And I think that Armageddon and the new Reformation are more different than Max Weber could conceive, if the both can happen finally in the future.
(For politicians, since Mr. Fukuda might have been called "Fuku-chan Souri" so popularly:
http://www.fukuchan.ac/music/j-folk3/tadoritsuitara.html )
Mar 9:2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
Mar 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
Mar 9:4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
Mar 9:5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Mar 9:6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
Mar 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.