Confucianism vs. Legalism
The global media are exceptionally focusing on the Japan's general election this time to be voted for on August 30.
Indeed, the more they have reported and studied China, the more they are disappointed.
Truly, the more the American elite have analyzed and studied China, the more they are disappointed.
(They must even realize that economic statistics they got from China are very doubtful.
http://www.rfa.org/english/energy_watch/data-06152009142255.html)
Actually, the American elite are despised by global human-right-supporting communities as they have praised anti-democracy China only because China purchased last year U.S. Treasury bonds more than Japan, the largest purchaser in these decades, did.
So, the Western elite must come to feel shame on themselves to praise China so much who has suppressed Tibetans and Muslims and helped the anti-democracy governments of Sudan, Myanmar, and North Korea, while sending naval ships to the Indian Ocean but not for supporting the War on Terror.
So, the de facto largest and most genuine democratic country in Asia, Japan has come in the spotlight, since a Japanese version of "Democratic Change" is going to happen.
However, Japanese laws and regulations forbid use of the Internet for public election.
There is no way for Japanese candidates and politicians to raise election funds through the Internet; they cannot even update their home pages, message sites, or blog comments during the statutory election period. Civil servants are forbidden by law to express their support to any individual candidates or parties with or without the Internet.
Yet, owing to an effort of some politicians of the Liberal Democratic Party, the law enforcement authority of Japan eventually allowed candidates and political parties to continue to present their Web sites on line to the public during the statutory election campaign period, though the authority wanted to force them all to be closed and made public access impossible.
(I do not especially support Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, the very rich head of the Democratic Party of Japan, since he with reportedly 80 million dollar personal assets does not look like risking his life in this election [like death-campaign-fallen P.M. Masayoshi Ohira decades ago]. Yet, Mr. Barack Obama seems to have felt more acute pressure during his Presidential Campaign in 2008 despite strong protection based on huge funds collected through the Internet. I support democracy; hence democracy must be the largest winner in any election.)
SECTION I: The First Chinese Empire Qin
Qin (221 B.C. to 206 B.C. as a Chinese empire, though originally from 778 B.C. as one kingdom) is the first tribal nation of the Han people that occupied the whole main Chinese continent 2200 years ago.
The first Qin Emperor mastered the art of war to conquer all other major Han nations competing with one another for the first hegemony of leading the whole Han.
Yet, the first historical emperor of China cruelly suppressed Confucianism.
The First Emperor of Qin adopted Legalism or School of Law, instead, so effectively:
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"Legalism" here has the meaning of "political philosophy that upholds the rule of law", and is thus distinguished from the Western meaning of the word. The school's most famous proponent and contributor Han Fei (韓非) believed that a ruler should govern his subjects by the following trinity:
Fa (Chinese: 法...literally "law or principle"): The law code must be clearly written and made public. All people under the ruler were equal before the law. Laws should reward those who obey them and punish accordingly those who dare to break them. Thus it is guaranteed that actions taken are systematically predictable. In addition, the system of law ran the state, not the ruler. If the law is successfully enforced, even a weak ruler will be strong.
Shu (Chinese: 術...literally "method, tactic or art"): Special tactics and "secrets" are to be employed by the ruler to make sure others don't take over control of the state. Especially important is that no one can fathom the ruler's motivations, and thus no one can know which behaviour might help them getting ahead; except for following the 法 or laws.
Shi (Chinese: 勢...literally "legitimacy, power or charisma"): It is the position of the ruler, not the ruler himself or herself, that holds the power. Therefore, analysis of the trends, the context, and the facts are essential for a real ruler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalism_(Chinese_philosophy)
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Qin might be regarded as a necessary evil in the proceeding of history, since after Qin nothing was the same as before among the Han people. It was like Europeans after the adventure of Columbus.
Yet, the dynasty that was against Confucianism could not sustain itself for long.
Accordingly Qin collapsed long before the era of Caesar and Cleopatra.
(To be continued...)
(http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~UD3T-KRYM/902-jasrac/60209-hokoritakakiotoko.htm )
Mar 8:18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
Mar 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
Mar 8:21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?