(Captain Tokyo!?!)SECTION I: P.M. Hatoyama Winning against SDP
Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Yukio Hatoyama has been criticized as he has behaved like a failed man in dealing with the relocation issue of the U.S. Marines Corps's air station in Futenma, Okinawa.
(The U.S. Marines Corps has only one permanent overseas base where its division is stationed, which is around Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture of Japan.)
However, it is not Mr. Hatoyama that should be blamed. It is the Social Democratic Party (SDP) whose several seats in the Upper House are needed for the Mr. Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to keep a majority.
The SDP is anti-American and pro-Noth Korean, and thus has long requested total abolition of American military bases in the Okinawa Island.
Last December, Foreign Minister Mr. Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Mr. Toshimi Kitazawa advised the prime minister that the former relocation plan agreed on by Japan and the U.S. should be observed as delay in resolving the Futenma base issue would jeopardise the Japan-U.S. relationship.
P.M. Mr. Hatoyama was however threatened by the SDP who hinted withdrawal from the coalition Hatoyama Cabinet. Mr. Hatoyama then made public his plan to postpone the decision about where the U.S. Marines base should be moved till the end of May. Since then, Mr. Hatoyama lookes like a liar.
The SDP won only 4.27% of total votes in the 2009-30-8 election. But, the SDP has had such an unproportional influence on P.M. Mr. Hatoyama and the Japan-U.S. relationship.
The SDP with only 7 among 480 seats in the Lower House of the Japanese Diet has thus jeopardized the Japan-U.S. relationship and made Mr. Hatoyama look like a Pierrot.
But now, P.M. Mr. Hatoyama looks like being resolute in offering his own plan to America without requesting the U.S. Marines to evacuate completely their bases in Okinawa or Japan. Accordingly, the SDP is now blaming the prime minister.
(Mr. Hatoyama is trying, as part of his plan, to move part of U.S. Marines to the Tokunoshima island, 200km north of Okinawa; but all the parties concerned including the SDP are against this plan, though.)
In this context, P.M. Mr. Hatoyama is now trying to behave like a hero driving the 4.27%-supported SDP out of this issue and possibly out of the coalition (probably gaining Mr. Ichiro Ozawa's consent as Mr. Ozawa controls a majority of the DPJ lawmakers).
Indeed, nobody in Japan wants to destroy the security partnership of Japan and the United States over the Futenma issue except those anti-freedom socialists in whom Mr. Yukio Hatoyama is not included.
The most important issue is now whether P.M. Mr. Hatoyama can save his face in a fight against the Social Democratic Party, a coalition member, which has only 7 among 480 seats in the Lower House of the Japanese Diet while the Mr. Hatoyama's DPJ has 308 and more seats.
SECTION II: The Kono Report
Mr. Taro Kono, one of key lawmakers of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, made an official trip to Palestine with other LDP members a week ago, though he had met the late Chairman Yasser Arafat in 2004 during the large-scale siege by Israeli troops.
(http://www.taro.org/2010/05/post-751.php)
He reported some details on his observation of present Palestine and communications with high-ranking officials of the Palestine Government.
With Japan's aid, Palestinians once built a compound building where the late Chairman Yasser Arafat lived and worked. However, it was demolished by Israeli troops when they invaded the Palestinian territory around 2004. But now, the Palestinian governmental office building has been built again, financed by new Japanese aid.
No matter how Palestinians want Japan to be involved in the Palestine issue, the Japanese Government is unlikely to intervene with an intention to help save poor Palestinians, though Japan imports a huge amount of crude oil from the Islamic world.
It is an American policy. America tries hard to stop Japan from helping Palestinians. It is because America is determined to do whatever necessary and effective to protect Israel. America must be applying pressure on the Japanese Government. So, all Japan can do is providing economic aid with the limit America and Israel can overlook.
(To cope with the military potential backed by nuclear weapons of China and North Korea, Japan needs cooperation with America. Japan also needs free access to the American market which has been a great source of wealth of Japan, so far.)
Yet, it is the 21st century. The Islamic world can be another China. Their combined economic and military power might overwhelm that of Israel and probably of America in the future. Then, all the Israelis will evacuate the nation Israel, in one scenario.
Otherwise, Israel should start to regard Islam as a kind of Judaism. Israelis should take Muslims rather than Americans in terms of religion. Then, peace will prevail even in the United States where the first Muslim president will be eventually expected.
Nonetheless, reality reported by Japanese Lower-House member Mr. Taro Kono is very gloomy for peace loving people in the world.
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Joh 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.