(Tokyo Central; click to enlarge.)The Era of Revived Student Power?
Former Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Shinzo Abe criticized the new Kan Cabinet, labeling it as a rare, guileful, leftist one.
Mr. Abe is still a Lower-House member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Mr. Naoto Kan is also a Lower-House member of the Democratic Party of Japan, since Japan adopts a parliamentary cabinet system.
In addition, the incumbent President of the LDP, the largest opposition pro-American party, is Mr. Sadakazu Tanigaki who is now working hard to win as many seats as possible in the coming Upper House election, which might have a significant influence on new Prime Minister Mr. Kan.
SECTION I: Who Decides in Japan?
Once or till 1990's, American politicians and elite officials often said, "Who decides the case in Japan? Who should we talk to? The prime minister, other ministers, and executives of the ruling party do not look like deciding the case!"
Japan is very different from the U.K. where bureaucrats are essentially not elites but servants of the Queen, the noble class, and very rich people of England.
Japanese bureaucrats are primarily rulers as direct successors of samurais who had governed Japan for 800 years till the Meiji Restoration of the Imperial power in 1868. After the 1868's Civil War, samurais both on the winning side and on the losing side alike built and constituted the Imperial Government. Most of samurais and descendants of samurais became elite members of the society of modern Japan. They became politicians and elite bureaucrats or generals of the Empire of Japan. Over WWII, this tradition and scheme survived (though they usually graduate from the University of Tokyo and pass the first class civil-service examination to be admitted into the officialdom).
So, Japan is very different from the U.K. but rather close to France in that elite bureaucrats are the most influential force in society.
But, it is not any individual elite official in the Japanese Government that decides a case. It is as an organization, a system, or a network of elite bureaucrats incumbent and past that they decide a case.
Accordingly, Japanese elite bureaucrats are very proud at the core of their mind. They do not respect politicians, lawmakers, or members of the National Diet if those politicians are not ex-elite bureaucrats.
Therefore, Japanese elite bureaucrats must have despised and still despise Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, a conservative national lawmaker since 1969. Accordingly, Mr. Ozawa has been trying to suppress the power of Japanese elite bureaucrats. However, it is not so difficult for Japanese elite bureaucrats to deal with this sort of politicians.
Anyway, through 1990's and 2000's, this Japanese power structure has changed so much, especially with the 2001's emergence of then new prime minister Mr. Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Democratic Party. Mr. Koizumi led the Government with some critical initiatives. His stark pro-American stance was accepted and respected by Japanese elite bureaucrats in the world after the 9/11 Terror. Mr. Koizumi, pursuing privatization of the Postal Saving Bank, won the 2005 general election overwhelmingly like Mr. Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan won a big victory in the 2009 general election.
Now, Japanese elite bureaucrats are going to serve a new type of prime minister: Mr. Naoto Kan who is to be appointed so by the Emperor today.
Compared with him, outgoing Prime Minister Mr. Yukio Hatoyama of the same DPJ is a fairy-tale hero.
It is not Mr. Kan's personality but his fate, career, and backgrounds that have made him unique.
And, I do not think New Prime Minister Mr. Naoto Kan does fully understand the historical nature of Japan composed of the Emperor and samurai descendants since 1868.
But fortunately, Mr. Kan is not revolutionary at all; he is just liberal and socialistic. His world view is simple as a type of graduates of an elite technological university (which is why he does not like economics).
Now, who will come after him to the post of premiership of Japan in future?
It is a big question.
It is so, since Americans must be saying, "Who decides in Japan?"
(And nowadays, Chinese must be also saying, "Who decides in Japan?")
Anyway, P.M. Mr. Y. Hatoyama's brave decision a week ago to take Mr. Ozawa, the most powerful politician till this decision, with him accepting various political, legal, and ethical responsibility and leaving the leadership of Japan has decided the case, paving the way for Mr. Kan's assuming the office of premiership today.
Finally, you have to get prepared for the next general election to be held in 2013 at the latest, since the U.S. Presidential Election is scheduled in 2012.
SECTION II: Kandahar
Before he died in BC 323, Alexander the Great left 6,000 Greeks and old soldiers in Kandahar.
The Afghan city remained as a Greek city for 300 years since then.
When Buddhist Ashoka the Great occupied the city 50 years later, he set a stone monument to address Greek citizens in Kandahar. He wrote in decent Geek, "Those who praise themselves to the skies and castigate neighbors making their life hell are selfish egoists. While they are trying to excel, they are even hurting their souls..."
If Kandahar had uninterrupted history, its residents today should have traditions of the Greek culture and the Buddhist culture in addition to Islam.
Anyway, Jesus Christ and other Israelites in the 1st century could not be naiver than Alexander the Great and Ashoka the Great.
It cannot be easy to govern Afghanistan.
By the way, what contribution will the Kan Cabinet make to the American War in Afghanistan? Send pilgrims?
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"Kan" in Japanese also means government agencies or bureaucrats.
So, when people call Prime Minister Mr. Naoto Kan "Kan-san," people usually call to mind something governmental, though the kanji letter used for Mr. Kan's surname means a plant.
"Kan syusyou wa Renhou-san wo daijin ni ninmei shimashita" means Prime Minister Mr. Kan has appointed Ms. Renhou (Murata) to a minister of State (since her father is a Taiwanese).
A happy woman should not become a Diet member.
It is worse than being a TV personality.
Don't you think so from the bottom of your heart, dear?
By the way, in Yahoo Web search, the keyword "Hatoyama Ozawa Reporter" returns EEE-Repoter from my location...but not in Google!
(http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ud3t-krym/902-jasrac/70104-mambono5.htm
Source:http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ud3t-krym/900-bgm/bgm.htm
They might be of a Mambo class. Not so bad. Even impressive. But, you don't have to follow them.)
Joh 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
Joh 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
Joh 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Joh 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Joh 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Joh 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.