(10 to 20 Miles North of Tokyo; Photos taken by the EEE Reporter; Click to enlarge you had better.)Proud Fools
Kaishu Katsu (1823-1899) is one of the last samurai heroes who lived over the Meiji Restoration of the imperial authority that did away with the Tokugawa samurai regime in 1868.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsu_Kaish%C5%AB )
He visited the U.S. in 1860 as a member of Tokugawa's envoy to the U.S., though Katsu sailed back from San Francisco, which was the first official Japanese sailing across the Pacific Ocean with Japanese in charge of piloting the ship.
After coming back to Japan, he respectfully reported to Shugun (samurai king) Iemochi in the Edo Castle. On this occasion one of senior samurai asked about difference between Japan and the U.S.
Katsu answered: "In America those ranked high in the government are wise enough for their status."
Indeed, Kaishu Katsu (1823-1899) was one of the last samurai heroes who lived over the Meiji Restoration of the imperial authority that did away with the Tokugawa samurai regime in 1868.
SECTION I: Naoto Kan vs. Ichiro Ozawa
On September 14, the Japanese ruling party DPJ is going to have its regular convention to elect a new head who is to be elected as prime minister of Japan in the National Diet if anybody except incumbent head Mr. Naoto Kan is so elected.
P.M. Mr. Kan failed in the 11-07-2010 Upper-House election where he could have only 44 candidates elected though his target was 54. His approval rating fell by 25% to 35% or so since he assumed office of the prime minister in early June.
So, he can be replaced, but his predecessor Former P.M. Mr. Yukio Hatoyama served as prime minister only for nine months after the historical regime change realized through 30-8-2009 Lower-House election. Accordingly, replacing Mr. Kan in September does not look advantageous for maintaining political stability and administrative efficiency in addition to diplomatic reputation of Japan. But, some members of the DPJ seem to be determined to challenge P.M. Mr. Kan, since they want Mr. Ichiro Ozawa to lead Japan.
In 1994, the only Cabinet that was not established by the conservative LDP for half a century till the Hatoyama Cabinet collapsed as then P.M. Mr. Morihiro Hosokawa resigned after nine-month ruling. At that time lawmaker Mr. Ozawa was the top leader in allied ruling parties. Yet, he failed in bolstering the Hosokawa Cabinet, since P.M. Hosokawa could not keep promises with then U.S. President Mr. Bill Clinton. In addition, America doubted whether a key minister of the Hosokawa Cabinet had a special tie with North Korea while the Clinton Administration was studying a possible war with North Korea. Accordingly, a political fund scandal surfaced around P.M. Mr. Hosokawa, forcing him to step down and paving the way for a comeback of the pro-American LDP to power in 1994.
Mr. Ichiro Ozawa was the head of the DPJ till May 2009 since 2006. He could have been elected as prime minister of Japan in lieu of Mr. Hatoyama, if he had not stepped down due to a political fund scandal. Nonetheless, supporting the quasi-revolutionary Hatoyama regime, Mr. Ozawa led the ruling DPJ as Director-General. Mr. Ozawa acted like a boss to P.M. Mr. Hatoyama. But, when P.M. Mr. Hatoyama stepped down spontaneously before the 11-07-2010 election due to a too-low approval rating, Mr. Hatoyama virtually forced controversial Mr. Ozawa to leave the leading post of the party, which was positively accepted by the Japanese media and voters. And, new P.M. Mr. Naoto Kan alienated Mr. Ozawa riding on the anti-Ozawa boom of the society, which made Mr. Ozawa angry. Finally, the DPJ lost the Upper-House election despite hard efforts by P.M. Mr. Kan as well as by Mr. Ozawa.
There is one more grave issue for 40-years-long lawmaker Mr. Ichiro Ozawa. He is now under investigation by the Committees for the Inquest of Prosecution as to whether or not Mr. Ozawa should be officially prosecuted for an illegal political fund handling. Conclusion is yet to be announced.
Taking into various conditions, it is unlikely that Mr. Ozawa tries to become the head of the DPJ and thus prime minister of Japan. But, he seems to be resolute in rejecting another term for Mr. Kan as the head of the DPJ and thus prime minister. Mr. Ozawa is said to control 150 DPJ national lawmakers among 400+. With Mr. Hatoyama's faction consisting of 50 or so members, Mr. Ozawa can take control of the scheduled DPJ convention on Sept. 14.
Another factor is America. There is now even a stupid rumour that Mr. Ichiro Ozawa met with one of the so-called "Japan handlers" Mr. Michael Green in the Hachijojima Island, 300 km south of Tokyo, when he hastily visited the Island on July 18 as if he had come for fishing, and flew back to Tokyo so hastily next day. Mr. Green encouraged Mr. Ozawa to take over from P.M. Mr. Kan.
(Michael Green is the Japan Chair and a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies [CSIS], as well as an associate professor of international relations at Georgetown University.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Green_(political_expert))
According to the hearsay, Mr. Green came to the island, a tourist spot, on board a USS nuclear submarine that sailed out of the U.S. Naval base at Yokosuka, 40 km south-west of Tokyo.
The Kan Cabinet is full of socialistic ministers while the DPJ has many pro-North Korean lawmakers. Even the Obama Administration might find a problem in it, since South Korea and the U.S. are now somewhat on alert against North Korea who sank a S. Korean naval ship a few months ago. Especially, the Kan Cabinet very recently invited a former N. Korean spy to have her meet families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. (In 1987 she had set a bomb in and blown off a S. Korean jet liner killing more than 100 passengers but was arrested by South Korea after the incident.) The female spy was allowed to stay in Former P.M. Mr. Hatoyama's villa in Karuizawa and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. This VIP treatment should surprise CIA of America.
Some Japanese speculate that America is now helping Mr. Ichiro Ozawa take over from P.M. Mr. Naoto Kan, though it might be a subordinate to Mr. Ozawa that will become new prime minister of Japan this September.
And, it that case, the ruling DPJ and the opposition LDP might form a coalition cabinet, since the DPJ has no majority in the Upper House. If so, the old and experienced LDP might be also helping Mr. Ichiro Ozawa take over from P.M. Mr. Naoto Kan, though it might be a subordinate to Mr. Ozawa that will become new prime minister of Japan this September.
This is the true situation in the political community of Japan today.
(And I do not find a high level of wisdom in this scenario. Mr. Ozawa should support P.M. Mr. Kan at least till the passing of the 2011 budget legislation expected in the next spring.)
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So many Japanese ambitious people today, including politicians, say they respect Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the last samurai heroes who could not live over the Meiji Restoration of the imperial authority that did away with the Tokugawa samurai regime in 1868.
But, Kaisyu Katsu saved 1.5 million residents in Edo (Tokyo) from possible fierce batttles between samurais on the emperor's side and those on the Tokugawa shogun side. His risky negotiations with Takamori Saigo resulted in peace just a day before the planned all-out attck on Edo.
Katsu was also a one-time teacher for Ryoma who was assassinated in Kyoto before the Meiji Restoration.
Yet, Katsu lived his latter life as high-ranking official and nobleman in the Meiji imperial government, sitting at a desk to sign and seal documents day after day in a government office in Tokyo.
He might have recalled his own words of one or two decades ago: "In America those ranked high in the government are wise enough for their status."
Everbody learns about Kaisyu Katsu in school of Japan, even today.
( http://nocturne.vis.ne.jp/midi/negro_spiritual/motherless_child_jz.mid
Source: http://nocturne.vis.ne.jp/midi/negro_spiritual/motherless_child_jz.html
Two infants were put to death through negligence of their young mother in Japan. In a society without love, mother's love can be directed to fun in an amusement area since fun in an amusement area is more fun than raising her infants without their father in a small apartment.)
Mat 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Mat 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.