Politicians and Gangsters
The fundamentals of Japan are of course industry.
Most of people work in fields to take out natural resources, in factories and plants to manufacture products, and in distribution systems and shops to sell goods. After graduation from universities, colleges, and high-schools, young people usually get involved in economic activities in various fields of industries.
But some others work in the public sector as civil servants in municipal offices or the central government.
In addition, there are experts in the society such as lawyers and medical doctors.
And above them in the social structure, politicians and lawmakers work in local assemblies and the national parliament which is called the Diet in Japan.
One dark side of Japan has been, however, linkage between some lawmakers and gangsters.
For example, an ex-gangster starts real-estate business. With support from a bank, it can be very successful. Then he starts to back a key lawmaker who has influences in the industry. And the lawmaker gets big money from the ex-gangster businessman and distribute it among other politicians who follow him to form a faction. Then this political faction might become dominant in a political party; accordingly some of those politicians can be appointed to a state minister in the Cabinet.
So, if a trouble occurs to the ex-gangster businessman and he is put under investigation by the police or public prosecutors, he would ask help from the key politician he has been associated with. The key politician would tell his henchman who happens to be a state minister to help the dubious businessman. Them the minister would exercise his power on some bureaucrats to handle the case in favor for his boss or his client. When the matter is fixed, the virtually criminal businessman would present more money or other convenience for the key politician.
In fact, as this kind of cases became too much to tolerate over the era of the bubble economy around 1990, Japan introduced various improvement and correction in its political system in 1990s. So, there are not so many cases of political corruption reported nowadays.
But there are many second-generation or hereditary politicians in the National Diet. They might have no dubious connection with gangsters or ex-gangsters, but their fathers or grandfathers as politicians might have had. Therefore, in rare condition, such an old dark linkage of his family might surface to harm reputation of a national lawmaker who might be very popular or trusted so much by the public.
So, if you look at a politician, such as Mr. W. Bush, you might feel envious of him; but his father, such as Mr. H.W. Bush, might have a dark connection with a kind of gangsters.
So, Christ Jesus said not to go to a place to see people well dressed and walking proudly.
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Mar 9:26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Mar 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
Mar 9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
Mar 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.