The Season of Election
This summer was hot like last year.
But, politics in the US and Japan is also hot this year.
There is a kind of similar movement in politics between Japan and the US.
In 2008, Mr. Barack Obama was elected as US President, a revolutionary movement after the era of conservative Mr. W. Bush. In 2009, a drastic regime change occurred in Japan from the conservative Cabinet mainly formed by the LDP to the liberal and socialistic Cabinet led by the DPJ.
As the US regime change in 2008 preceded the Japanese 2009 regime change, the Japanese politics was somewhat influenced by the great change in the American politics.
During the era of Mr. W. Bush, Japan had a very pro-American prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi. The two leaders shared the same capitalistic view to cooperate in the War on Terror. And in these three years when liberal Mr. Obama has occupied the White House, the Prime Minister Office in Tokyo was commanded by three prime ministers from the liberal DPJ: Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, Mr. Kan, and Mr. Yoshihiko Noda.
Even during the era of Mr. Bill Clinton who was also liberal, most of the Japanese Cabinets that had power in 1990s were rather liberal, socialistic, and moderately pro-Chinese though the pro-American LDP was in charge of national governance in most of the period.
Now, in 2012, the US has to choose liberal Mr. Obama or conservative Mr. Romney as new president. In Japan, the LDP is to hold its presidential election in this September; the DPJ also plans to call an election where the new head of the party is to be elected though incumbent Prime Minister Mr. Noda is one of the most hopeful candidates. And, after the elections in both the major parties, it is expected that a general election is to be held at any time.
It is because Prime Minister Mr. Noda promised Mr. Tanigaki, the President of the LDP, to hold a snap election as Mr. Tanigaki wishes in exchange of help from Mr. Tanigaki and his LDP to pass a critical bill for PM Mr. Noda. Noda has made it his big agenda to pass a bill to increase the rate of the consumption tax from 5% to 10% in a few years.
However, Mr. Tanigaki today announced that he would not run for the presidential election of the LDP. On the other hand, Mr. Noda now faces three rivals in the election of his party. So, the first stage in this election season in Japan has just started.
But, it is most likely that the general election in Japan will be held after the 2012 US Presidential Election. Accordingly, who will be elected, Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney, as the next US President must have a deep influence on the minds of Japanese voters.
If Mr. Obama wins, the liberal DPJ, presently a major ruling party in Japan, might not lose so badly the coming general election for new members in the Lower House of the National Diet.
If Mr. Romney wins, the capitalistic LDP, presently a major opposition party in Japan, might also win the coming general election for new members in the Lower House of the National Diet.
(From surveys conducted by the Media, it is expected that the very pro-American LDP will take over power from the very pro-Chinese/Korean DPJ in the coming general election. So, from the Japanese point of view, the Republican candidate Mr. Romney is expected to defeat the Democratic candidate Mr. Obama in the American Presidential Election.)
If the season changes to the fall, the atmosphere around the Japanese parliament will continue to be hot.
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Mar 9:9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
Mar 9:10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
Mar 9:11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mar 9:12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
Mar 9:13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.