Opposition blasts Hatoyama speech as 'redundant,' 'sentimental'

Tuesday 27th October, 02:24 AM JST

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browny1 at 08:56 AM JST - 27th October

It was Tanigaki - the new leader of the pathetic ldp when asked how did he feel about Hatoyama's speech - - said he felt like he was watching Hitler addressing the Hitler youth guard.

What more needs to be said about the moronic intent of the ldp.
ebisen at 09:21 AM JST - 27th October

browny1 - thank you.. I was not watching the news (just listening them) and I was really shocked when I heard Hitler's name and the disgusting comparison.

Stupid old dried-plume-balls Tanigaki-ojiisan... for your information, Hitler in his pre-election speeches was publicly describing how he would kill and burn all not of Arian race, the "subhumans" - that is a good part of the Jew, Gipsy, Polish and others population...

Now, which part of Hatoyama's speech was about the race issues because I missed it? Tanigaki here shown an absolute lack of culture and history knowledge, that would be promptly punished in a properly developed country...
inakaRob at 09:33 AM JST - 27th October

@In some areas Japan is really still an under-developed third world country... I guess you are right, but compared to ALL industrial countries, Japan has the lowest percentage of poverty, homeless, and illiteracy. I would say thats really amazing. You comment is like saying: Japan has Carbon Dioxide emissions. Well that is a bad thing, and it is also true. But really holds no logic merit because so does every other country in the world.
yokomoc at 10:20 AM JST - 27th October

They need to work together to solve Japan's problems by having confidence in their leader. Even with difficulties in U.S. politics, this rarely happens with Obama.

Have you been dead for the last 9 months? The LDP are starting to look like a lot like the republicans in the US. A derth of original ideas and a refusal to take repsonsibility for the problems they created, to the point where the try to sabotage any attempts the new ruling party takes to correct them.

I was sceptical about the DPJ like a lot of people here, but I've been quite taken back buy the steady stream of common sense progressive ideas since they took power.

As for the speech, it was an introductory speech mean to broadly outline Hatoyama's vision. If he'd given too many details he'd be accused for having too narrow a view, or for speaking too long, and then the old LDP fossils would have missed most of it anyway, dozing off in their chairs
zurcronium at 10:37 AM JST - 27th October

Oh the whining sour grapes of the LDP . . does make me miss the good old days when Mori was PM and his approval rating was at 8 percent. That is eight. Those LDP guys were something else, eh?
Noripinhead at 10:52 AM JST - 27th October

Yeah, very shocking about the Hitler comparison. But what's even more shocking is that the media in Japan doesn't see anything particularly shocking about it.
Scrote at 11:00 AM JST - 27th October

If anything is redundant it is the LDP. Comparing MPs to the Hitler youth is weird. I think Tanigaki was upset that DPJ MPs were applauding and supporting Hatoyama, whereas the previous LDP clown, Aso, was disliked by many LDP MPs.
kwatt at 11:08 AM JST - 27th October

Japanese people understands what Tanigaki said about Hitler thing is "a figure of speech". He did not mean it.
Altria at 11:22 AM JST - 27th October

And there I was thinking Tanigaki was one of the more level-headed LDP members...what a complete idiot.

Dave Spector was laying into his Hitler Youth statement on one of the breakfast shows this morning.
MeanRingo at 11:29 AM JST - 27th October

kwatt, they may understand it as a "figure of speech" but most would only think "Hmmmm, Hitler... weren't we on his side? He must have been a good world leader then. Yes, indeed."
sk4ek at 11:58 AM JST - 27th October

One Japanese all-news station made the observation that Hatoyama's speech contained no fewer than 57 'You's, 'Our's, and 'the people's, while Aso's first speech as prime minister was dominated (at half the length) by a preponderance of 'I's and 'my's ... a telling difference.

The DPJ will stumble repeatedly, given the relative inexperience of its Cabinet, a tendency to excessive optimism in the face of economic reality, and an underestimation of the power of the bureaucracy, but as yokomoc points out above, they have churned out a remarkable number of credible, and truly game-changing, policies and proposals. If anyone saw Nagatsuma on the talk shows Monday morning, it was clear a whole new approach is being taken to tackling the problems created, or left unsolved, by the LDP.
blvtzpk at 12:13 PM JST - 27th October

I was stunned by the 'Hitler Youth' comment as well - floored, to put it lightly. And I'm not lightly floored. It's what I'd expect during the 'put up yer dukes' aspect of Question Time in the Australian Government (where pretty much ANYTHING goes), but not in Japan. And certainly not in such a (ahem) 'tossed off' manner, as it might be seen as being inappropriate, at least to some folk.

What if he said, say, that the speech had gone down 'like an atomic bomb' what might have happened?
SebastianFlyte at 12:27 PM JST - 27th October

LDP - Loud, Dysfunctional, Paranoids!!??
suebe36d at 12:57 PM JST - 27th October

Tanigaki should know better than to use Hitler to stir up emotions when the world is watching and pundits can analyze his ulterior motives.
Hephatsheput at 02:00 PM JST - 27th October

The LDP comeback is gaining momentum.