› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

• 

  WaimanaloBlues at 11:15 AM JST - 29th August

  The current administration has no Asia policy to speak of . . . sort of wait and see how the wind blows . . . rest assured, all is well for now in Japan. Look to the Korean example of the last 6 or so years, nothing different here.

• 

  seijichuudo9sha at 11:35 AM JST - 29th August

  I want very badly to believe otherwise but DPJ and Komeito and the rest will bow to America as instinctively as the LDP always has.

• 

  smithinjapan at 03:06 PM JST - 29th August

  seijichuudo: I think ultimately you're right -- and they have little choice if push comes to shove -- but it would be nice to see them stick to their guns a little.... err... I guess they're the US's guns, aren't they. Well, so much for that.

  I can tell you though that I don't think they'll be quite the same eager back scratching.

  Anyway, here's hoping.

• 

  seijichuudo9sha at 03:22 PM JST - 29th August

  Of course,maybe the Obama administration is also creeped out by Komeito and fears them gaining any more power .

• 

  NeoJamal at 04:12 PM JST - 29th August

  If US interests don't workn out with the DPJ, they can always entice the North Koreans to strut and fret about the Sea of Japan for a while..then you'll see Japan running back to their daddy.

• 

  kkvann at 07:14 PM JST - 29th August

  If the DPJ is serious about being more independent from the US they should increase their Defense Budget they currently spend about 1 percent of their GDP. The Chinese spends about maybe five times more. The US would be all too happy to pack up and go home. Mr.Hatoyama should be careful what he wishes for he may get it.

• 

  Roppichan at 12:27 AM JST - 30th August

  Not only the US is paying attention. Here in Germany the media hype is quite amazing. But then again, nothing will change anyway.

• 

  kkvann at 12:54 AM JST - 30th August

  Agreed :)

• 

  smithinjapan at 01:56 AM JST - 30th August

  seijichuudo: "Of course,maybe the Obama administration is also creeped out by Komeito and fears them gaining any more power."

  A rather lame remark in all respects. First and foremost, anywhere there is a Komeito person to vote for that person will be voted for. Where the Komeito will be in trouble is in decided what to do in the areas where the vote is clearly lost -- ie. Where there is no Komeito candidate and only an LDP member that will now lose. There's a bright note for you though, since you're clearly worried, seiji, and that's that in the future they may field more of their own candidates in all areas and actually develop a third party to rival the others.

  I know, I know.... a party that is against being in Iraq and wants the vote for permanent residents can be nothing but trouble.... so how can progress be 'good'?

• 

  OssanAmerica at 07:37 AM JST - 30th August

  I seriously doubt at the end of the day there's going to be any significant difference in the US-Jpn relationship regardless of whether LDP or DPJ are in power. Let's be realistic, if Japan stopped fueling our ships in the Indian Ocean does canyone seriously think that all Afghan operations are going to stop? Of course not. The only thing a DPJ lead Japan would accomplish is that it'll just tougher to get something else out the U.S. But the fundamental relationship won't change.

• 

  elbudamexicano at 08:11 AM JST - 30th August

  I agree with Ossan, the fundamentals will not change. About Komeito?? No, I think they like Obama, he is against nuclear weapons and so was President Toda, the 2nd president of the Soka Gakkai.

• 

  seijichuudo9sha at 10:34 AM JST - 30th August

  Hey smithinjapan, I couldn't make heads of your reply to my warning about Komeito. This part is confusing to me.

  "Where the Komeito will be in trouble is in decided what to do in the areas where the vote is clearly lost -- ie. Where there is no Komeito candidate and only an LDP member that will now lose."

  Can you put your thoughts together more clearly.Thanks.

• 

  nigelboy at 11:13 AM JST - 30th August

  Hey smithinjapan, I couldn't make heads of your reply to my warning about Komeito. This part is confusing to me.

  It means the since LDP and Komeito are currently in a coalition, they basically agreed to not duke it out in the same local constituency. For instance, there are 300 local constituency seats in Japan. Komeito is only nominating 8 local constituency out of 300.

  In other words, it was great while riding the coattails of LDP but in this year's election, they're stuck.

• 

  Seiharinokaze at 03:48 PM JST - 30th August

  The U.S. has been letting Japan make fine industrial products to be exported to the American market in exchange for dollars which they can roll out endlessly by running the printing machines. And then the dollars or trade surplus Japan diligently accumulates have been retuned again to the U.S. by way of another magic wand or the U.S. government bonds. It's called the dollar hegemony system fortified by the U.S. forces stationed in the seemingly dangerous environment of the Far East. The LDP has come down to being the local magistrate office with its cunning self-serving bureaucrats as permanent vice ministers virtually making policies by secret or open order from the suzerain. And now the DPJ is being regarded as the opposing power to all that.

  The DPJ derives from the former Tanaka faction of the LDP. Though Tanaka Faction has a dark image of money politics, they were the ones who tried to be less dependent on America. Tanaka Kakuei, the founder of his name sake faction, lost his position because he explored for a new route for securing energy other than the international oil capital. The Tanaka faction was not anti-America but within the framework of the present U.S.-Japan alliance they tried to precede as much of the national interests over others as possible. The DPJ has such heritage in itself, and they are seizing powers at last, something unnerving to America. Beginning of the end of the postbellum system.

• 

  TheTim at 06:49 PM JST - 30th August

  Ummm, I hate to bust Hatoyama's bubble, but the financial crisis is not a strictly U.S. phenomenom. Apparently he has not picked up a newspaper in the last 2 years because it is referred to as a "Global" financial crisis. And oh yes, his buddies in China are also included. It just so happens that China is very cash rich now because the vast majority of wealth is not shared with it's people. I will admit the emerging consumer economy in China is tempting. However, it is still an inherently unstable business climate. I hope Japan is ready to have it's businessmen thrown in jail for false charges whenver the Chinese government feels like it. Will we see the East Asia version of NAFTA? If so, be prepared for the day when millions of illegal Chinese immigrants are putting Japanese citizens out of work by working in Japanese companies for a fraction of the money. I understand the U.S. has done some things that makes Japan want to distance themselves from us, but I hope Japanese citizens realize being closer to China is not the answer to their stagnant economy. Please don't blame the Japanese incessant money saving that is the real cause of the high debt to GDP ratio on the GLOBAL financial crisis.

Register or Login to leave a comment