Japanese Politics

[Guardian Enzo]

Can Ishihara Shintaro be far behind?

Kawabuchi was definitely the plan - it was only the huge (especially by Japanese standards) outcry that forced them to back down.

The problem here is that Mori has huge power within the LDP, as the Don of its largest faction (the LDP is a faction-driven power structure). Suga is part of no faction, and thus dependent on Mori to be allowed to remain in power. If Mori is dissatisfied with the replacement, Suga is in deep shlt.

[Magin]

Does Mori's power really extend that far?

As far as I can tell, this is mostly a push driven by social media. And there's already a lot of deep discontentment for Suga. In a hypothetical situation, if Mori's replacement was strongly disliked by Mori, but praised by social media as being "progressive" and such (i.e. they end up actually having a woman take over), wouldn't that still give leverage to Suga?

This is ultimately the problem with how much apathy the Japanese have towards politics from what I'm seeing- it's only the older folks who actually care (as in, people 65+)... meanwhile, all the young folks are using social media for changes, but social media lacks the nuances you need to have a true political reform, which is something japan desperately needs.

[Guardian Enzo]

Suga has no leverage. The old men of the LDP make all decisions, and they don't give a flip about social media. Suga is already on thin ice, and was something of a figurehead PM - as I said, he's a rarity in having obtained such a high office without belonging to a faction.

Factions are everything in the LDP. Mori controls the largest. There is a tug of war here - some allowance has to be made for the massive public opinion against holding the Olympics at all this year and the sheer offensiveness of what Mori said. Kawabuchi simply pushes things too far - he's overtly racist, a proponent of physical punishment in coaching children, and a BFF of Mori. The Hosoda Faction will have to give a little and at least make the appearance of compromising on the replacement, but Suga will have little say over who it is.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Magin

...they end up actually having a woman take over...

Well, it's no longer hyopthetical.

Tokyo appoints female Cabinet minister to take over as Olympics chief

Tokyo (Feb 18): The Tokyo Olympic organising committee has appointed Seiko Hashimoto, Japan's Cabinet minister-in-charge of the Olympics and gender equality, to replace Yoshiro Mori, 83, who resigned last week in the wake of an international firestorm over sexist remarks.

The selection of Ms Hashimoto, 56, an Olympic medallist in speedskating, represents a stark generational and gender shift for the committee, but the choice does not stray far from the establishment.

Ms Hashimoto entered politics when Mr Mori was secretary-general of the Liberal Democrats, and she joined his political faction, one of a handful of influential groupings that can determine the careers of lawmakers in Japan.

"I think Ms Hashimoto was selected so that Mr. Mori's influence can be maintained," said Atsuo Ito, an independent political analyst and former staff member for both the Liberal Democrats and the opposition Democratic Party. "She's a puppet of Mr Mori."

[Still], her appointment reflects the growing power of social media and Japanese activists to sway the course of what was seen as an important symbolic decision.

"In the past, Mr Mori would have been just criticised, and then the issue would have ended," said Kazuyo Katsuma, a former businesswoman and prominent author of best-selling books on gender and work-life balance. "But this time he had to resign because of a lot of criticism from women who raised their voices."

In accepting the job as president of the Olympic organising committee, Ms Hashimoto gives up her ministerial post, halving the number of women in Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Cabinet.

NEW YORK TIMES

[Guardian Enzo]

Yes, she's a Mori puppet. She was also accused of sexually harassing a male figure skater a few years ago. And upon her appointment a high-ranking LDP official said she'd do fine because she has a personality like a man's, and that most sexual harassment is mutually consensual.

These people won't change. And for whatever reason, Japanese voters are so apathetic that they won't change the people running their lives.

[Magin]

Yeah, that's all the buzz I'm hearing.

Because I do the dumb-as-hell thing of reading FB comments on Japan Times post, I was expected to see a bunch of "Good Riddance, we have someone competent" or "Finally, the woman we needed" type comments... and instead, what your post highlights happened instead. Complaining that she's Mori's friend, a sexual abuser, and still part of the LDP.

I've already accepted that FB comments will always be negative (Hell, I suspect there would still be negative comments even if they decided to completely cancel the Olympics, which is about what half the commentators want...), but I suppose the real problem is that Japanese voters keep putting the LDP in charge.

[SeijiSensei]

Responding to criticisms after Mori's remarks concerning women, the LDP will invite five women to attend meetings of the party's board.

As long as the women don't speak.

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN2AH08E

The move would allow more female LDP members to see how decisions were being made, said Toshihiro Nikai, the party's 82-year-old secretary general. He said he had heard criticism the party's elected board was dominated by men.

"It is important to fully understand what kind of discussions are happening," he told a news conference late on Tuesday.

"Take a look, is what it is about."

Those female observers would not be able to speak during the meetings, but could submit opinions separately to the secretariat office, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

[Guardian Enzo]

If you pitched this stuff as parody, it would be turned down as too unrealistic.

[SeijiSensei]

How government in Japan really functions. By the AP's Japan correspondent, Yuri Kageyama.

TOKYO (AP) — The public relations chief for Japan's prime minister has resigned after she acknowledged she had a 70,000 yen ($700) dinner paid for by a broadcaster.

Makiko Yamada had been grilled recently by opposition lawmakers in Parliament about the 2019 dinner and had been scheduled to answer more questions Monday. She had previously said she did not remember or was not fully aware of the circumstances.

Yamada's job included the responsibility of picking reporters to ask questions at Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's news conferences.

The broadcaster in question, Tohokushinsha Film Corp., employs Suga’s son. That has raised suspicions of cronyism in a nation where plum jobs are often hard to come by without connections.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/world/su...ef533a72d.html

[SeijiSensei]

Decision to allow "overseas spectators" to attend the Olympics by the end of the month.

Decision on capacity limits in venues next month.

https://twitter.com/trilavier/status...79918555721731

[SeijiSensei]

Japan’s communications ministry said Friday it has punished 32 of its officials for ethics code violations after they were treated to expensive meals by companies they supervised.

The scandal first came to light in February following reports that executives of satellite broadcaster Tohokushinsha Film Corp., including Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s eldest son, Seigo, treated ministry officials to lavish dinners.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...scandal-japan/

Why am I not surprised?

[c933103]

Originally Posted by Magin

Does Mori's power really extend that far?

As far as I can tell, this is mostly a push driven by social media. And there's already a lot of deep discontentment for Suga. In a hypothetical situation, if Mori's replacement was strongly disliked by Mori, but praised by social media as being "progressive" and such (i.e. they end up actually having a woman take over), wouldn't that still give leverage to Suga?

This is ultimately the problem with how much apathy the Japanese have towards politics from what I'm seeing- it's only the older folks who actually care (as in, people 65+)... meanwhile, all the young folks are using social media for changes, but social media lacks the nuances you need to have a true political reform, which is something japan desperately needs.

Remember, back in 2018 it was essentially him who propose Japan should adopt one or two hours daylight saving time in every summer from 2020 onward, and dragging the entire Japanese government with it, under the name that athlete can compete in cooler weather during the Olympic (rationale being: The marathon need to start at, say, 7am according to contract with IOC, but we can change the clock to make 7am become 5am so athletes can compete in cooler environment in earlier morning) in addition to creating a legacy for the Olympic as daylight saving time is expected to help reduce carbon emission (Official estimate is it would cut carbon emission by something like 0.1% iirc). The plan went for several months despite over 3/4 population rejected the idea, people from all industries from finance to fishery and agriculture decrying its impact on logistic and everything, experts talk about increse in risk in health and traffic, IT workers talking about how impossible it is to update legacy code to support daylight saving time in less than a year in addition to the additional works needed to change the era name to Reiwa in 2019, yet still ultimately what actually make the Japanese government give up the plan was EU's announcement that they have received many comments against DST and want to abolish it in EU (One rationale used by many pro-DST people in Japan was to bring Japan in line with other developed countries, as Japan is the only one in G7 without DST)

[SeijiSensei]

The US and Japan have been conducting war games and joint military exercises in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan, amid escalating concerns over the Chinese military’s assertive activity.

https://amp.ft.com/content/54b0db59-...5-7b63c9c39093

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

The US and Japan have been conducting war games and joint military exercises in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan, amid escalating concerns over the Chinese military’s assertive activity.

https://amp.ft.com/content/54b0db59-...5-7b63c9c39093

You know, I see stuff like this and I look all around me where mainland Chinese and Japanese get along just fine and how deep the social integration can get and I marvel how out of touch governments are with their people


The stuff online, in the media and officially is a complete different world from everyday life of a normal person

[c933103]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

You know, I see stuff like this and I look all around me where mainland Chinese and Japanese get along just fine and how deep the social integration can get and I marvel how out of touch governments are with their people


The stuff online, in the media and officially is a complete different world from everyday life of a normal person

People getting along fine never mean war won't happen.

[Yu Ominae]

Second the motion.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by c933103

People getting along fine never mean war won't happen.

That's not what I'm trying to say.

Wars do not last if they are not popular. The most devastating wars are total wars especially in today's world. Unpopular wars do not last (Don't mention America's adventures in the Middle East. There is no widespread opposition to it like Vietnam). They happen when populations get hoodwinked into some leaders' delusions. My point, is I am lamenting how foolish it is to swallow everything one reads and hears about while missing what lies before their eyes. If only people used that critical thinking which is so strongly celebrated.....Wasn't that what WWII and the Cold War was supposed to have taught us?

And besides end of the day.....How many of the loud voices online and those they influence truly crave for a scrap deep down inside? Even the supposedly more grounded people like the analysts and think tanks...... I'd wager the truth is uglier than most would admit

[c933103]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

That's not what I'm trying to say.

Wars do not last if they are not popular. The most devastating wars are total wars especially in today's world. Unpopular wars do not last (Don't mention America's adventures in the Middle East. There is no widespread opposition to it like Vietnam). They happen when populations get hoodwinked into some leaders' delusions. My point, is I am lamenting how foolish it is to swallow everything one reads and hears about while missing what lies before their eyes. If only people used that critical thinking which is so strongly celebrated.....Wasn't that what WWII and the Cold War was supposed to have taught us?

And besides end of the day.....How many of the loud voices online and those they influence truly crave for a scrap deep down inside? Even the supposedly more grounded people like the analysts and think tanks...... I'd wager the truth is uglier than most would admit

The fact that mainland Chinese individuals and Japanese individuals can get along just fine, doesn't mean China wouldn't attack either Japan or Taiwan, nor does it mean such attack would be unpopular in China.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Nevermind, guess you don't get it either. Sign of the times

[c933103]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Nevermind, guess you don't get it either. Sign of the times

Are you somehow under impression that last time Japan was at war with rest of Asia was because they hate other Asian?