Japan Watching: Society, Politics, Culture, Economy, Environment, And the World

When the Democratic Party of Japan won the national election in August 2009, its eyes were already focused on the Upper House elections expected to be held in July 2010.  The new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was very keen to maintain the DPJ’s popularity to win an Upper House majority.

But “Hapless Hato” has let the issue of the US base in Futenma, Okinawa, dominate his 9 month old administration, and managed to offend almost everyone in the process.  Now Japan seems set to continue the pattern of a“revolving door” of prime ministers.

… this time by effectively banning the online sale of non-prescription pharmaceuticals, according to Genri Goto, CEO of Kenko.com, Japan's largest online drugstore. 

In 1989, Karel Van Wolferen wrote a book entitled “The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless Nation”.  More than 20 years later, Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton are finding that Japanese power is just as enigmatic as ever.

The Foreign Policy magazine has just come out with its ranking of the Top 100 Global Thinkers.  As usual, Japan does not figure at all, while many “thinkers” from other Asian countries do.  What’s the problem?

All things imperial are in the news in Japan and the US.  The American right wing is criticising President Obama for bowing to Emperor Akihito.  Not only should the President not bow, his bow was too deep and he should not have shaken the Emperor's hand at the same time, they argue!  Thank God that we have an American President who is respectful for the cultural traditions of other countries, like its great ally, Japan. 

And then, in celebrating the 20th anniversary of his ascension to the throne, Emperor Akihito commented that he believed that his father Emperor Hirohito did not support World War 2.

But who is this emperor?  Does he still have a role in modern Japan?

It’s done.  Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is gone.  It lost in a landslide to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).  What does it mean?  What does the future hold?

For virtually the first time in its history, Japan will have an election, tomorrow 30 August, where two solid rival political parties will have a real contest.  And what’s more, the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will win.  For the first time in its history, the Japanese people will vote for a change in government.  

If they do not lose their nerve, Japanese citizens will elect a new government on 30 August.  Could this be the start of something new? 

Some 20 years ago, Europe celebrated the end of the Cold War on its continent with the fall of the Berlin Wall.  This was in many ways the real beginning of modern globalization, as the former communist countries joined the global economy.