politics

5 LDP contenders talk tough on territorial disputes in debate

23 Comments
By Antoni Slodkowski

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23 Comments
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Finally cavalry trooper arrived! Go out Minshuto, your time is over.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

I don't think LDP could have taken any other means DPJ took this time on the issue.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

2,700,000 Japanese were killed during the WWII and a whole nation of Japan went into poverty without food and medicine. Are you allowing these people to take you to war again?

The history has been already forgotten amoung Japanese youth and I am afraid it will be repeated again. I would like to remind it again and again to all Japanese until the day I die. Japan needs a peace maker.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

All Japanese politicians are same except Junichiro Koizumi. No one is going to build stronger and better country with current political climate. There's no unity even within party. Too many factions with too a little doing for nation is not good politic policy in Japan. Japan needs serious political reform. Prime Minster term should be fixed to between 3 and 4 years. Tolerate degree of politic in Japan is very sensitive and very low. Prime minister has been vote out every time disagreement with public or within party. That kind of democracy is not good for country at all. What I like about Koizumi was he will do what he has to do. 6 Prime Ministers have been changed in 5 years is laughing stock for International Governments. What kind of task the Prime minister can perform under 12 months period? All Prime ministers have left with unfinished business. What do you expect from that kind of politic for nation? I believe Prime Minister Noda should be given chance to finish his policy. He is doing better than his predecessors. . Japanese peoples should more involve in politic and more tolerant on Prime minister’s performance. Otherwise, the country will be in limbo for long term. I want to see Junichiro Koizumi come back with his own party and change traditional politic of Japan.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

“Our relations with China are at their worst ever since the normalisation of relations between the two countries,”

Yeah! So let's take a TOUGHER stance over a few rocks!! That'll certainly make things better, especially if you ask China to, "understand the situation" and "please cooperate".

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

making it harder to manage already rocky ties with Beijing and Seoul.

Pun fully intended and well played!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yeah! So let's take a TOUGHER stance over a few rocks!! That'll certainly make things better, especially if you ask China to, "understand the situation" and "please cooperate".

Its not just a couple of rocks which is why its so important to resource poor countries. Also it is said to be an area of large rare earth deposits which China wants for its own industry. The politicians of course are also trying to some mileage too.

The islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, are near potentially huge maritime gas and oil fields.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Finally cavalry trooper arrived!

What, this bunch of insipid non-entities? Look, here's what happens. One of these buffoons wins the leadership, and then fails to get a commanding majority in the next lower house election, meaning he'll be just as powerless as every other PM has been since Koizumi as the opposition in the upper house will block everything he tries to do. In a couple of years, with nothing having been achieved and approval ratings in the toilet, the LDP old boys will line up in another leadership contest to stab him in the back, and the whole pointless process will start over again. Great cavalry you've got there.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This group of loser cudnt beat their way out of a wet paper bag!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Nothing like reliving the "glory days" of Japan's imperial past. Except it's now 2012. China no longer needs to send warships to cripple Japan. They just need to withhold things like Rare Earth Metals for a month, or any other of the vital materials that the nations trade every day. These countries have to learn to get along and play well with others. Japan will lose this battle before any shots are even fired. So why even get into all this in the first place?

Oh yeah, I forgot. Japanese politicians generally don't really care about what happens to Japan. Well, in that case, game on!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

If Abe becomes prime minister again, I bet within a year he suddenly resigns again for health reasons.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

scoobydoo: "The politicians of course are also trying to some mileage too."

Exactly. I feel so sorry for Japan and the young people here in particular. There are ZERO politicians that will make any difference save for making their lives harder. I mean, look at the picture! Who's that on the far right? Right! It's Abe -- a man who HAD the job he's trying to get and quit after one of the shortest stints as PM of Japan (and that means SHORT!) in history. How long would he keep the job this time if he could get it? Then you have the more and more popular Hashimoto -- a fascist who is completely out of touch with the people, and then you have a bunch of no-names besides, and Noda.

Meanwhile, with all the other problems on Japan's plate that warrant serious attention these guys are glorifying a territorial dispute as their main platform, when only yesterday it was nuclear power (electric companies must be thankful for this dispute!).

I realize there are resources there, and that's the main reason for China's claim, but it's still not worth what could potentially happen if things escalate further.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Great, just what Japan and the world needs, five Chicken-Hawks talking tough about China. Japan is in serious trouble.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Who's got the biggest shriveled nut sack?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It is better to put aside the disputes since Japan can't utilize anything there if the sovereign is in dispute.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 57, who abruptly quit in 2007 citing ill-health, struck the most hawkish tone out of a field of five contenders."

Abe talks tough, does he? This is the bloke who resigned the Prime Minister's seat because of stress-induced diarrhoea. What does he plan to do for an encore?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

While watching the five guys above talk about their plans during a live NHK TV broadcast (which was given in English with a simultaneous intreperter) on Friday, I got the feeling that they don't have any kind of a manifest like Minshuto had.

When asked what their plans are, each one said they must win the next general election really big ... which would give them complete control of the government. As for their plans after that, each one said there is no plan. They will wait until later to make major decisions. In other words, their only goal at present is to win that election. After that ... who knows ... even they don't know.

Right now I'm watching another press interview with the five candidates at the Japan National Press Club. Again they seem to be giving vague answers to the questions.

One candidate in particular, Shigeru Ishiba, a former Defense Minister, said his top priority would be to build up the Coast Guard, giving it more modern and faster ships. This is needed in the face of China's military buildup, he said. Well, why didn't he do this when he was defense minister? When he was in charge before, he let Japan's security in its offshore waters drift along. Does he actually have enough ooph to build up Japan's defenses?

Then there's Shinzo Abe, a former Prime Minister. When he was at the helm while PM, he suddenly quit, citing a bad stomach. Yesterday he said he still has health problems, but that a new medicine is keeping them under control. Should he be given a second chance even though that same ailment is still lurking about?

And all five LDP candidates are sons of politicians. Isn't this a little like North Korea, where the Kim family runs the country? That is, the LDP's candidates are trying to keep the power in their own family-run political operations. Do they actually know how the average Japanese lives ... and do they actually care about it. All they are interested in is to save their seat in the next general election ...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It's not like there are more pressing problems to address, who has the biggest wanger is pathetic .

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"“China is trying to threaten the beautiful Japanese sea,” he said. “I will decisively protect Japanese sea and Japanese land as well as the lives of Japanese citizens.”

This man, from very High blue blood society, would never manage to understand what the average Japanese want -- peaceful life & a job : " I will decisively protect Japanese BUSINESS too." won't you ? Barking strong to secure votes? you don't need to worry about your job of course white-bread man with caviar !

0 ( +1 / -1 )

To borrow a line thrown to S Korean by Japanese government: Why don't you bring the issue to ICJ if you are so confident your sovereignty?

Logically following that line, I can conclude that Japanese are not confident about its position. So it shuts door for dialogue, so it is afraid to bring the issue to ICJ, so it bought the islands....

So, that is what you get: Chinese surveillance ship...

So, ship bumping game has officially started, invitation sent...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Why do people need borders!

While flies, fishes or birds can go wherever they want. Are we so stupid to put barriers to ourselves or others?

It might look naive, but think twice before commenting.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Don't fuel the fire!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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