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China, pandemic, energy top Japan's leadership race debate

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By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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What kind of a nation do they want Japan to be in the future? 

Since the 1945 defeat and surrender, Japan has gone through the direct U.S. occupation and then a long period of subjugation by the U.S. under the Anpo regime despite putative sovereignty supposedly having been recovered.

Okinawa shoulders and embodies all the contradictions this Anpo regime forces upon Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@marcelito

 

Began as PM with the vindictive action of denying positions to 6 science council members because they dared to express opinions opposing the govt.

I am glad to see those who dare to declare “ if you touch us, your cabinet would collapse” were kicked out. Who do these 6 members of the council which is not even research institute think they are.  It’s not as if they lost their academic freedom. 

Against all expert advice he pushed for and implemented GoTo Travel fiasco that spread coronavirus all over Japan.

Against advice did the same with the GoTo Eat program.

Spreading covid all over Japan? Any scientific evidence? I don’t recall any reports which explained clinical causal relation of travel itself which accounts for less than 10% among all people’s movements.  

Promised a dozen times to " bring infections under control within a month" to fail miserably again and again.

Lol. Stop exaggeration, that means he officially promised as such perhaps on air every month? Really?

So tell me which country is nowadays bring infections under control without strangling daily economy? People are already talking about 3rd shots, 4th shorts, or could be endless shots. Or otherwise endless lockdowns, aren’t they.

Promised to increase hospital beds and capacity over and over with each wave and didn't do crap all as people were dying in both idling ambulances and stuck at home.

You must know the government had been asking each hospitals to do so (not to mention, the gov't cannot force hospitals to follow the order under current law) Are you saying that hospitals should sacrifice other patients with other fatal decease?

Against both expert advice and public opinion pushed through the unwanted Olympics , instead of negotiating a postponement hat would have ensured a much better outcome financially. 

I see you think Japan should take all the blames and are not interested in what sort of bunch of vested interest groups IOC tuned out to be. At least like Go-to campaign, you are to present any scientific evidence if you think Olympics further spread covid all over Japan. You cannot underestimate financial impact either of complete cancellation or postponement tearing up host country’s contract. I agree it should have been postponed only if it was possible, which was not.

Behaved like an arrogant emperor completely ignoring all public opinion and expert advice throughout his whole miserable 12 months as a PM.

Oh yeah, almost forgot the recent Afghanistan evacuation fiasco where after sitting on the fence for a week he sent SDF in too late and managed to airlift 1 Japanese and 14 Afghans ( those at the request of the US) instead of a planned 500 plus.

Unlike your favorite South Korea which troops had been already there on duty before the mess, JSDF was not there. Article 9 prohibits Japan SDF to act any further than outside of the key airport. That is why Article 9 redundancy must be removed. Do you agree or what? 

  

Perhaps I should remind those who assume LDP couldn’t have done better under East-Japan crisis, of the fact his 1 year has been also under the pandemic crisis, whereas Hato-pee’s journey to his dream world was not

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Do all U, candidates remember the saying, do not mind other countries business and never threaten.

There you go. That is exactly the mentality that allowed Hitler to kill 6 million Jews. I thought the world learned a lesson from that tragedy. Apparently not. If you ignore crimes against humanity such as those against the Uyghurs and Tibetans you are complicit in them and are in part responsible for those deaths. Yes you are.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Do all U, candidates remember the saying, do not mind other countries business and never threaten.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

kennyGToday  08:53 am JST

To your eyes、Hato-pee...

Childish. Not surprising though.

and Suga are comparable?

Under the pandemic, Suga had done things like...

Final decision to release treated water into sea in 2 years time after re-fine process through ALPS

That's not generally seen as a very good thing, and not something to boast about.

Price down for mobile phone monthly charge

That's one good thing.

Revised Seeds and Seedings Law to protect Japanese fruits freely stolen by a country like South Korea

Started reforming the Science Council of Japan

promoted QUAD、Japan-Australia SpecialStrategic partnership

World top-speed vaccination despite the slowest start with maintaining relatively low death ratio

So what? It's not actually that hard to achieve. Why were they so slow to get started?

> Subsidy, support fund,

Sounds a bit socialist. The LDP is big on socialism for its supporters though, isn't it.

Tax-cut,

Who for? How much?

Tax-exemption to Individual owner/small-medium firm/Freelance

More zombie companies kept on life support by the taxpayer. Great.

8.Established Digital Agency

More....

Trivial. All of it.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

And of course, Olympics

0 ( +2 / -2 )

marcelitoToday  12:39 am JST

just look back and see how badly Hato-pee was wandering completely within his own dream world.

Kind of like Suga over the last 12 months then ey?

To your eyes、Hato-pee and Suga are comparable?

Under the pandemic, Suga had done things like...

Final decision to release treated water into sea in 2 years time after re-fine process through ALPS

Price down for mobile phone monthly charge

Revised Seeds and Seedings Law to protect Japanese fruits freely stolen by a country like South Korea

 Started reforming the Science Council of Japan

promoted QUAD、Japan-Australia SpecialStrategic partnership

World top-speed vaccination despite the slowest start with maintaining relatively low death ratio

Subsidy, support fund, Tax-cut, Tax-exemption to Individual owner/small-medium firm/Freelance

8.Established Digital Agency

More....
-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Those who don't understand relative thinking are helpless

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

International issues such as China, Taiwan and Koreas were among the topics they talked about. But no talk about the U.S. base issue, more important than China, Taiwan and Koreas as far as Japanese taxpayers are concerned.

Recently, the Japanese government agreed with the U.S. as regards how to the dispose of 360-thousand liters or 1800 drum cans of PFAS-tainted water stockpiled at Futenma Air Station with a cost amounting to 92 million yen. In other words, the Japanese government is clearing up the US military's mess (environmental pollution) without any due and reasonable explanation.

Is this merely a local issue, not very important to discuss as a national issue? I think this issue is questioning if Japan is genuinely an independent sovereignty.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Also, don't ever tell others to do what you don't do

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

kennyGSep. 19  08:08 pm JST

Heck. How...

In other words you know the LDP are just as bad if not worse, but you can't admit it so you try to change the topic. It's a very predictable and stale tactic that others with a lot more tact and persuasive skills than you have tried and failed at. If you aren't going to say anything good about the LDP let's just take it as a tacit admission that you can't because there isn't anything good to say about the LDP.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

JayToday  01:57 am JST

I get the idea you would prefer it if we didn't. Let's all turn a blind eye and try to con ourselves into thinking it's all perfect just like LDP online supporters do, eh?

No, it's not perfect, but it's one heck of a lot closer to perfect than what other countries are doing.

Why, what are other countries doing that's so bad by comparison?

Why do people keep pushing for policies that are detrimental to society!?

I'm not pushing for any policies. What on earth are you talking about?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

JayToday  01:53 am JST

Why do people keep complaining about the LDP and Abe?

Read some of the comments. The reasons are all laid out.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I get the idea you would prefer it if we didn't. Let's all turn a blind eye and try to con ourselves into thinking it's all perfect just like LDP online supporters do, eh?

No, it's not perfect, but it's one heck of a lot closer to perfect than what other countries are doing. Why do people keep pushing for policies that are detrimental to society!? The only explanation I can think of is that you WANT Japan to fail, so that you can keep pushing for your global politics, the same way America was sabotaged from the inside by people that hate America and want a global government.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Why do people keep complaining about the LDP and Abe? Japan is one of the best nations on Earth to live on right now. If you're trying to shake that up, and implement changes from other countries, which are in chaos right now, then you seem to be pushing for nothing less than the destruction of Japan.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

ReasonandWisdomNipponToday  11:00 pm JST

So much trash talking about Japan's government. Political party. Justice System.... Works for Japanese.

Doesn't work for Japanese where I live who want to vote for someone other than a geriatric conservative male.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

ReasonandWisdomNipponToday  11:04 pm JST

Countries with more crime. More prisoners. Bad leaders voted in power. Overweight population, life expectancy lower by 10 years, easy access to guns... Are lecturing Japan and how we do things. Priceless!

I get the idea you would prefer it if we didn't. Let's all turn a blind eye and try to con ourselves into thinking it's all perfect just like LDP online supporters do, eh?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Countries with more crime. More prisoners. Bad leaders voted in power. Overweight population, life expectancy lower by 10 years, easy access to guns... Are lecturing Japan and how we do things. Priceless!

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

So much trash talking about Japan's government. Political party. Justice System.... Works for Japanese.

We shouldn't have to live like you want us to live, or make changes here because in your country it's done that way.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

itsonlyrocknrollToday  06:50 pm JST

Simon Foston, in reality, there is no recognizable opposition, just the people opposite keeping the seats warm.

I hate to say it but that can't be denied. The best that can be hoped for is that the CDPJ will gain a few seats in the next election so that they emerge as a more credible alternative, and then a more charismatic and media-savvy leader takes over who promotes a viable manifesto from day one and makes the LDP scared. I have no idea when that might happen though.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

Heck. How often so called the opposition have been changing names of the party and how come they had do so?. Changing the name of the party or splitting the party doesn’t deceive voters at all. Look who’re now running RDPJ.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Excepting Noda: The absurdity and posturing over Taiwan would simply be ludicrous, if not for the intent to actually foment an antagonistic policy towards a well-armed 'superpower' - let alone the dependency on China for manufacture and assembly of the world's consumer goods, upon which Japan has forged a subordinate role. That individuals who haven't a nascent awareness of the carnage that such would bring, speaks not just to incompetence, but indicates they are not fit to inhabit the highest elective office (or any other).

The only candidate who wouldn't be at home with the Taliban, is Noda. Whatever her faults, she is the only one who seems sane and healthy. The other candidates: Kono, Kishida, andTakaichi are so far to the right, one step further would land them in a mental hospital. All are borderline psychopaths.

As for the three candidates: Kono, Kishida & Taichi: At a juncture in history, where civilization itself is in peril, the shop worn failed ideas, that are basely ideological and crony capitalism - the supposed progressive technological 'fixes' from surreal nonsense about fusion reactors and quantum computers - the daft jive about nuclear power as something other than to be phased out - shell game accounting as a budgetary process - none of it speaks well to a viable future. Not one of those three has an actual vision of and for the future.

To top it all off. Takaichi. An admirer of the Third Reich proposes passing laws to enable lockdowns, in case of a future pandemic. Her version of a Reichstag fire. Which fits the sometimes embrace of draconian and tyrannical notions expressed by various postings to the JT 'thread' as a solution to the current pandemic aka SARSCoV-2 contagion.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

Simon Foston, in reality, there is no recognizable opposition, just the people opposite keeping the seats warm.

It is the lack of focus on the economy, childcare, depopulation. a realistic reform program, you know when government take a serious review of the employment laws.

No more dead mans shoes.

There was no real debate.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Some amateur LDP propagandists should perhaps keep in mind that the DPJ no longer exists and Hatoyama's been retired since 2012. Therefore it's pretty stupid to try to bring them up as a reason for getting behind the LDP in 2021.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

The short lived Kan administration showed that if put in power they were too inexperienced to actually run the government well. Not saying it's something that shoudn't happen, just saying this isn't the best time.

Kan, Hatoyama and Noda administrations.

They did many positive things, trying to reform, but the Japanese are so refractory to any change.The 1000 yens fee for highways was beneficial. 

Correct me if I am wrong. DPJ manifesto was to make highway principally all free of charge but ended up like this. DPJ failed all of it's campaign promises except making public high school free of charge. For DPJ, manifesto was simply empty promise. Keep making empty campaign promises basically insulting voters, which is obviously being handed over to CDPJ.

 They also try to introduce different vacation time depending on regions, but here people complain as they could not meet family, etc and they like the mass movement.

Anyone can present just good idea or alternative idea. No one would want to pay bloody tax for those just presenting ideal environments without any feasibility analysis .

Those who support DPJ, just look back and see how badly Hato-pee was wandering completely within his own dream world.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

That evil look on Takaichi's face in the top photo.

Media enjoy presenting this kind of photo-op. This is the exact timing when Kono was challenging Takaichi by denying the capacity to attack enemy bases

6 ( +9 / -3 )

With no viable opposition, it's down to: Wally from Where's Wally, Japanese everyman, female Joker, or Woke wannabe. What sad times we live in.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

3RENSHO

How can arrogance be judged from appearance?

Seriously? Are you not familiar with how facial expressions and body language work?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

LDP leadership shuffle reminds me of the pig and the lipstick story...

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Do not give more publicity to this over publicised "race" please

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Not the most awe inspiring debate.

A pseudo politico knitting circle, a meeting of three minds that agree, and a rabid right winger.

I suspect a charade, I believe the next LDP leader has already been appointed, your card has been stamped.

The rest is a formality.

These factions don't melt away, disappear, they will always be there in the shadows pulling the strings.

Think, look, these proposals all have harped on about could have been implemented years ago.

All are not new to political office.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

"She appeared arrogant throughout, except when she was speaking."

How can arrogance be judged from appearance?

7 ( +10 / -3 )

That evil look on Takaichi's face in the top photo.

Why shouldnt she look at him with distrust?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

People whine about the LDP, but the only time it wasn't in power Japan became a mess.

I came to comment on this totally tone deaf claim, but see that Marcelito has said it all.

The LDP were responsible for the Dai-Ichi disaster, refused to take acknowledge responsibility and did all they could to block Kan at every turn.

-2 ( +9 / -11 )

Yotomaya 07:43 am JST

Who is this for? The people don't vote in the party's leaders.

It's a chabangeki to distract attention away from the failure of Japan's political system and its dynastic political elite.

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

OssanAmericaToday  07:29 am JST

People whine about the LDP, but the only time it wasn't in power Japan became a mess.

You must fail to comprehend the nature of a true democracy which is based on alternate parties.

You criticize the opposition because it had just one brief chance in over 70 years.

People with such mindset keep nations in bigotry and are a negation of the true value of democratic elections.

-3 ( +9 / -12 )

Four candidates from a so called democracy which in fact seems more like a one state party.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

Anyone have a link to the debate?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Noda proposed a nationwide installment of sub-hospitals that offer supplementary oxygen and antibody cocktail infusions for less serious patients, and financial support for those hit by income or job loss, especially women.

All that's great, but then she said vaccinate the under 12's, which cancels everything else she said.

With antibody transfusions, + ivermectin, Vit C, Vit D3 no need for "vaccines"

https://www.thedesertreview.com/opinion/columnists/indias-ivermectin-blackout/article_e3db8f46-f942-11eb-9eea-77d5e2519364.html

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

danToday  09:09 am JST

4 puppets of the LDP.

Nothing will change and nothing will be done.

Of course not. That's not what the LDP's about. Their objective is to keep themselves in place as a de facto hereditary peerage by effectively limiting the franchise to select minorities that are generously bribed for their loyalty and exploiting loopholes in the political funds control law to build up campaign cash and bequeath it to their offspring, whilst keeping the cost of running in an election prohibitively expensive for the serfs and peasants. That's all working out just fine for them so why bother to change anything?

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Underground compact fusion reactors?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

That evil look on Takaichi's face in the top photo.

That's basically how she looked whenever the camera caught her while others were speaking. She made no attempt to disguise her dislike of the others, and especially her contempt for Noda and her mildly progressive positions. She appeared arrogant throughout, except when she was speaking. Then, she was all smiles.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

I believe Seiko’s campaign was endorsed to simply divide the votes of those open to have Japan’s first female PM. Shinzo was hoping to use Japan’s willingness to always copy the US by having female leadership in the highest positions of the government and install another puppet of his LDP faction.

Sanae’s political ambitions make her a willing pawn for Shinzo’s plans. This will be her one and only shot at such a high position.

From this photo, Sanae’s expression could be interpreted as she wants to literally rip Taro’s head off.

Did he counter her point? Context is everything!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

So take your pick of big, centrally-planned government types.

Not a lot to look forward too.

Kono said some interesting things about pension reforms, but otherwise not much better than the rest.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Looks like Kono is taunting his opponents with the gesture football supporters enjoy when someone from the opposing team misses a penalty.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The short lived Kan administration showed that if put in power they were too inexperienced to actually run the government well. Not saying it's something that shoudn't happen, just saying this isn't the best time.

Kan, Hatoyama and Noda administrations.

They did many positive things, trying to reform, but the Japanese are so refractory to any change.The 1000 yens fee for highways was beneficial. They also try to introduce different vacation time depending on regions, but here people complain as they could not meet family, etc and they like the mass movement.

The government was criticized for the Fukushima disaster but the the LDP would not have done better.

Japanese prefer to ignore the LDP failure than praise the success of an opposition party

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

That evil look on Takaichi's face in the top photo.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Kono: I did vaccines.

Takeichi: Missiles and whatever Abe tells me.

Kishida: What's the right thing for me to say so I don't offend anyone?

Noda: Caring about people, practical solutions.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

@Randy Johnson

I agree up to the point of group consensus being the main thing in Japan. It is, but not only here. Top politicians (and to an extent any politicians) have a lot of corporate and other interests behind them, which is one of the main reason that giving the administration a different, fresh face is only optics. Some could argue that a "moderate" like Kono will cause less harm than someone like Takaichi by, possibly, not further normalising revisionism and nationalism. I'm not sure about that reasoning, but the result won't be different either way as, ultimately, they're not really the ones to call the shots.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Doesn't matter because the end result will be a new cog replacing the old cog. Same ol same ol. Little to nothing will change.

I laugh at people when they name a japanese prime minister by name as if he and he alone makes policy decisions.

Apparently some cannot figure out that anything and everything is done by group consensus in japan.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

The result would be the same....

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Takaichi said she will promote robotics and quantum computer development as Japan's future growth strategy.

Quantum computers? Can she explain which computational problems they can solve better than conventional computers and why these are important ? Doubt it.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

4 puppets of the LDP.

Nothing will change and nothing will be done.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

Takaichi, an anti-China hawk who shares former leader Shinzo Abe's nationalistic views and historical revisionism, proposed compiling a contingency plan based on a worst-case scenario.

Although she keeps getting painted in this light by the press she seems to have traction with a certain type of Japanese voter that take her very seriously. The vocal types.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I hate to see paper tigers, trying to put gasoline on the fire, China strike less than in 20 minutes from it missile base in Tibet

5 ( +12 / -7 )

China has so many nukes, they had put them in rows in Tibet, Google Chinese Missile Silos

9 ( +15 / -6 )

OssanAmericaToday  07:29 am JST

People whine about the LDP,

There's a lot to whine about.

but the only time it wasn't in power Japan became a mess.

That was just three years. All of Japan's other problems have accumulated during the other seventy or so years that the LDP have been in charge.

If more effort was put on improving the alternatives maybe there would be an incentive for change.

Any suggestions as to how they could be improved? There might be some incentive for change if it were actually easier for another party to take power, e.g. if constituency maps were redrawn to correct vote value disparities and the cost of becoming an election candidate were drastically reduced so that another party could match the LDP candidate for candidate, but nothing like that's going to happen while the status quo favours the LDP so much.

For all it's faults, the pandemic, China. economy etc are all issues on a scale that are best handled without a complete change in power. Opposition parties in Japan have evolved to only know how to contradict, confront, obstruct the LDP.

It's funny how people who make that accusation seem to know only how to criticise the opposition.

6 ( +19 / -13 )

I am hoping that Ms. Noda wins opening the door for future women to lead.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

The Japanese people need to start thinking about the NEGATIVE impact of keeping one party in control, the time has come for Japan to give other parties a chance rule.

7 ( +16 / -9 )

Who is this for? The people don't vote in the party's leaders.

8 ( +13 / -5 )

People whine about the LDP, but the only time it wasn't in power Japan became a mess. If more effort was put on improving the alternatives maybe there would be an incentive for change. For all it's faults, the pandemic, China. economy etc are all issues on a scale that are best handled without a complete change in power. Opposition parties in Japan have evolved to only know how to contradict, confront, obstruct the LDP. The short lived Kan administration showed that if put in power they were too inexperienced to actually run the government well. Not saying it's something that shoudn't happen, just saying this isn't the best time.

2 ( +16 / -14 )

This month, Japan's obedient mainstream TV channels and nationwide newspapers became advertising media for ruling party LDP before general election.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

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