Noda dissolves lower house for election on Dec 16

Get your ear plugs ready!

shouting "Banzai" three times - Japan's equivalent of "three cheers"

If I'm not mistaken, "banzai" means "ten thousand years". Correct, however, is that they usually shout it three times, at the same time stretching their arms out above their heads.

If I'm not mistaken, "banzai" means "ten thousand years".

Actually it is more along the lines of eternal life and prosperity, plus being a cheer of celebration.

Japan's political system so confuses me.

It's bad enough that the electorate has forgotten why they voted for the DPJ in the first place; it's worse that the DPJ seemed to forget what they had campaigned on the instant they came to power. It has been a fascinating train wreck.

So what happened to the electoral system reform?

Every time I see and hear " Banzai " !!! I think of WWII movies. I thought it was a war cry of some kind ?????

It's a real headache for other countries. Because when they visit Japan they REALLY don't know ???

THE BIG QUESTION

Who's The Leader ?? Do you know ?

Japan will be heading to political instability. The rest of world will leave Japan behind and moving forward. Sayonara, Japan.

Shintaro Ishihara for PM? That would be backwards then. Waaaay back

End the WEIGHTING of electorates in the lower and upper house!! End it now! It is undemocratic and massively favors the right wing. Why should an old, farmers vote be worth 2x, 3x even 5x the vote of a young single- mother in the city? Do this and see the voting landscape in Japan evolve.

Sadly, it is likely to be another generation before the LDP (and lets face it they will take the election) are booted out. Whilst the great parliaments of the commonwealth are now but a rubber stamp; and the USA's political system has ground to a dysfunctional halt due to partisanship.. the Diet is a farcical, undemocratic, pantomime of illegitimacy.

End the WEIGHTING of electorates in the lower and upper house!! End it now! It is undemocratic and massively favors the right wing. Why should an old, farmers vote be worth 2x, 3x even 5x the vote of a young single- mother in the city? Do this and see the voting landscape in Japan evolve.

The LDP is the "guilty" party here for instituting the proportional representation vote. I agree the proportional representation vote is nonsense. But it's (sadly) the only way the LDP will remain in or close to power..