DannytheGaijin comments

So this is the infamous Asoisms I’ve heard about. The man is a walking gaff factory.

Neoliberalism: a buffet for the rich and big corporations and crumbs for working class people.

The ruling class's disdain for anyone outside of their little cloistered cocktail circuit is truly unsettling.

The lines were definitely absurdly long at Haneda when I flew back to Tokyo after Christmas. You really have to be determined to get through the whole process.

How!? For the life of me I can't wrap my head around how ANA dropped the ball. They scan your ticket before you can board to ensure you are on the flight's roster. Not to mention how the passenger was obviously not cognizant at all.

Much of the jobs created are low wage, part-time jobs. Every year it's the same thing. He promises to do the economic equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of the hat only to fall very short every time. How many mulligans will Abenomics get before it's tossed in the ash heap where it belongs?

I was expecting the Environment Ministry to propose an unnecessary boondoggle like putting huge blocks of ice around Tokyo. I'm actually surprised.

Lol. Did Aso think it was disco night instead of a meeting?

Whatever His Imperial Majesty's decision will be, I wish him all the best.

I take it as people’s strong confidence in Abenomics and for its acceleration.

Poor soul. Utterly detached from reality. Economists have already dubbed Abenomics 2.0 as an abysmal failure after 4 years in action. In fact, Japanese families are effectively poorer than they were since 2012. The majority only voted for the LDP because, with a weak and discredited opposition, it's basically a one party system at this point. But keep stroking your ego if that helps you sleep at night, Abe shushou.

Get ready for even more easy money policies, recessions in quick succession, and a nasty Article 9 fight in the coming years.

it is a privilege, not a right

As a tax paying citizen, I beg to differ. Most modern democracies embrace the idea of the right to vote.

It's actually a really sad reality. The people know that Abe and his LDP are frauds with their own agenda, but they feel that it's better to stay with the devil you know than to vote for a change. Alas, I can't be too hard on them for the defeatist attitude because politics in Japan is just this miasma of doublespeak and duplicity. Heck! I'd be disheartened too.

I guess "stress" is the go-to cop-out in Japan nowadays. Stress doesn't make you do something so gross and bizarre. Either this guy is a creeper or he's loony as a loon. Either way, I would recommend this guy go through immediate mental evaluation.

I read in the newspapers that the people aren't necessarily confident in Abe (even thought the LDP is up in the polls). It basically boils down to voting for the devil you know. They're concerned about the economy( and rightly so) and whether their stagnant wages will be able to keep themselves and their families fed. Abe on the other hand, is more concerned with revising the Constitution. Too bad even if it passes the through Diet, a public referendum (per Article 96) is needed-- and a majority of those in the public aren't in favor of that.

The Labor Standards Bureau must be sitting on there hands. The working conditions there must be especially deplorable if it drove a man to murder.

At this point this comes as no surprise to me.

...and, apparently, breaking the law by soliciting donations from foreign politicians.

To be fair, Clinton funneled donations from foreign governments thought the Clinton Foundation while she was Secretary of State. No one batted an eye at this clear conflict of interest.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/foreign-governments-gave-millions-to-foundation-while-clinton-was-at-state-dept/2015/02/25/31937c1e-bc3f-11e4-8668-4e7ba8439ca6_story.html

http://www.inquisitr.com/1886483/hillary-clinton-foundation-took-foreign-government-cash-while-she-was-secretary-of-state/

I don't like Hillary in the least (and 54.6% of Americans would agree with me), but this Benghazi dog and pony show was shameful. After all was said and done and she was exonerated by the findings, the GOP just couldn't let it go because of their own brand of visceral hatred of Clinton.

The body was partially skeletonized in the head and legs, and was beginning to decompose

Pretty sure if you're seeing bone tthe decomposition process started a long time ago.

So what was the Finance Ministry doing prior to this "instruction," twiddling their thumbs? It's fiscal policy that needs a major overhaul because the BOJ is basically at its limit of effectiveness i.e. monetary policy won't do much lessen the yen's climb-- Kuroda knows that waving his hand won't cut it anymore.

Abe has proven time and time again that his main concern is revising the constitution and doesn't mind Japanese families descending into poverty.. Abenomics has now become synonymous with boondoggle, and it's blatantly obvious that unless the elites tell him to jump, he won't make a move.

In that sense, no agreement whatsoever has been reached, and I believe it is difficult under the current circumstances to revise article 9

A constitution is supposed to be difficult to amend. I'm curious of why he hasn't brought up the referendum aspect--perhaps he knows it would never pass.

I'm an independent and II don't support Trump in least, but Clinton gladly takes money from the same folks who tanked the economy--so what does that say about her?

It's that time of the year again. Loud speakers, megaphones, and platitudes.

I pledge to stop taking Abe's pledges at face value.

I found it puzzling why the LDP has continued to win these elections time after time. Then after consulting my Japanese friends it became as clear as day. My takeaway is that, it is not that the LDP is particularly good at governing (obviously) but that the other choices seem much worse by comparison. The opposition parties seem to just be a ragtag gaggle than actual functioning parties. Voter apathy and a general disinterest in politics also seem to play a role.

Japan is already on Abenomics 2 : Electric Bugaloo, and it's still not working. Abe knows as much about economics as I do about electrical engineering (and that's none btw).

I would've turned my back on him.

One of the perks of being a LDP good ol' boy is that he won't face any repercussions for his malfeasance-- just look at Amari.