Godan comments

I guess many voting in Japan don’t mind that the LDP is actively supported (controlled?) by a Korean cult. And those not voting, just don’t care at all.

Kishida and Co. are surely laughing their heads off with these results.

Yesterday was a sad day for Japan.

“They” were bemoaning the lack of inflation for decades and now that we have it, it has to be fought. The powers-that-be, including the media, do love to play their games with our lives.

Sigh.

"Mori is said to have patiently nurtured plans for redeveloping the neighborhood from the 1980s."

Ha! Talk about spin! These developers are infamous vultures and will often use various means to get landowners to sell even as far as using the "semi-anti-social" members of society.

Patiently nurture, my tuchus!

Keep in mind that many of the special interest groups supporting these politicians don't mind this in the least. In other words, they prefer sleeping politicians to those who would change or even slightly alter the status quo. Moreover, as long as 50% of voters in Japan continue to not vote, why should politicians care? They get paid to do nothing and their supporters get what they want. A shame this is a "win-win" here in Japan (and most of the world for that matter).

Oops! My bad! I should have said SG supports Komeito.

I need coffee….

Kishida’s done. And whoever follows him, too, as long as nothing concrete is done about this cult. Issue? SG and its backing of the DPJ. They’re most displeased with anything remotely restricting freedom of religion. The DPJ has had the LDP’s back for decades now and kicking “religion” out of politics is the last thing they want to hear.

If this continues, I could see a civil war occurring between the Followers of St. Abe of the Moonies and the regular everyday members.

2023 could be an interesting year for the LDP as we know it.

It was quite spectacular.

Of course I’m referring to the moon—not Uranus.

Spending like this absolutely means our taxes will be raised in the near future. Sigh.

How about first cutting all the projects that are a waste of our taxes, e.g. state funerals, corrupt Olympics, etc…?

Heck, the money they give Dentsu every year would probably cover the defense expenses and then some.

From Keio to Mitsui to this new post? Having met and known people from these circles, most likely Kishida’s son has no skills and only his father’s name to help him. My guess is that Mitsui was tired of him and told Kishida it was time for him to leave. Otherwise the son of the PM would be unemployed—we can’t have that, can we?

And people wonder why truly talented and hardworking young people are encouraged to leave Japan? This is surely one of the top three reasons.

It would take you two seconds to do a Google search and find all kinds of articles from the past 20 years that say deflation had to be fought here in Japan. Now we "finally" have inflation, and it is suddenly the Great Enemy. WTH?! And comparatively speaking, people all around the world wish they had our inflation rate. In short, these so-called policies are just more ways to hand out money to the friends of the LDP while at the same time showing the electorate that politicians are "doing something." Sad.

And TBH, I can't imagine anything politicians can do that will help strengthen the yen as long as the discrepancy exists between interest rates here and in the US. I hope I am wrong, but 2023 could see the yen hit over 150 yen to the dollar and there is really only one thing Japan can do to stop that and Kuroda and Co. won't budge on raising interest rates here. Sigh.

Opponents say holding a state funeral for Abe is equivalent to an endorsement of ruling party ties to the Unification Church.

St. Abe of the Moonies--has a nice ring to it.

Forget the LDP, it has been the Moonies running Japan for the past 70 years. Go figure.

He’s a good man having a better-than-good season. Hope the Padres make it to the playoffs!

Many in the LDP wish to make it sound like Abe died as a martyr and they see this state funeral as the first step in his canonization.

It would not surprise me in the least to hear is one day worshipped as "St. Abe of the Moonies."

In the meanwhile, Kishida seems to have given up on his job from Day One and either doesn't know what to do or is completely apathetic. Guess this is his definition of 聞く力.

Meh, I would assume they all have connections to this "church" unless proven otherwise.

Interesting timing with former-PM Abe no longer around to keep prosecutors at bay.

Without a question many of the elite who supported the Tokyo bid who are guilty of bribery or asking for bribes are sad he is no longer around.

Most worthless app ever conceived. And someone made a bundle charging big money for it. IIRC, it cost like 13億円. Yep, that's $10 million of our taxes down the drain.

Based on the smile in the first pic, she REALLY liked Daniel Craig. If I didn't know any better, I would almost think he's blushing.

She will be missed, indeed.

Fred Armisen's portrayals were the best, IMHO. Like art, those skits are timeless and always funny. It would not surprise me to learn that the queen was a fan.

Oh the irony that a cult from South Korea was influencing so many members of Nippon Kaigi. Just goes to show how even rabid nationalists bow to money. It’s almost always money, money, money.

Most egregious in my mind is how this cult was able to get politicians in high places to protect them from the police and the ministry of justice. This went on for decades and there was never anything done about it. Absolutely shameful behavior.

Kimi looking her usual cheerful self.

And to think she is "moving up in the world"--yikes!

Based on my decades of experience here, “hand-outs” is another way of saying tax increase. Sigh.

Wonderfully insightful article. Thank you so much for it JT. I particularly liked this:

“I didn't create Ohtani, he was incredible from the beginning,” Sasaki said in the film. “But I do think about how many pitchers I may have killed before him by my poor coaching. There are so many plants I killed by forcing them into my own small pots. So it's scary for me to speak of having raised Ohtani.”

It is not often you see this kind of honesty from such coaches. And I have seen this need for perfection in the martial art that I practice--winning is everything and coaches (and parents) forcing young people to excel and when they don't, the young person simply walks away. And it is a true shame. Sports and martial arts should be fun and I am happy to see Ohtani doing that (even on a sub-par team).

P.S. When Dusty Baker gives such praise, you know it has been earned. Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and I wish him only the best.

Truly amazing talent. If he keeps this up, he may win both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards.

It is a shame he is not on a better team.

Mark my words, if Takaichi (or other likes her) "sprout," we are all in trouble.

His declining to exercise his right to due diligence told me from Day One he was not serious about this.

Interesting how many people took him and his plans seriously though.

My guess is he is on the hook for at least a billion.

Winners in all this? The lawyers involved, of course.

Hate to say it, but this “done deal” is good news for anyone anti-Abe. Kishida will be able to use these results to cement his position as PM and keep Takaichi at bay. It’s “interesting” to watch the hard-right in the LDP howl in frustration — even with more seats in the Diet. Like much in the world, little is black and white, and the politicians who make up the LDP are no different.

Mike Trout is one of the most laidback players in sport. You pissed him off, then you obviously did something wrong. This is on Servais. Your pitcher threw a dangerous pitch. You tell him to apologize or else. Obviously this did not happen and thus today happened.

I’d rather our taxes spent this way than on the Olympics.

Just amazing to watch. And I love his shows of emotion as a pitcher after a good pitch on a strike out.

Without a doubt, I’d treat him to a cold beer if I ever got the chance.