Lorne comments

There are and always will be sharp critics of constitutional monarchy. It is castigated as being out-of-date, a waste of taxpayers money, a feudal relic blah blah blah. Naysayers here should invest just a bit of time to look at other nations who "waste money" on monarchial constitutions and compare them to republics. Each polity is suited to an optimal system, so it's not a matter of what is superior, but more about what suits the culture. Perhaps naysayers here might consider what Japan would be like if stripped of its monarch as a symbol and spirit of the nation, and instead the LDP reigned over us. Some nations are suited to wading and muddling through chaos (eg the USA right now) whereas others benefit more from stability and continuance. Both systems present challenges. Some nations have discarded their monarchs only to reinstitute them. Others such as Ireland have founded a republic and intend to keep it. Britain, Canada, Sweden, Holland, Spain, Thailand, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and others keep up internal discussion about abolishing their monarchies, decidedly hold onto it nonetheless. So ask why — cuz of ingrained national stupidity? I don't think so.

In other words, the solution advocated by some so-called educators to the problem of youth suffering from alienation and problems relating to socialization caused by devices and AI is to supplant the education system with more AI. This does not make any sense.

Every day CNN airs advertisements promoting tourism in Japan. We can safely assume that we taxpayers in Japan are paying for this. It must be costing us a bomb! And in many of these fatuous ads, many of which are targeting youthful people, Ms Koike exhorts foreign "nature lovers" to enjoy the abundance of "nature" in Tokyo. I've never been impressed by the presence of nature in Tokyo-to — ever. Any spot of green there is precious, and yet Ms Koike has to receive an open letter to tell her about the destruction of trees and 'development' in an historic park.

With boring regularity, the usual stuff from Mr Abe continues. He has declared that there must be more women in the work force. But, the promise of more day-care facilities for children of female workers has not materialized. Meanwhile, the government continues to panic over the question of birth rates. FAIL! But there is hugely enough money being forced into the national deficit for upgrades to anti-shiping missiles, which if they are ever used may cause WW III. The current leadership is intent on shooting the nation’s feet instead of enabling it to run with its talent and energy. The reasons are wickedly obvious, and they can be clearly explained. But, that is another topic.

I think the word "dithering" as stated in the article — otherwise known as "tooth-sucking" among other terms commensurate with non-communication — says everything that needs to be known about the failure to secure the contract.

The higher echelons of economic diplomacy may inquire into the cause of their failure all they want — as the report indicates. But, in the end, 'dithering' may be all they need to learn about in order to understand how their failure occurred. Dithering — or Byzantine obscuration — is a national passion that is past its stale date.

Personally speaking, I'd rather see the genius of the Japanese national collective put towards more useful and beneficial purposes such as the preservation and welfare of the environment and and its living creatures. Japan has an astonishing amount of talent and knowledge to offer in this area. This will have increasing interest and value in this crucial period of the world's history. Better than the nation committing itself to the creation of yet more weapons on the planet. But ... what might we expect of the favourite grandson of the minister of munitions for the Empire of Japan during the 1940's after his return from helping to brutalize a part of Northern Asia?

If any reader does not know about what I refer to, let she/he look it up. The web is heaving with history and insights as to who this political dinosaur really is. And he is not alone, as we can clearly see in the antics of the current circus in the USA.