yokohamageezer comments

a little bit of misdirection for the Japanese public...... rule 1 for any magician

Has anyone stopped to think that, whatever you might think of Ozawa personally, he may have a point or two? You can't come to power promising: no increase in consumption tax for 4 years, get rid of the Yamba dam, increase child allowances, reduce highway toll fees etc - and then go back on them all as soon as the path becomes difficult. There would be outrage in other countries if this happened on this scale. The answer may not be clear, but you can't move forward on these issues unless you have a mandate from the people - look at what's happening in Greece. The Japanese people should have policies implemented that they vote for - and live with the consequences until it is time to vote again. As foreigners here we are just guests and spectators. I wish the Japanese luck in making informed, wise decisions for their countries future.

why throw acid and paint at a ship in the Antarctic? What's that going to do? It must get washed/blown off very quickly. Why would the Japanese worry about this? What's the point?

Why was this not on the TV news yesterday? Ordinary Japanese people across the nation won't even know about this - just about the university entrance exams that took up most of the 'news' last night!! This place is just a step ahead of China and N. Korea (:

Stink bombs... what's the deal with that... they're on the ocean.. I can't imagine the 'smell' would hang around much out there? Ditto paint..... anyway, sock it to them boys...... lying, cheating, deceitful, whale 'researching' (my rusty star fish), earthquake budget spending........ who eats this stuff anyway?

Actually I think it's a bold, fresh move. Quite unexpected. It'll take away the Ozawa group's bitterness and maybe, just maybe, get the DPJ focussed on Japan instead of the inter party bickering. Good luck Noda san. You're going to need it - but good start. Mix things up, at least as well as you can.

Print a few hundred trillion yen to pay for the disaster reconstruction, flood the economy with it and watch the yen dive - will be at 100 to the dollar in no time... trouble is, where would it stop?

Kan didn't even have the fiscal discipline to remember to pay his own pension contributions!!! Remember that one..... he resigned for it! Now he says 'fiscal discipline is vital.' What a joke

Think about it for a moment - downgrades lead to weaker yen, weaker yen leads to better exports AND leads to rising prices of imports which helps to boost inflation which leads to wage increase demands and maybe a way out for Japan. Hey presto no more deflation! These guys ain't stoopid..... there's a message to the madness!

3 years ago or so we were at around the mid 120's to the US dollar - over a 100 to the Aussie, around 250 to the pound. This means the yen has appreciated about 50% in 3 years in relative value to other currencies. How the hell can an export based country survive that plus the demographics and debt issues. 3 years from now the yen will be back at 2007 levels. So enjoy your yen power now, buy non yen based assets and plan your escape!