One Of Japan's Ugly Sides (56K Warning)

[MrPopo]

Aren't parachute pants due to a resurgance in the populace at large?

[blackmagepwns]

Thanks for the insight man, You never really hear anything about controversies in Japan unless you look it up from some other outside source that isn't American news.

[slag]

Every country wants to have a military. It's part of being a country.

Ahem

this is the first line of the second paragraph
"Many of the 21 countries listed here typically have had a long-standing agreement with a former occupying country"
Ya. When you have a big old school power backing you, you can lay back and not worry about some things too much.

21 / 192 is 10.9%. so 89.1% do think that having a military is something a country should have. Add to that the fact that one of the "countries" listed was Vatican City and your counter point is looking a little weak

[Erik_Twice]

^In fact all of those countries are really small and thus cannot pay an army. Andorra always gives Spain 12 points in Eurovision for a reason.

BTW, wasn't the Monroe doctrine "American for the Americans?". It preassured Spain and other colonialist powers to get out of Latin America and helped the independence of the colonies there so the US could get part of the cake. I think it helped Bolivar and friends a bit.

[Ack]

Hey, hashiriya, since you're living over there, and you at least have a minimum level of interest in politics, do you mind if I ask you a couple questions about your thoughts on the Japanese political scene?

For instance, PM Aso's performance has been a mixed bag, and his approval rating has dropped quite low due to the Japan Post scandal going on, as well as the discovery of corruption that has been going on since the election of PM Abe several years ago. What are your thoughts on the current political climate, and your projections for the next election? Do you think Minshuto will be picking up more seats in both houses of the Diet, and possibly earning themselves the Prime Minister position for the first time? Or do you think Ozawa's funding scandal will still have hurt them too much to make the jump?

[fingersmaloy]

Nice pictures and insights, man. We get those damn buses plowing thru this town like the Black Plague every once and then, blasting their damn anthem. Apparently they've got a lot of dirty ties so you're not supposed to mess with them, but I'd sure like to settle their hash.

[zarathstra]

It's nice to know the US does not have a monopoly on crazy. I just don't get extremists. I realize that my beliefs could be wrong. Why can't they make the same admission?

[hashiriya1]

Hey, hashiriya, since you're living over there, and you at least have a minimum level of interest in politics, do you mind if I ask you a couple questions about your thoughts on the Japanese political scene?

For instance, PM Aso's performance has been a mixed bag, and his approval rating has dropped quite low due to the Japan Post scandal going on, as well as the discovery of corruption that has been going on since the election of PM Abe several years ago. What are your thoughts on the current political climate, and your projections for the next election? Do you think Minshuto will be picking up more seats in both houses of the Diet, and possibly earning themselves the Prime Minister position for the first time? Or do you think Ozawa's funding scandal will still have hurt them too much to make the jump?

Nobody who I've talked to likes Aso...or Abe...or Fukuda. A lot of people view Aso the same way anti-Bush people viewed Bush, minus the war mongering. Simply put, people think Aso is an idiot. He makes stupid remarks (the one about the Burakumin Diet member was pretty low. The Burakumin are a minority group within the Japanese race that are often discriminated against) and makes stupid mistakes.

A lot of people I talk to turn a blind eye to the Ozawa scandal. He is well-liked and many people think it is just all a conspiracy due to the timing of it all. I, too, think there is some political motivation behind the prosecuter's actions. Some even go as far as blaming tha CIA! Ozawa has made so many enemies since his defection from the LDP that it's hard to say what is going on behind the scenes. Ozawa resigned so that his party could stand a fighting chance this year, but polls say it is too little too late. It's all in Hatoyama's hands now. I was surprised that he beat Okada since Okada is pretty much a carbon copy of Ozawa and Ozawa is popular. There is definetly something going on behind the scenes that even the political TV talk shows can't put a finger on it. Both parties (not counting the smaller parties) have mud on their faces, and people have accepted that as commonplace among politics. So a simple "scandal" won't change someone's opinion of a party. I would say it's too early for the DPJ to earn the PM spot, let alone a lead in the lower house (where the power lies) of the Diet. They will keep their dominance in the upper house, though.

Japanese people, especially ones under 30, have no interest in politics whatsoever. And when I talk to people who are middle-aged, they are just bitter and think Japan is circling 'round the drain. You know more about Japanese politics than the average 20 or 30 something in Japan. That's how the public views it. It's only the old people who care and it's only the old people who vote.

[Ack]

Japanese people, especially ones under 30, have no interest in politics whatsoever. And when I talk to people who are middle-aged, they are just bitter and think Japan is circling 'round the drain. You know more about Japanese politics than the average 20 or 30 something in Japan. That's how the public views it. It's only the old people who care and it's only the old people who vote.

If that's true, then that's sad, but I can see where they're coming from. A negative birth rate, large amounts of corruption from both parties. Fear over what North Korea might be doing(the NKs just threatened to hit Hawaii with a ballistic missile on July 4), as well as China or Russia. There's still economic tension from the collapse of the Iron Triangle in the 90s, and another recession as bad as then is upon them. And if the US government begins forcing protectionist policies on the automotive industry, it means some of their biggest exports will be cut from one of their biggest markets, and their economy could get worse.

On a funny note, I was actually wondering about possible US involvement in Ozawa's stepping down. It's public knowledge that the CIA helps finance LDP election campaigns, since the LDP is more pro-US. It just strikes me as something they might do to help the party they prefer. Eh, either way.

[Souther]

Hashiriya....What do you think of Benjamin Fulford?

I've read from various sources that Japan is basically owned by the Rockefellers/Rothschilds. Heard anything about that?