The Philipic

Japanese Politics

Ξ August 31st, 2009 | → Comments Off | ∇ Politics |

The Japanese Liberal-Democrat Party (LDP), the party that has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war years, lost the last election.  High hopes of the Koizumi administration a few years ago were followed by less-able (which isn’t to say inept – Koizumi was a phenom) and eventually the economic meltdown that hit Japan’s export economy particularly hard.  The Japanese electorate turned to the only opposition party of note – the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).  However, this is probably a short lived change in power and doesn’t represent a fundamental shift in Japanese politics.

The LDP is madeup of the powerful, entrenched interest in Japan.  That’s why you frequently see Prime Ministers that are sons or grandsons of previous PMs or other powerful members.  The DPJ, however, is an amalgamation of all the fringe parties that are too small on their own to pose an electoral threat to the LDP.  There is no common underlying ideology or other bonds apart from the desire to supplant the LDP.  As a result, you’ll get nationalists, conservatives, socialists and even communists in the same government.  The result is likely to be a very schizophrenic and short lived government.  A similar occurrence happened after the implosion of the Japanese economy in 1993, at the beginning of the lost decade.   The non-LDP rule was likewise disjointed and confused, and quickly led to the restoration of the LDP.

Expect an interesting couple of years, followed by a return of LDP to power.

For those interested, here are a couple Stratfor links (you’ll need to request a free copy via e-mail) on the subject:

Japan: A Likely DPJ Government (Aug 14th, 2009)
The Geopolitics of Japan: An Island Power Adrift (Aug 27th, 2009)

A Woman Died 40 Years Ago

Ξ August 26th, 2009 | → Comments Off | ∇ Interesting |

A little over forty years ago, a woman died.  A favorite son of a powerful political family got drunk at a party, and drove his car off a bridge.  He escaped the car and fled the scene without looking to see if his passenger, a young woman whom had attended the party with him (and was not his wife), had gotten out.  He didn’t call for help, nor did he report the incident to police until the next day.   The police said if they had been called within ten minutes of the incident, there was a good chance they could have saved her.  An inquest determined he had lied about the events of the evening.  He never served a day in jail.  His only punishment was a suspended driving license for 18 months.

RIP Mary Jo Kopechne.

Orange Conspiracy

Ξ August 24th, 2009 | → Comments Off | ∇ Odd |

I really like orange gum.  Loved orange Bubblicious as a kid, and the affinity stuck.  I think orange Stride was about the best.  But, despite the fact that it’s such a great, basic flavor, I just can’t find it.  Look in the supermarket sometime for just “orange” gum.  You just can’t find it.  In it’s place is “citrus”, which is a combination of a bunch of flavors that usually make the gum taste like a nasty version of Hawaiian Punch.

I swear, all the gum lines and manufacturers are in cahoots to deny us orange gum.  *None* of them offer orange – just versions on the citrus theme.

Robert Novak – RIP

Ξ August 18th, 2009 | → Comments Off | ∇ Intellectual, Politics |

Robert Novak died today.  He was a political journalist.  The world is lessened by his passing.  RIP.