Pre-Election Public Opinion Poll results

Asahi Shinbun today reports results to public opinion polls relating to support for political parties.
All figures are percentages, rounded to the nearest integer. This is only a selection of questions and answers from the survey. Where four figures appear in a row they represent results from surveys this year (2009) in the following order : [...]

Patriot Missile Farce

East Asian Security Research Council reports in June issue of Sekai.
Key premiss : recent deployment of PAC3 systems in response to North Korean missile threat (intelligence info about which was supplied to Japanese gov’t in first instance by US Satellite Early Warning Centre) was an act of public misdirection with regard to the true nature [...]

Osaka Governor Hashimoto argues for decentralization

[ Asahi Shinbun : 25th July : morning edition ]
In a conference with Yokohama mayor Takada in Tokyo, Osaka governor Hashimoto reported that around 20 local governors have agreed to form a group pressing for regional decentralization from Tokyo in the next election and are ready to announce which party they will back.
According to information [...]

Miyazaki Governor sets out stall for LDP leadership race

Miyazaki Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru – TV and film comedian and actor turned politician – responded to questions from journalists with Election Campaign Chairman Koga of the LDP after a meeting between the two men on 23rd June, reports the Asahi Shinbun (24th June : morning edition). Higashikokubaru commented “unless there is a change in ruling [...]

DPJ Backs Shirakawa for BoJ Governor

DPJ Policy Chairman for the next Diet, Ken Yamaoka, commented in the Diet on 21st March that Masaaki Shirakawa, who was in attendance to mark his inauguration as Acting Governor, had the full support of the DPJ. The DPJ’s rejection of PM Fukuda’s choice of Toshiro Mutou for BoJ Governor has meant that the [...]

Compensation for Atomic Bomb victims

In the continuing review of the government policy relating to the acknowledgement of and compensation for the effects of radiation-related illness (from Hiroshima and Nagasaki), the “LDP Atomic Bomb Victims’ Policy-related Project Team” petitioned the Labour, Health and Welfare Ministry on 15th March and received its agreement that the new assessment (of victims) policy [...]

Opposition Parties Oppose LDP Choice for BoJ Governor

The Asahi Shinbun reports today that the DPJ has formally decided to oppose the LDP candidate for next Governor of the Bank of Japan, Toshiro Mutou (currently BoJ Deputy Governor).

Gasoline Tax, Road Maintenance Plan : call for Compromise

Secretary General Ibuki of the ruling LDP has announced that ’substantial compromises need to be made’ if agreement is to be achieved in the Diet over the extension of the Provisional Gasoline Tax and the next 10-year Road Maintenance Plan.

Fukuda Cabinet Support Rating

The Asahi Shinbun reports on the results of this month’s (March) survey of popular support for the Fukuda Cabinet and policies.

Public-Service Corporations ‘Ama-kudari’ Un-reformed

The Asahi Shinbun reports today that 37% (total 124) of public-service corporations under the jurisdiction of government ministries are still in breach of new government standards on ‘ama-kudari’; the Minister for Internal Affairs has been pushing in Cabinet for stronger enforcement of regulations.

Abe re-joins LDP faction

The Asahi Shinbun reports today that it was announced on 3rd March that former PM Shinzo Abe will attend a meeting of the Machimura faction of the ruling LDP (Liberal Democratic Party 自民党) on 6th March, and is expected to be accepted back as a member. After his inauguration as PM in September 2006, Abe [...]

Which Socio-Economic System? Opinion Poll Results

Jiro Yamaguchi, Hokkaido University Graduate School Professor, and Taro Miyamoto, (the same) report in Sekai this month on an Opinion Poll they conducted in an attempt to ascertain what kind of socio-economic system people in Japan really want.

Whaling

Atsushi Ishii (石井敦), Touhoku University East Asia Research Institute Professor, writes in the March edition of Sekai (世界) on the question of why the controversy over Scientific Whaling keeps raising its head – and offers an independent view of Japan’s whaling diplomacy.

Environmental Action

Despite being the host nation for the Kyoto protocol on reducing carbon emissions, it is reported in the September issue of the monthly current affairs journal ‘Sekai’, that Japan is far from attaining its 2008-2012 target of a 6% overall reduction from 1990 levels. In fact, carbon emissions have risen by about 7.8% since 1990.

Support for Constitutional reform cools

The results of a survey across all major political parties conducted by the Asahi and Tokyo University were published in the Asahi today.

Youth vote changed the election

The Asahi reports today the results of a survey of young people who voted in the recent Upper House elections. The conclusion drawn is that it is no longer true to say that young people have no interest in politics – in fact if the political battles of the year so far show us anything, [...]

Schedule for Constitutional Reform

The Asahi Shinbun yesterday published an outline of the schedule for reform of the Constitution.

29th July Upper House Election Result

Although a significant swing was predicted in the days leading up to the Upper House election last Sunday (29th July), the Democratic Party’s victory can only be described as resounding.

The Upper House Elections

On 29th July, national elections for the Upper House (House of Councillors) will be held. The key issues are : sorting out the pension system, social equality (arising from public concern over the apparently increasing gap between rich and poor in Japan), and revising the Constitution.