September、 2010、My Opinion of this week

My opinion of this week(691):

Time to reconsider basic relationship of Japan and US

In the election campaign of representative of Democratic Party of Japan on
Wednesday, Ichiro Ozawa addressed  the contentious Futenma issue. He said:
"Because most people in Okinawa are opposed to the plan, it will be difficult
to carry out. We should put our heads together to solve the issue. I think 
there must be a certain good plan to which both Okinawa and US will agree 
with". It sounds like he indicated to have some specific plan. All people 
showed a great interest on it. 

However, next day on Thursday,  Ozawa backpedaled from his claim the 
previous day that he had a new, specific plan for relocating U.S. Marine 
Corps Air Station Futenma and basically said the pact reached in May to move
the base to Nago,Okinawa, must be followed. He answered this to the question
raised by news reporters and Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Naoto Kan ironically 
asked Ozawa: "If there were such good plan, I would like to hear all about it."

Naoto Kan might have thought that he gained some points from Ozawa throughout such
debate. He also indicated  Ozawa should share the responsibility for the
decision on Futenma saying Ozawa was Secretary General of DPJ at Hatoyama
Cabinet that made that agreement on Futenma. Ozawa denied this saying 
he was not concerned with any political decision on Hatoyama Cabinet at that
time. 

I don't admit agree with such a statesman made by Ozawa. But it's quite OK for 
him to bring up this Futenma issue as one of an important political issue in
the election campaign.

On Friday, Toshimi Kitazawa, Minister of Self Defense Force, brought up this
debate between Naoto Kan and Ozawa in his press conference and criticized Ozawa
to argue Futenma issue in that way in the election to choose next Prime 
Minister of Japan. He said that the issue was already settled down in 
diplomatic route between Japan and US. He indicated there would no room to make
any further modification on the agreement and any of such statement made by 
Ozawa would cause further confusion on the issue. Such topic is not be 
discussed in the election campaign to select a representative of DPJ who will
 become next prime minister of Japan. That may be the logic of Kitazawa on this
issue.

I know and understand what Toshimi Kitazawa meant to say. But I don't agree
with it at all. The issue of Futenma is surely one of a big issue to be 
discussed in the election. It's concerned with very basic diplomatic and
self defense stance of Japan in the future. It's concerned with basic 
Japan and US alliance. 

It is surely the basic question to be raised at this time now, isn't it?
Is it OK for our country to continue the present Japan-US alliance ? Is Japan
an equal partner with US in every aspects of diplomatic and defense 
relationship with US?.  Many people, including myself would say no to that
question.

Ichiro Ozawa is the statesman who has casted a big doubt to that question in
many years. He has insisted to improve such unequal relationship between 
Japan-US in many respects and change Japan-US Security Treaty  in many ways.
I believe that is a natural course of action Japan should take from now on. 

Futenma is just a short term diplomatic and national security issue. Ozawa will
surely follow to any agreement already made between Japan and US including 
Futenma issue, if he would become next Prime Minister. But there exists a 
number of diplomatic and defense issues to be reexamined and reconsidered in 
the light of equal partnership of Japan and US.

People should pay more interest and attention of Ozawa's long range vision on
security and diplomatic relationship not only with US but all other nations
especially with China, the giant neighbors for Japan. Such argument should be
made in many ways in the rest of election campaign between Prime Minister 
Naoto Kan and challenger Ichiro Ozawa.

2010/9/4
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(692):

Meaning of difference in supporting rate at general mass media and at net 
 
On September 6, Sankei Newspaper reported the following :"In the election
campaign to select the representative of Democratic Party of Japan, 
Prime Minster Naoto Kan gains high supporting rate against Ichiro Ozawa 
in the research made by general mass media such as news paper and TV. This 
is true with almost any general media all over Japan. 

But on the other hand, in the research made by several web site such as 
Yahoo Japan and Infoseek  Rakuten, Ichiro Ozawa gains higher supporting
 rate against Naoto Kan."

Sankei Newspaper only reported the fact and made no further comment on this.
I had a kind of big interest in this fact that Sankei Newspaper such as
big newspaper firm mentioned such web site reseach. Many of newspaper and
TV media have usually neglected such net research in many way and rarely
reffered to such net research when they report their news on politics.
 
They know the fact that there exists such difference in numbers of supporting
rate between research made by general media and by web site. But they tend
to avoid to mention any of such difference when they make their news report.
They often even refer to other general mass media reports in addition to 
their own research but rarely reffer to any of such net research.

General mass media tend to ignore such net research darlingly. But net 
research surely consists another part of voice of people. The voice of of both
parts should be reflected more farely in the judgement of total will of people
in Japanese politics .

The reason for the existence of such difference in research is obvious.
The target people for the research is obviously different. The target of
research in newspaper media is  rather older group of people who subsribe
and read newspapers. The target of research in net is group of rather 
younger people who do not subscribe newspapers and do not read them. They
get all news and information through internet by using PC and mobile phone.

It is true that those net group still shares much smaller parts in total
electrates compared with conventional newspaper reading group of people at
the moment. But those net group will surely increase much more in the future.
The share of such group may be reversed in next five or ten years, as we see
in the trend of other countries in the world.

Many of famous newspapers in the world stopped printing paper media and they
are becoming more of net media rather than conventional news paper media.

All I would like to say is that regardless we like it or not, net media will
become more important in the year to come and play more important roll even
in the political fields such as we see now at the moment.

In Japan there exist another factor why conventinal newpaper media still 
continue to play more important roll compared with net media. In Japan, where
cross ownership is allowed, news paper media work strongly with TV media.
Among many of developed countries, Japan is the only cournty where  cross 
ownership of newpaper and TV are allowed. In many of developed coutries such
as  US, cross ownership is prohibited legally for newpaper firms to own TV 
stations. Other wise such big mass media have too much power to control
over all communication of a country.
In Japan there exist strong cross ownership of newspaper media and TV media
as we see it. As a result many TV stations report many of political news
by reffering to their sinior brother or sister paper firms including research
on supporting rate of any kinds. 

In any of those TV and newspaper reseach, popular rate for Ichiro Ozawa are
much lower than those rate for Naoto Kanm, totally and exclusively. It is
strange and even dangerous phenomenon from this point of views. Many Japanese
never to think the matter in this way. They never imagine such situation is
rather rare in the rest of the world.

While Ichiro Ozawa are getting farely good support from lawmakers polls against
Naoto Kan, it is said that Ozawa is much inferior in getting support from local
parliament members and DPJ party members and supporters polls because of very
lower supporting rate in the research of general media.

All I want to say is that now is the time to reconsider the cross ownership
of this country and to remedy overall contorol of mass media in creating 
overall and stereo type public opinion in this country.

2010/9/11
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(693):

Kan cabinet will face deadlock sooner or later

Prime minister Naoto Kan has made  bold move in shutting out Ozawa's influence
in his personal plan both for cabinet members and DPJ executive officers. 
Kan's personnel proposal is approved at a joint meeting of upper and lower 
house party members. But every difficulties will start from now on.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan, fresh off his victory in the Democratic Party of 
Japan (DPJ) leadership election, named new Cabinet members for his 
administration on Sept. 17, choosing non-supporters of Ichiro Ozawa to 
comprise the core of the party's leadership as he reinforces his anti-Ozawa 
line.

Observers say the prime minister made a bold move by shutting out Ozawa's 
influence. "I believe it was quite an audacious decision on Kan's behalf,"
said Toyo University political science professor Satoru Matsubara. "Rather
than striving for so-called party unity, Kan and Sengoku have placed their
bets that they can depart from everything 'Ozawa-like' and pull through with 
the backing of the popular will," he said. 

Matubara said Kan's resolve to move further away from Ozawa was illustrated
by his reappointment of Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, Kan's old
ally and right-hand man, and shifting Katsuya Okada from foreign minister to 
the post of DPJ secretary general. "Both of them have kept their distance 
from Ozawa.  Kan has cemented the nucleus of both the government and the party
with  'anti-Ozawa' lawmakers," Matsubara said. 

Former DPJ Secretary General Yukio Edano, another lawmaker critical of Ozawa
and who was demoted to take the blame for the party's losses in the July Upper
House election, was assigned the post of deputy secretary general. This is 
really a big blow for Ozawa group as a matter of fact.

While there are one or two new cabinet members elected from the group of Ozawa
supporter in the last representative election such as Banri Kaieda, Minister of
Economy and Finance, there are almost no men appointed to party executive 
officers from Ozawa group at this time. It is natural that people in Ozawa
group have a big dissatisfaction with such movement.

While Ichiro Ozawa and Azuma Koshiishi were offered the position of  Deputy 
Representative of the party, both rejected to accept the position for they 
thought the position is rather honorary one  by itself. Many observers said Kan 
offered the position but he knew both would rejected the position.

So Naoto Kan and Yoshihito Sengoku seems to have succeeded to establish a
desirable  organization both in cabinet and party executive office by moving
off Ozawa's influence rather complete manner by personal plan at this time. 
They believe that this will be welcomed and supported by general public in 
popular vote from now on.

May be so at first glance. The supporting rate for Kan cabinet has moved up
to very high level soon after the election of the party representative and 
this trend will continue for a time being in next few months.

But I think Kan cabinet will face to many serious difficulties starting today.
The party  has no majority vote at Upper House. The party has no two-third 
of votes at Lower House to pass any bills again even rejected by Upper House.
It is very possible that they cannot even pass budget plan for next year, 
the most important bills for the party in the power. If that happens, it means
death for the party in power.

I think it is too optimistic for the fact that Naoto Kan has created  such big
anti-power group such as Ozawa inside of the party. Naoto Kan and his supporter
underestimate the difficulties they will face at the diet, especially at Upper
House. Why are Naoto Kan and his supporter so easy making another possible big
opposition parties inside of DPJ by making such personal plan ? It is obvious
many of lawmakers of Ozawa group will become big opposition group internally 
in any political situation. 

It seems that Naoto Kan and his supporters believe that they can persuade 
and get agreement on many matters from the opposition fronts by making thorough
discussion and by showing utmost sincerity. That's not true at all.

How can they get consensus and good corporation from outsiders while they 
neglect to show many more sincerity and compromise to inside men of the party? 

I forecast that Naoto Kan cabinet will face to the deadlock in next few and 
several months so far as they continue to show such a kind of hostile attitude
toward Ozawa group. 

But the dice has been thrown already unfortunately.

2010/9/18
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(694):

The Diet should summon the Public Prosecutor General

Since FD manipulation case by suspect Tunehiko Maeda of Osaka District Public
Prosecutor's Office has been disclosed, mass media reported lots if he had 
tampered FD intentionally or if his fellow workers and the boss had known it.
But they have reported only little about detailed motives on his crime. 
Motives were told only in general terms that Tunehiko Maeda might have 
manipulated FD so that the prosecutor office was able to proceed trial 
favorably. I don't think it  as motive of the crime of this case at all. Motives
should be defined more in detail on this to clarify the meaning of the
crime of this case.
 
If the crime were done only by Maeda's personal conviction, he has done
so  to attain his successful career as prosecutor in the organization. The motive 
of the crime is defined clearly that way. 

If Maeda's fellow workers and supervisors knew the fact what Maeda had been
proceeding the case, the case is defined a systematic illegal action. The 
situation is really serious if that were the case. The motives of the crime
would be redefined in more concrete and serious way. What are their motives
of such a systematic illegal conviction?

Their explanation may be that it is a duty of prosecutors office to disclose
"evil" and attain "justice" in this world and this is why they have to take
some of that kind of procedures such as FD manipulation from time to time
to attain their purpose. No, there is no room that such logic will have 
persuasive power at all. 
 
When it comes the motive of the crime as the prosecution organization, we have 
to make more close look about it. The motive of prosecution was not to disclose
a scandal action of Atuko Muraki, a high rank official of Ministry of Welfare 
and Labor but to hit a politician behind the case so that he would be lost his
status as diet member due to such case of scandal. The diet member is Hajime
Ishi, a lawmaker of House of Councilor who belongs to Democratic Party of Japan.
The target of prosecutors office was really not Atuko Muraki but Hajime Ishii
a lawmaker of DPJ which was going to attain the change of power in coming
election at the end of August. The illegal postal case occurred several months 
before the change of power at the end of August last year.

It is really an astonishing story by itself. It is such a serious and amazing
systematic crime done by public prosecutors office. 

There occurred another kinds of scandals involved with Ichiro Ozawa, a former
secretary general of Democratic Party of Japan same way before the change of
power and even after the change of power in the past two years. Prosecutors
offices and mass media hit Ichiro Ozawa just like  they are in the same team
by leaking a number of suspects which are not necessarily confirmed as  facts
by themselves. Ichiro Ozawa has been hit seriously so that he had to resign
his position as the representative of DPJ last year and as the secretary general
of the party in this year. 

Although there are no definite clarification yet concerning Ozawa's case of 
scandal both on Nishimatu and Rikuzankai, there are some mass media and critics
that insist those scandal cases have also been faked up in various manner by
special prosecutors offices in Tokyo. 

I personally do not know whether or not there really exists such systematic
crime of prosecutors office but believe all of facts about those suspicion
should be disclosed in some way from now on. Many more people might have 
thought the same way since the case of Osaka District Prosecutor Office happened. 

There are some move for DPJ to proceed the visualization of interrogation at
police and prosecutor offices to avoid many of false accusation. Some lawmakers
also start considering summon Public Prosecutor General to the diet to clarify
all facts concerned with many of those misconducts committed by prosecutors
offices these days.

I strongly support the idea and look forward to hearing many of such facts 
which will help to improve distrust of people agaist prosecutor office in 
general. 

2010/9/25
Tadashi HAYASE

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