#135 Deep Contempt for Hatoyama Politics
April 2, 2012 For about 10 days in late March, I visited Washington for an exchange of opinions with experts on North Korea and China as well as foreign policy advisers to leading lawmakers. The bi...
#134 Questioning Japan’s Attitude toward China on Tibetan Leader’s Visit
March 26, 2012 The Japan Institute for National Fundamentals will sponsor a seminar on April 3 to mark a visit to Japan by Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, ...
#133 Linking Consumption Tax Hike to Economic Recovery
March 19, 2012 Fiscal consolidation or economic recovery? The unfortunate dichotomy between the two has led Japan to delay a decision. Regarding the government-planned “comprehensive reform of soci...
#132 Old Wine in New Bottles
March 12, 2012 When politicians are faced with difficult and unpopular decisions they sometimes choose to avoid taking a stand by purporting to stake out new positions which, in reality, are no cha...
#131 Japan-US-ROK Solidarity Urged to Respond to Lawmaker’s Protest
March 5, 2012 As the United States and North Korea announced their agreement on the North’s nuclear issue on February 29, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed it as “a modest first step...
#130 Noda Effectively Declares Defeat by Tolerating Unlawfulness
February 27, 2012 Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made a wrong decision again. As a government advisory panel failed to give recommendations on the revised demarcation of electorates for the House...
#129 Don’t Follow or Be Afraid of China
February 20, 2012 Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping ended his five-day U.S. visit on February 17, concluding the trip as China describes “completely successful.” Reasons for the conclusion are unce...
#128 Questioning Conscience of New Ginowan Mayor
February 13, 2012 The choice in the Feb. 12 Ginowan mayoral election came as a lesser evil. I have no choice but to comment that former Okinawa prefectural assembly member and mayor-elect Atsushi S...
#127 People’s Burden Not to Increase on Consumption Tax Hike
February 6, 2012 A dispute over a hike of 5 percentage points in the consumption tax rate is linked to the possible dissolution of the House of Representatives and the general election. But the 5-p...
#126 Fight Intimidation by the Weak with Sanctions
January 30, 2012 Iran and North Korea are weak countries that intimidate the world. After the International Atomic Energy Agency gave specific evidence of Iran’s nuclear weapon development in its r...