Observer of Political Battle in China

Reports of newspapers on the decision of Chinese Communist Party to launch an investigation on corruption related to a former domestic security chief, Zhou Yongkang, provided the readers with impression that something was happening inside Chinese leadership. They realized that Zhou would be the most senior official to be accused of graft scandal. However, nobody in Japan has accurately explained how that power struggle would affect China’s attitude to Japan.

As a member of Politburo Standing Committee, Zhou exercised his political power with support of former President, Jiang Zemin. Not only as a top leader in domestic security, Zhou represented the interest of government-owned petroleum companies. Although the party only said that Zhou was suspected “serious disciplinary violations,” some sources indicated his illegal request to the petroleum companies of favor to some enterprises run by his family or relatives.

Reports focused on how the case should be unusual in Chinese politics. It has been a secret agreement in Chinese politics that the leader would not arrest member of Politburo, because its political impact must be too great. Under slogan of knocking down corruption “regardless flies or tigers,” Xi Jinping has been active in investigating political scandals. It was obviously a demonstration to appeal the public that had deeply been frustrated concentration of wealth on privileged leaders. One thing is clear: Xi solidified his political basis.

Xi was careful enough in hedging backlashes from old aged leaders. Reuters reported that Xi achieved admissions from former Presidents, Jiang and Hu Jintao, on accusing Zhou. The deal was reportedly promising no further accusation of higher-ranked leaders. By the downfall of Zhou, influence of the conservatives will inevitably be weakened.

Those are what the Japanese can understand about the scandal so far. The greatest question for them is how Xi’s political maneuver affects China’s foreign policy, namely assertive promotion in South and East China Sea. While Xi looks likely to take further assertive attitude in territorial issue to appeal to nationalistic public, it can be said that he may have more options between hard line and softer deal.

The problem is no one in Shinzo Abe administration seems to have gotten necessary information inside China. Under mostly anti-China leadership, Japan is desperately in need of connection with Chinese administration. As if ignoring development in a neighbor country, Prime Minister Abe enjoys travel in Middle and South America. Ability of diplomats is limited. Dialogue between top leaders is definitely important.

Kids in Poverty

The Japanese love the words “developed country.” Most Japanese firmly believe that they are living in a developed country, in which life is easy in pursuit of happiness and free from poverty. However, a governmental research revealed one Japanese child out of six is in poverty, marking the worst level ever. One of the biggest reasons is the social system, in which the poor do not have an opportunity to be better.

According to the report of Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 16.3% of children of eighteen years old or younger were categorized in poverty, which meant their yearly family income was ¥1.22 million or less. That was the tenth in the worst among developed countries club, or Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. It is an embarrassing result as a self-confident developed nation.

Reportage on Yomiuri Shimbun on Wednesday was heartbreaking. A twelve-year-old girl was waiting for her mother coming back home from work on Christmas Eve last year. Footsteps stopped in front of her room and she heard sound of closing a valve for water supply, because the family could not pay for public utility fee. When she and her mother went to a park to fill bottles with water, a neighbor cried “Don’t you take it.” She had a rice ball with a glass of water for the dinner.

The girl lives with only her mother, whose monthly income is a hundred thousand yen. The mother’s job is helping nursery for old people, but the job status is far from stability. Because the girl sometimes hurt herself with a fear of loneliness, her mother needed to be with her as long as possible. Due to insufficiency of food, the girl caught cold every month. “I always think I’m hopeless,” the girl accuses herself. This is a vicious cycle of Japanese poverty.

The government is making effort to make a guideline dealing with kids’ poverty. It will set a goal in twelve categories, including ratio of going to high school and getting stable job. Support for education, ordinary life, job for parents and family finance will be targets for policy relieves. Early education for free, cooperation between government and non-governmental organization and non-reimbursement scholarship are something in their minds.

But fundamental reason is built in social structure, which has been stemming from policies dividing the rich and poor. Neo-liberal economic policy taken by former Prime Minister, Jun-ichiro Koizumi, would be guilty for this situation of kids’ poverty. Those policies could be applied to a geographically broad country. But in a narrow country such as Japan, poverty cannot live in itself and even harms everyone, for example through crimes.

Wanted to Kill Someone

Motivation was simpler than in a case in San Diego 1979, in which the assaulter told the reason as “I don’t like Mondays.” Local police of Nagasaki prefecture arrested sixteen-year-old high school girl with a suspicion of murder in Sasebo city. She admitted that she had beaten and choked her close friend to death and told that her motivation was “I wanted to kill someone.” Unclear whether or not silicon chip in her head got switched to overload, anybody could see no reason.

The girl killed her friend in her room at Saturday night, and victim’s body was cut apart at head and left wrist. There were other scars at where the murderer tried to cut down. When police found the body in the room, the victim was laid down on a bed and some tools were around it. The victim had told her parents to visit the room a week before, and planned to get back home around seven. Her parents asked police to search her around eleven and it was past three when policemen broke into the room.

Those girls had been friends each other from the time of mid-school. Their high school teachers did not realized any trouble between them. The suspect has shown no regret on her murder. Some told her character as easy to be excited. She caused a trouble in her sixth grade when she infused breach and chemicals in lunch dishes of the classmates, because she was frustrated with her teacher.

She lost her mother last October and her father was married another woman afterward. The suspect showed to one of her friends that she wondered whether her father was thinking nothing about late mother. She was living alone in a room of apartment house, where the murder happened, after her father’s marriage. She attended her class only three days in the first semester.

In Sasebo city, there was another murder between classmates of the sixth grade ten years ago. The educational community has been working hard in teaching preciousness of a life to students. The Board of Education of the city was disappointed with the same thing happened. Looking at things appeared so far, nobody except the murderer was responsible for the case.

It is clear that human lives got lighter than ever in Japanese society. After former Prime Minister, Jun-ichiro Koizumi, introduced the policy to divide the society between the haves and have-nots, there appeared growing number of people who killed themselves. The weak cannot have hope for their future in this society lacking sense of equal opportunity. The strong defeats the weak forever. If a desire to kill people had a reason, that should be a protest against merciless society many adults created. It is not about education, divorce or friendship, but apathetic crime against humanity as Hannah Arendt indicated.

Conservative Division of Okinawa

Coming gubernatorial election in Okinawa, expected to be on November 16^th, will be a referendum on relocation of Futenma Air Base of United States Marine Corps. After incumbent governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, decided to allow landfill construction at Henoko Coast, where the base would be settled, broad protests against him wrapped Okinawa islands. Nevertheless, Nakaima became the first candidate who stepped forward for next election. It is likely that the election will show deep division among the people in Okinawa.

Taking a form of accepting demand from local organization of Liberal Democratic Party, Nakaima officially announced his intention to run for the governor for his third term. “I believe the relocation plan is the best choice with shortest time for settling the problem of the world most dangerous base of Futenma. I will put the period on it as soon as possible,” told Nakaima to the party leaders in Okinawa. That naturally became his campaign promise.

At the time he accepted starting landfill construction, he was supposed not to run for next election. But after Mayor of Naha, Takeshi Onaga, revealed his willingness to run for governor with opposition against Henoko relocation plan, Nakaima changed his attitude to be positive for running. Onaga, having been the leader of Nakaima campaign office four years ago, was one of the most reliable colleagues in the conservatives in Okinawa for Nakaima. Nakaima found a threat in Onaga’s move, which might be overturning his decision.

In spite of local LDP’s support to Nakaima, Onaga is still looking to run for governor even with support from the Communists and the Social Democrats in Okinawa. Calculating the situation that most of all the people in Okinawa, including conservative Liberal Democrats, have been against Henoko plan, Onaga is expecting to integrate voters against Nakaima. But there is another move on the opposition side of raising another candidate, former lawmaker with LDP and later New National Party, Mikio Shimoji. Democratic Party of Japan has still not decided what to do as it has always been.

This is a big headache for the headquarters of LDP in Tokyo, because coalition partner, New Komeito, has been showing supportive action for Onaga. If Komeito supports Onaga in the election, difference from LDP becomes apparent, causing further decline in supporting rate of the party and Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. As well as the election for the governor of Fukushima, local election this fall may mark watershed of the administration.

Decision of Reshuffling

Newspapers reported that Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, decided to shuffle his Cabinet early September. Being nearly two years old, his Cabinet has already been looking tired of keeping tension as the reformers from former liberal administration of Democratic Party of Japan. In other words, Abe started to show weakness in his leadership. While he expects revitalization of his administration, the decision may cause further slowing down, which can be fatal.

The reports revealed that Abe told senior members of Liberal Democratic Party his intention to refresh the Ministers and party leadership. Although it is ordinary for a Prime Minister to announce as short in notice as possible not to spread expectation too much, Abe rather chose to take time over a month between announcement and reshuffling.

It is obviously a political strategy for stabilizing his administration. During summer recess, lawmakers in his party will hear various opinions from supporters in their electoral districts. After decision of enabling exercise of collective self-defense right of Japan, popularity of Abe and his party got down with frustration against too quick process for a major change in national security principle. Before losing popularity among the lawmakers in the party, Abe tried to maintain his grip by reminding them, mainly wannabes, of his power in nomination of ministers.

In other words, Abe is losing his power to the extent he has no option except having a gambling. In addition to security policy, he is facing other unpopular decisions this fall. His decision to raise consumption tax rate from 8% to 10% will significantly erode his political basis. After introducing new tax rate in April, arose from 5% to 8, economy has been showing slow progress namely in wages for small and mid-size business workers. Abe has told that the decision will be this fall, some ministers started saying that would be December. Trans-Pacific Partnership will be another negative impact on the party. Knowing that reshuffling basically raises supporting rate, Abe embarked on a damage control.

But changing members of the Cabinet may lead new scandals of the cabinet. There are examples of reshuffling causing death of a Cabinet. Picking once guilty minister in Lockheed Scandal, Koko Sato, for a Minister by Premier Ryutaro Hashimoto received so broad opposition from the public that Hashimoto had to discharge him. But his cabinet had never caught another momentum until the collapse of his Cabinet less than a year later. As long as fundamental situation of economy will not regain power, Abe administration will keep on sinking.

Limit of Gubernatorial Diplomacy

Frustrated with national leadership lagging behind in improving bilateral relationship with South Korea, the Governor of Tokyo, Yo-ichi Masuzoe, visited Seoul and had a meeting with President Park Geun-hye, with whom Japanese Prime Minister had not built normal relationship. Although Masuzoe brought Abe’s message for improving Japan-South Korea relationship, Park only requested taking appropriate action on interpretation of history as she had always been. It was too timid for Japanese leader to expect a local governor to improve personal relationship with South Korean leader, which he fundamentally had broken down.

As former scholar in international relations and lawmaker of the House of Councillors, Masuzoe showed his willingness to contribute to national diplomacy for finding a breakthrough. According to reports, Abe expressed his determination to improve bilateral relationship between Japan and South Korea in the letter Masuzoe brought.

Park, however, did not stepped into closer position to Japan than it had been. “It is regretful that sentiments of both nations are torn apart with political difficulty,” told Park, and she urged to solve comfort women issue with “sincere effort.” “I hope you,” she added to Masuzoe, “to make every effort for both nations to stably develop their relationship with sharing correct understanding on history.”

It is fair to say that Masuzoe did his best in his standpoint. Not only national relationship, friendship between two capitals, Tokyo and Seoul, had been sober during ultra-right governor, Shintaro Ishihara, resided. Just the fact that Masuzoe could see the President of South Korea was the only positive attitude from Korean side. “I believe that I could blow some winds between both nations,” told Masuzoe in his press conference in Seoul.

In terms of improving bilateral relationship, Park answered nothing. Insisting on “appropriate understanding on history” was attributing current difficulties to Abe. Even if the letter expressed sincere apology of Abe, Park had no reason to show soft attitude to Japan, because it would look like approaching Japan from Korean side. From Korean side, Abe’s diplomacy is nothing but aloof.

The man who overturned a toy box was Abe. To end this messy situation, Abe has been saying that “Well, I’m not unwilling to do that, if you reach me with no condition.” No, he was the man who created condition. He has been acting as an overprotected little boy doing everything in his preferable way. Observing the situation from a neutral viewpoint, it is unrealistic to expect fundamental improvement as long as Abe is on the top of Japanese leadership.

Disappointment from Nixon

Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed diplomatic documents about tough negotiation over textile trade between Japan and United States around 1970. It revealed furious response of then U.S. President, Richard Nixon, to disloyal attitude of then Prime Minister, Eisaku Sato. Nixon hurled a word of “disappointment” to Sato. Forty or more years later, one of Sato’s nephews, current Premier Shinzo Abe, received same word from U.S. President, when he visited controversial war shrine, Yasukuni.

Regulation on textile import was a major campaign promise of Nixon in his presidential election in 1968. In the summit meeting of both leaders in November of 1969, Sato promised accepting U.S. demand before the end of the year, in compensation with returning Okinawa to Japan. As a matter of fact, Japanese textile makers delivered volunteer regulation on exporting their products in March 1971, which was far from satisfaction of U.S. government. Sato, nevertheless, welcomed the volunteer regulation and declared no necessity of further negotiation with U.S., the attitude which made Nixon get mad.

The letter from Nixon to Sato was sent few days after the announcement of volunteer regulation. “Dear Prime Minister,” the letter starts, “I cannot disguise my disappointment and concern in this period of textile trade issue.” “When I met with you last October, I thought we would reach an agreement both of us could be satisfied. But after too long negotiation, that agreement was not achieved,” wrote Nixon. Nixon warned that self-regulation of Japanese textile makers would face significant resistance from U.S. makers and his supporters, indicating further complexity in the negotiation. Nixon expressed strong discontent, saying “I deeply regret to write you a letter in this manner.”

Experts supposed that Nixon’s frustration had significantly affected Japan-U.S. relationship. The Japanese experienced two Nixon Shocks, one was announcement of his visit to Beijing for normalization of bilateral relationship with China in July 1971 and another was unilateral cancellation of convertibility of U.S. dollar to gold in following August. Both of those historical policy changes were delivered without any information to Japan. Historians in Japan regard those decisions as retaliation from Nixon.

What can we learn from those historical facts? That is, U.S. never leaves a traitor free. President Barack Obama was disappointed to Abe’s Yasukuni visit last year. In his visit to Tokyo in April, Obama did not conceal his frustration over slow progress in Trans-Pacific Partnership. If Japan fails in resuming normal relationship with China and raises tension in Western Pacific, Obama may be filled with anger. The problem, however, is that China and South Korea show no sign of improvement in relationship with Japan as long as Abe resides as the Premier.

Insecurity on Chinese Foods

Not only marine assertion or bird flu, threats from China proved to include foods, which had expired period of safety standard. A report of a TV station in Shanghai, which revealed rough treatment on processing chicken nuggets, shook Japan. The exporter, Japan McDonald’s, announced halting Chicken McNuggets in some shops of Japan. Before dividing the nation with personal persistence on security empowerment, attributing it to naval promotion of the neighbor, the Prime Minister of Japan needs to protect the people from harmful environment of imported food from China.

The report, brought by a reporter sneaked into the factory of Shanghai Fusi Food Co. Ltd., accused that the factory had hidden away from the eyes of inspectors from McDonald’s and used it after they had gone, or a factory worker dropped some beef putty on the floor and picked it up by hands. Japan McDonald’s sold chicken nuggets produced by Fusi in 1,340 stores in Eastern Japan, which amount to one fifth of all McNuggets sold in Japan. A retail store chain, Family Mart, also stopped selling Garlic Nuggets form Fusi.

The food company is doubted to have been fabricating expiration date for consumption, by mixing old and relatively fresh meat or disguising the date of productivity. It is likely that those manipulations were ordered by senior managers of Fusi. “No one will die by eating expired food,” told a worker of the factory, indicating low morality of the company. Shanghai law enforcement office arrested five of those managing staffs.

Fusi has been exported 6,000 metric tons of meat products to Japan a year, which symbolized Japan’s food dependence on China. Even how quarantine authority makes the best efforts, it can check only 2% of all imports. While cheapness is a crucial element for food companies to survive in these highly competitive markets in Japan, food safety could not fulfill demands of consumers.

As long as the government and food companies are in short of sufficient credibility, consumers need to be as wise as being able to distinguish safe foods from the dangerous. They have to realize that safe foods are never extremely cheap. They should think that legally required “expiration date” for tasting good, consumption or availability do not make sense at all. There are a number of retailers in Japan, not only in China, who fabricate those dates.

The Japanese need to make these food scandals opportunities to review their daily food habits, which have been highly affected by excessive sodium, fat or sweetness. When they realize that they do not need so much ingredients everyday, dependence on Chinese food will be eased.

Disseminating Military Facilities

Deputy Minister of Defense, Ryota Takeda, asked Governor of Saga, Yasushi Furukawa, to accept Japanese Self-defense force’s seventeen up-to-date transportation aircraft, MV-22 Osprey, in Saga Airport from 2019. Furukawa told that he would considerate, but gave no clear answer. It was obviously a reflection of political strategy of Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, which expected to lighten the burden of Okinawa and win the gubernatorial election in November to grip the island as preferable to central government. However, spread of Osprey will face firm protest from the public.

Takeda explained details of the idea of Ministry of Defense. “We want to build a parking apron next to Saga Airport and use the runway for Ospreys,” he told to Furukawa. The aircrafts will be used for transportation of amphibious mobile troops in charge of Southwest area, which are going to be deployed in Sasebo, Nagasaki. He also revealed a plan to relocate 50 helicopters from nearby JSDF base to Saga Airport. Total personnel in the airport will be 700 to 800. He meanwhile requested that Saga accept some Ospreys of United States Marine Corps in Futenma Airbase in Okinawa to reduce the burden of Okinawa. In short, the national government wants to make Saga Airport available for military use.

When U.S. Marine deployed twenty-four Ospreys in Futenma in 2012, it impressed great anxiety on the people in Okinawa, because the aircraft was thought to be dangerous with great risk of falling down. There was a large-scale protest in Okinawa and residents around Futenma still frustrated with low-frequency noises and violation of flight plan not to fly over private houses. Nevertheless, the government of Japan decided to introduce that aircraft to JSDF, as business deal with U.S. military industries.

Abe administration seems to believe that reducing burden will positively work for election in Okinawa. It is crucial for them to put preferable governor in Okinawa to promote relocation plan of Futenma to Henoko. After current governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, allowed landfill construction in Henoko last December, broad opposition against it spread all around Okinawa. Winning next election will still be hard for the group positive for the plan.

Tactics taken by the government is carrot and stick. To local community that accepts U.S. Force from Okinawa, the government prepares subsidy for the burden. It looks like expecting as many cities as possible for disseminating military facilities all over Japan. It will face broad discontents, if it fails in persuading public how those military facilities are crucial for security of Japan.

Revising Tokyo Olympic Plan

Was Tokyo the best Choice anyway? Governor of Metropolitan Tokyo, Yo-ichi Masuzoe, announced that he would review the plan of building facilities for 2020 Olympic Games as a whole. That was a reasonable result, considering firm opposition from the residents in the city. The plan has been criticized from the aspect of finance, environment and sustainability after the event. Although the plan was made under the leadership of former governor, who stepped down with money scandal, current governor decided that it would also be politically not sustainable.

The Organizing Committee for Tokyo Olympic and Government of Tokyo made a plan to prepare thirty-seven facilities for all games. Among them, building New National Stadium, in order to expand its capacity of audience from 54 thousand to 80 thousand, would be the most costly. Although the total price was estimated to be $1.3 billion at the beginning, it rose as much as $30 billion later, and the Government of Japan required reducing it. The Organizing Committee cut it down to $1.6 billion by downsizing the facility. About two hundred families living in near-by apartment houses, most of them are old agers, will be displaced in the construction plan.

Local government of Tokyo is going to build ten new facilities, including new indoor swimming pool. While they estimated the cost for Tokyo Government as $1.5 billion for all at first, it jumped up to $3.8 billion due to current price hike of building materials and labor of workers. In his speech to Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, Masuzoe promised that he would review the plan as soon as possible not to affect construction schedule.

From environmental activists, complains over stadium for canoe have been submitted to the Organizing Committee. The place for it has been a broad seaside park for the people in Tokyo, where various wild lives have settled for their home. It also became an unusually rich in migrating birds. It is concerned that the wildlife will be excluded by building canoe stadium there. In addition, lack of clearness for land use after the Olympic made the activists frustrated. So, it is likely for the Committee to review the project.

As seen in Soccer World Cup in Brazil, where broad protest occurred, spending much money for major sport event has become unpopular in hosting nation. While one of the causes of Tokyo Olympic was to show Japan reconstructed from the disaster of East Japan Great Earthquake, Tokyo construction bubble has been posing great burden on suffered places in Tohoku with high price of materials. Most people who do not have close relation to construction industries are not very happy with Tokyo Olympic so far.

Reason of Kidnapping

In most cases, motivation of kidnapping is taking money. For him, it was not for money, but for his personal interest. An eleven-year old missing girl was found in living room of a house forty-nine year old man was living. Police arrested the man in suspicion of confinement. He demanded no money after taking her away. What he had been doing before it was following the girl for months.

The girl was missed in the afternoon last Monday, when she was getting home from her elementary school. There was a person who witnessed the girl talking with a man in the driving seat of a small silver car thirty minutes after she disappeared on her way home. At the time police captured her, she was watching TV on futon wearing pajama, and looked like not understanding what was going on.

Her mother has been worried about someone sneaking her daughter these few months. She reported police in May and June that a man with silver car appeared and suspicious for targeting her daughter for some reason, but the police could not prevent the man to kidnap the girl. The mother bought her daughter a cell phone with the function of global positioning system, which crucially helped in determining where her daughter had been after missing.

The kidnapper was living in Okayama city, which was located to the east of the city the girl lived. He did not frequently communicate with his neighbors. According to news reports, the suspect told the police that he brought her, because he was interested in the girl. “I wanted to raise her as I like,” he told the police. To raise her, he reformed one of the rooms in his house not to leak sound to outside, and attached door-locking system controllable from outside of the room.

It was likely that the suspect had ordinary sense that his activity would constitute a crime and he would be arrested in violation of criminal law. There is no sign of mental disease on him. In most current cases, kidnapping was done with accurate recognition of its risk, which might lead to long-term in prison. That indicated the criminals were reluctant to stay in actual world, in which most women did not want to recognize him. Being arrested might be going to a world disconnected from real cruel world.

Tightening security should be an easy answer. Fundamental solution will be emerged from tightening social ties. Positively talking with stranger, inclusive to someone who looks to be alienated, or stopping bully activities on weak person would improve the society from apathetical community to frank and warm society Japan had long been.

Precipitation of Bilateral Relation

Crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 will have significant impact on Japan’s diplomacy toward Russia. Although Shinzo Abe administration still expects a progress in bilateral relationship taking opportunity of planned official visit to Japan by Russian President, Vladimir Putin, this fall, situation of international relations over Ukraine will not allow it. If Abe insists on making a deal with Putin, it will put Japan in a further isolated standpoint in the Western side, in addition to skepticism to Japan over easing sanction against North Korea as a bargaining with abduction issue.

Abe stressed on keeping momentum with Putin on Saturday, after concerted criticism against Russia emerged from the Western side. “We demand Russia to be constructively involved in many problems in international society as a responsible state. I will continue dialogue with Putin,” told Abe in his speech in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. “We will make efforts,” he said about shooting Flight 17 down, “in cooperation with international society. Any conflict has to be solved through diplomacy based on international law.” On negotiation for peace treaty with Russia, he insisted on withstanding negotiation.

As investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that pro-Russian militants, which has been supported by military procurement from Russia, were guilty in Flight 17 case. Russia was obviously frustrated with additional sanction set by the Western countries, which made a good reason to show resistance. While Russia may raise conspiracy theory by the Western side, new facts such as purchase of surface-to-air missile from Russia broaden skepticism on pro-Russian militants in Ukraine. Sacrifice of innocent lives amounting to nearly three hundred was too much to be a tool of solving an international conflict.

Japan needs to realize that it cannot go forward unless Russia proves to be not guilty in this attack on the airplane. The Western side is considering another sanction against Russia. In this situation, it is obvious that Russia will only approach to Japan to take advantage of the relationship. It is likely for Russia to try to make a deal in energy sales, but breakthrough in Northern Territory issue cannot be brought, because it does not lead to final solution for improving relationship with the West. Japan should not expect dramatic progress.

In principle, the Northern Territory was occupied by Russia at the end of the World War II, in the same manner as it did to Ukraine. The best way for Japan is keep on criticizing Russia, even if it distances from a bilateral deal. It should show a bold approach by canceling summit talk this fall.
(Revised July 21st)

Draft to Secret Government

The Information Preservation Consultative Conference of the government of Japan released a draft for actual measures in application of the Designated Secrecy Act that passed the Diet last December. Concerning strong opposition in the public against possible manipulation by governmental authorities, the conference proposed establishing two new organizations for watching incorrect moves and new system for whistle-blowing. However, there will be no change in the nature of the law possibly oppressing rights of the people.

The draft categorized information to conceal from public eyes into fifty-five kinds. They include activities of Self-defense Forces for protecting safety of Japan, diplomatic information related to negotiation with foreign countries in protecting lives of Japanese people or preserving Japan’s territory, plots and studies for preventing designated harmful activities or cyber attacks, and cooperation with other countries to prevent terrorism. In applying actual measures, the government would not arbitrarily interpret the law, not violating fundamental human rights the Constitution guarantees, and take good care of freedom of report in relationship with press and journalism.

New organizations were Cabinet Preservation Overseeing Committee, which members would be top bureaucrats in ministries, and Information Preservation Overseeing Section, which would deal with official works for Independent Archives Overseer. Although they will request materials, explanation or correction to the Ministers of Cabinet, they do not have authority to coerce it. It is still possible for bureaucrats to conceal information, which is inconvenient for them.

The draft named nineteen governmental organizations, such as Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, National Security Council, or Nuclear Regulation Authority, which determine designated secrets. Each of those organizations will have whistle-blowing system for the staffs to report illegal activities. However, the whistle-blower needs to report without mentioning the secret, because revealing it may violate Designated Secrecy Act.

While the act is going to be activated before the end of this year, people are still worried about excessive accumulation of information and regulation over people’s activities. Bureaucracy does not care about those anxiety and show willingness to include transparency in the system. The Diet looks to be powerless in building system to get rid of oppressive activities of the government. It is no change in the fact that the law will mark a starting point of making secret authority in the government.

Pro-blood or Pro-law

To the question about distinguishing a true father, the Supreme Court chose legal status of a child rather than biological tie. It sentenced on Thursday that one cannot dismiss relationship between parents and children, even if biological test proved no connection of blood. Concerning the Civil Law that determines a child during parents’ marriage to be their child, the Court recognized child’s legal stability as the most precious. Some may be frustrated with a question: Why isn’t biological father a true father?

The sentence was on the cases of three families, in each of which the mother bore a child of another man. In two of them, parents were divorced and child is now living with mother and biological father, but divorced father required confirmation of legal status as a father. In another case, child is still living with father and mother, but DNA test already proved that the child is biologically another man’s child. The father required dismissing family relationship with the child.

The sentence of the Supreme Court was based on a concept called “assumption of legitimate child,” which recognized a child of a mother as a child of her husband as long as their marriage were legally maintained. The concept was included in the Civil Law in 1898, when old paternal principle still existed in Japanese society, and there was no technology, such as DNA test, for determining biological father. Nevertheless, the Court chose traditional recognition that a child would be happy, if he/she had been able to stay in a family legally recognized.

The sentence produced happy stories and tragedies. One of the two fathers, who was acknowledged as legal father of the child, was delighted, saying “Finally, I was realized as true father.” For him, the sentence vested him a right to meet his child as father. On the other hand, the mother should be frustrated. The child is currently regarded as a stepchild of biological father. The mother, her husband and the child could not fulfill their hope for living as normal families. Making a big contrast, the father who wanted to be separated from another man’s child must be disappointed. He will still suffer from demand for raising the kid with financial support.

It must be preferable for men and women to happily maintain their family and they have to pay a toll of taking a risk of having external relationship that harms family ties. Having said that, law should not eliminate opportunities for them to take better choice. As seen in a provision which prohibits a woman to be married with another man within six months after her divorce, the Civil Law of Japan is too old to let the people fully pursue their happiness. Legal support for those complicated families is definitely needed.

Not Safe But

Nuclear Regulation Authority assessed that two reactors in Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima prefecture fulfilled new standard of regulation the government of Japan laid out after disastrous accident in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant three years ago. However, NRA rejected determining whether Sendai plant was safe or not. It put emergency evacuation plan under local government. All nuclear reactors in Japan recognized malfunction of regulation system as green light for resumption.

New regulation standard demanded all nuclear power plants to make emergency policy for severe accident in earthquake or tsunami. Clearing standard for earthquake and tsunami in March, Sendai has been the top runner for resuming its operation. After receiving public comments for a month, NRA is supposed to announce official announcement to Sendai in November.

On evacuation plan made by local government, the authority refused to comment, claiming that it was not authorized to do that. Alternative control room, which will be important in case main control room is shut down, has yet been built. Ventilation system with filter, which will be necessary for limiting radioactive materials in exhaling air from the plant, will be settled in 2016. Necessary safeguarding system will not be aligned by resumption this fall.

There are some active volcanoes around Sendai plant. It is possible that pyroclastic flow with over five hundred degrees Celsius will come down to the plant with speed of sixty mph in the time of major explosion. In spite of no concrete plan to avoid it, NRA ignored this risk.

The chairman of NRA, Shun-ichi Tanaka, refused to say Senday was safe. “They would be power company, regional residents and national government who decide the resumption. We have nothing to do with it,” Tanaka told. On the other side, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told that the government depended on NRA in the assessment of safety. Abe administration and NRA were pushing responsibility on each other.

Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, sees only positive impact of nuclear plants resumption on economy. In the situation of higher oil price, which affects thermal power generation, Abe goes forward to resume all the power plants. Sendai must become the first attempt for that goal. Voices from Fukushima, which strongly appeal not to be dependent on nuclear power, have not heard at all. Is it the time for the Japanese to forget incredible disaster, which confiscated houses, land and local community for over one hundred thousand people?

Expansion of Defense

Legislators hurled a lot of questions at Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, in the concentrated discussion over collective self-defense in committees of both Houses of the Diet. Abe, however, swayed and ducked without directly answering them, threatening status of the highest organ of state power. Instead, he revealed unlimited ambition for unleashing Japan’s military power. Politics in Japan looks to be losing control.

In the Cabinet decision to reinterpret the Constitution for exercising collective self-defense force, Abe offered new three conditions to exercise right of self-defense. Before the reinterpretation, they had been existence of imminent and unlawful infringement, no other appropriate measures to remove, and limiting for minimum necessity. New three conditions changed the expression of the first one into “not only when an armed attack against Japan but also when an armed attack against a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan occurs and as a result threatens Japan’s survival and poses a clear danger to fundamentally overturn people’s right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”

Although Abe and his staffs insisted on that new conditions would work for limiting use of force, discussion in the Diet revealed unlimited reinterpretation of the Constitution. On possibility of dispatching troops for clearance of floating mines in Persian Gulf, Abe did not rule out applying concept of collective self-defense, when disturbance of oil export to Japan would “threaten Japan’s survival and pose a clear danger to fundamentally overturn people’s right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” In other words, Japan can use its force, even as a mater of mine sweeping, when its leader recognize threat for Japan’s survival.

The opposite parties criticized Abe’s explanation as violating the Constitution, which determined that use of force in foreign country was prohibited. While promising that he would keep a principle of defense-oriented security policy, Abe regarded that sea-lane defense as an exception. It is hard for the public, anyway, to realize danger of Japanese tanker in Hormuz Strait as equivalent to direct missile attack on their homeland.

Abe also revealed his intention to make Japanese Self-defense Force join international collective security measures, the concept which he avoided writing on Cabinet decision not to invite further criticism from political coalition partner, New Komeito. If Japanese government makes it possible, restriction against use of force in overseas will lose its fundamental reason.

Shock from Local Community

One gubernatorial election shook the administration running toward “ordinary” country. In the election for the governor of Shiga prefecture, located in the center of mainland Honshu, former Representative, Daizo Mikazuki, defeated former bureaucrat in Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Takashi Koyari, with slight margin. Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, admitted that his security agenda over reinterpretation of the Constitution affected the result. It proved that opposition to collective self-defense is still strong in local community.

According to the polls, voters were mostly interested in welfare and economy. Although Mikazuki insisted on getting rid of dependence on nuclear energy, the policy which has been upheld by incumbent governor, Yukiko Kada, voters did not positively respond to the choice between the nuclear or renewable. Baseline of the election became a choice between representative of local community or bureaucracy in Tokyo. As a former Representative affiliated with Democratic Party of Japan, Mikazuki rejected supports from the party now in opposite position. Koyari received support from leading Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.

When voters looked into the structure, inferior elements were more on the side of LDP. The hasted Cabinet decision on collective self-defense broadly planted negative image to the public that Abe is going ahead without listening to opinions of the people. In addition, arrogance unequivocally emerged from the party. Minister of Environment, Nobuteru Ishihara, boasted as if he would solve the problem of intermediate facility for nuclear debris with power of money. Sexual harassments of local assembly members revealed LDP’s basic ignorance about human rights of women.

In the discussion at the House of Representatives on Monday, Abe told that he could not deny the negative impact of his decision on the election. “In fact, understanding of the nation is insufficient. I would be careful in persuasion,” said Abe. But the fact that he put the highest priority on the decision rather than getting public support will not be recovered immediately.

Whether or not Abe understands it, opposition of local community is based on the situation of economy. Job losses are serious problem for local community and more people seek jobs in Japan Self-defense Force. Abe’s security policy definitely exposes JSDF personnel to dangerous situation by getting into war of others. People know well about the true meaning of exercising collective self-defense right, which must be taking advantage of economic hardship in local area.

Keep on Launching

North Korea does not stop launching missiles and rockets to Japan Sea. It consumed over one hundred rockets with multiple launch system on Monday. Although it has been said that each launch had some kinds of message, one cannot help be worried about that extravagance in military expenditure. Among concerted accusation against violation of the resolution United Nations has passed, Japan goes alone with softer attitude to the North, with which it is on a way to make a deal on abductees issue.

Consecutive demonstration of the North is obviously signs of its frustration on security situation in Northeast Asia. It launched three rockets on June 26^th, two short-range missiles on June 29^th, and two rockets on July 2^nd. All of them were regarded as protests against China-South Korea summit meeting in Seoul on July 3^rd. It was highly unusual for Chinese top leader to skip North Korea in visiting Korean Peninsula. Although China’s aim had been performing close relationship with South Korea against Japan, the North showed sharp response against China ignoring it.

North Korea’s excitement did not cease after the bilateral meeting between China and South Korea. It launched two short-range missiles on July 9^th, the day China and United States held Security and Economic Dialogue in Beijing. Korean Central News Agency reported the test as conducted under the command of First Secretary of Korean Labor Party, Kim Jong-un. According to the Agency, it was in order to reassuring military capability of a striking company in the west front. The North delivered two scud missiles on July 13^th, supposedly a protest against entry of U.S. Carrier, George Washington, to the port of Busan, South Korea.

Japan has made no action against the North’s missile launches except superficial denouncing. Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, criticized the North’s missile launch on Sunday as violation of U.N. resolution and revealed Japan’s opposition through diplomatic channel in Beijing. However, he emphasized his willingness to continue negotiation with the North, saying “Missile launches does not affect negotiation over abductees issue.”

The fact that the North launched rockets the day after having a senior officials meeting with Japan showed its low interest in resolving the issue. Decades-long unshaken attitude of the North has been watching only U.S. Other players were out of its sight. In this situation with high security tension over the peninsula, no leaders in Japan can expect any diplomatic breakthrough with the North.