Resignation of Leader of Ailing Opposite Party

President of Democratic Party, Renho, announced her stepping down on Thursday. While she once expressed her willingness to rebuild the party after miserable defeat in the election of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly earlier this month, she failed in organizing new executive board. The party is still in a vicious circle of leaders shopping in frustration of ailing leadership.

She took the seat last September, after the resignation of former President, Katsuya Okada, with a defeat in the election of House of Councillors. She became the first President of a major party in Japan with mixed ethic heritage, the Japanese and Taiwanese. The main reason of choosing Renho as the leader was based on expectation to her ability of clear-cut criticism against the leading party and positive image for young and female leader.

In the campaign of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, Renho stumbled on explanation of her mixed ethnicity. Some DP members attributed the defeat to inappropriate handling of the problem by Renho, while it had been inevitable for the party under any leadership to retreat suffering from powerful advance of Tokyoites First led by Governor Yuriko Koike.

The greatest disappointment for Renho was resignation of Secretary General and her political mentor, Yoshihiko Noda. Receiving accusation of party leadership in the election, Noda had to step down to show his responsibility. Although Renho showed her willingness to replace Noda, she could not find any person for new Secretary General. All the person who received her offer for the position refused it.

Renho turned down her intention to stay. “I have yielded centrifugal force in the party. Having thought about how to make it centripetal force, retreat was my answer,” told Renho in her press conference. But, there has been no centrifugal force in the party after it was dropped from the administrative position in Japanese politics. Every time the party failed in elections, party members criticized the leaders. Some left the party frustrated with weak leadership, refusing any effort to rebuild the party.

DP is focusing on the election for next President. Former Secretary General, Yukio Edano, expressed his intention to run for it. “The role of next leader is to resist current tendency of emphasizing self-responsibility and fanning free competition,” told Edano. Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Seiji Maehara, is also considering being a candidate. But, as long as most party members attribute the hardship of DP to false leadership, the party cannot be able to get rid of it. Confusion in the biggest opposite party is nothing but a helping hand for also ailing Shinzo Abe administration.

Ignoring Responsibility of Minister

Ministry of Defense released the result of special defense investigation on preservation of a diary of peace-keeping operation in South Sudan last year. Right after explaining what the investigation had found in the press conference, Minister of Defense, Tomomi Inada, announced her resignation. However, the investigation refused stepping into responsibility of Inada on the handling of the diary.

The investigation was operated by Headquarters on Defense Investigation, which was a section in the Ministry directly supervised by Minister of Defense. The report revealed that an advice of Vice-Commander of Central Readiness Force in Ground Self-defense Force, which dismissed the diary as an executive document, caused the decision of not disclosing the diary, turning down the request of disclosure by a journalist last July.

Data of the diary was found in Joint Staff Office and disclosed February 7^th. The investigation found that Administrative Vice-minister of Defense, Tetsuro Kuroe, told GSDF Chief of Staff, Toshiya Okabe, a decision of not disclosing the data found in GSDF on February 16^th. Kuroe and Okabe briefed Inada about the treatment of the diary on February 13^th and 15^th. The investigation did not recognize any decision or approval by Inada on not disclosing the diary. “It is undeniable that there has possibly been a kind of reference,” concluded the investigation.

It has already reported that Inada did not order the disclosure of diary even after she realized the existence in her organization, causing sharp accusation of not implementing her argument in the Diet for openness of information or not exercising civilian control on military organization. Fuji Television scooped that Inada was wondering how she should explain about it after the briefing on February 13^th, based on a memo of an officer in Ministry of Defense. She did not care about civilian control, but about how to deal with criticism on her.

The reason of Inada’s resignation as Minister of Defense was not about concealing the diary, but about causing public confusion on the operation in the Ministry. Inada has told in the Diet that she did not received any report on the diary and promised her effort for removing any behavior of concealing inconvenient facts. False statement of the Minister actually matters.

It was fundamentally inappropriate that internal investigation team was investigating internal problems. It was impossible for an organization directly controlled by the Minister to deal with responsibility of the Minister. Shinzo Abe administration refused handing the investigation to a third-party. As seen in Kake Gauen scandal, Abe administration is weak in explaining what is going on in the background.

Missile Launch in Vulnerability

It could be their version of cerebration for resignation of Minister of Defense of Japan. North Korea launched another ballistic missile late at Friday night and it struck economic exclusive zone of Japan. Minister of Defense, responsible for dealing with military attack on Japan, stepped down with inappropriate handling of an internal document, or of civilian control, on the day. Kim Jong-un regime surely knew the vulnerability of Japan.

Government of Japan announced the fact of missile launch before Saturday dawn. The missile was boosted from Mupyong-ni, located northeast of Pyongyang, and flew to the east for 45 minutes. It is analyzed that the missile was the same kind of one as North Korea launched on 4^th of July, which was a successful test of inter-continental ballistic missile. There is no report of injury or damage on aircraft or ship so far.

It was highly unusual for North Korea to launch ballistic missile in the midnight. Shinzo Abe administration convened urgent meeting of National Security Council at Prime Minister’s Official Residence late at night. Prime Minister Abe delivered three orders: doing the best for collecting information and analyzing the situation followed by speedy and precise information to Japanese people, making sure of reconfirming safety of aircrafts and ships, and being ready for unexpected events.

Government of Japan immediately expressed objection against North Korea through diplomatic route. “Definitely not accepting consecutive intimidation of North Korea, we protested and accused them with the most strong expression,” told Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga. He did not explain the analysis on capability of the missile, requiring further technological analysis.

It was expected that North Korea would make a missile test on Thursday, the day which was sixty-forth anniversary of signing cease-fire agreement in Korean War in 1953. Cerebrating the day as winning a war for liberating homeland, North Korea had memorial events and uplifted nationalism. The official newspaper of North Korean Worker’s Party, Rodong Sinmun, commented that anyone who would try to kill their dignity and right to live could not escape from their merciless preemptive strike. It was a firm hostility against United States.

Acting Minister of Defense, Fumio Kishida, commented that he ordered further warning and collecting information, which could have done by the officers of Ministry of Defense. Kishida concurrently holds the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs after Tomomi Inada stepped down as Minster of Defense on Friday. In other words, Kishida deals with military response against the missile launch, while simultaneously seeking diplomatic channel with North Korea. Caused by political confusion, security policy of Japan does not make good sense.

Resignation of Minister of Defense

All the news media in Japan reported that Minister of Defense, Tomomi Inada, would be stepping down as soon as on Friday. Inada has reportedly approved concealing a diary of Ground Self-defense Force in United Nations Peace-keeping Operation in South Sudan last year, bringing fundamental doubt on civilian control of Shinzo Abe administration. It is likely that the resignation was not voluntary decision of Inada, but an actual discharge by Prime Minister.

In the diary, it was written that PKO troops of GSDF faced military exchange in Juba last July, which meant unconstitutionality of sending GSDF to that area. Although Ministry of Defense firstly announced that the diary had been scrapped, it was found in GSDF later. MoD staffs decided not to reveal the diary and Inada is doubted to have approved the decision. While Inada insisted that she did not know that, news media revealed the evidences of her acknowledgement, possibly based on leaks of MoD staffs.

MoD is in an internal investigation on how the diary was concealed. It has already been revealed that SGDF realized the existence of the diary as early as January 17^th. On January 27^th, Administrative Vice Chief of Staff, Masayoshi Tatsumi, told GSDF that it was impossible for them to announce the existence of the diary at the last moment. GSDF Deputy Chief of Staff, Goro Yuasa, reported Inada that GSDF had been keeping the diary on February 13^th and Inada approved it two days later. Even how many times Inada reiterates that she did not know it, it is obvious that she has been involved in concealing crucial document of GSDF.

Inada has been said as too naïve as Minister of Defense. Right after sitting on the seat last August, Inada became the first Minister of Defense who was absent from National Commemoration Ceremony for War Victims, to which even the Emperor would participate every year. In the election campaign of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly last month, Inada made a false speech, in which she promised firm support of Self-defense Force for a candidate with Liberal Democratic Party. SDF has to be politically neutral.

It is inevitable that Prime Minister Abe will be blamed as the appointer. Inada has been one of the most favorite allies of Abe and he wanted to educate her for future Prime Minister. While Abe tried to let Inada stay until next reshuffle of his Cabinet early next month, the impact of the scandal did not allow it. Abe seems to appoint one of the Ministers in Abe Cabinet for acting Minister of Defense until the reshuffle. But, it is the time when North Korea is preparing for next ballistic missile launch or nuclear test. Japan is politically vulnerable now.

New Lawsuit from Okinawa

The Government of Okinawa filed a new lawsuit against the national government on Tuesday. Arguing that it is illegal for national government to continue the construction of new military base of United States Force in Henoko without allowance of the local government of Okinawa, Okinawa demands stopping the construction. Struggle between Okinawa and Japan has not settled with a decision of the Supreme Court last year, which was won by the national government.

The Supreme Court made a decision that the cancelation of former approval for landfill in Henoko by Okinawan government was illegal last December. Former Governor, Kazuhiro Nakaima, approved landfill in Henoko for construction of new U.S. base in 2013, overturning his campaign promise in 2010. Current Governor, Takeshi Onaga, canceled Nakaima’s decision, followed by overwhelming opinion of the people in Okinawa against new base. Onaga’s decision was, however, dismissed by the Supreme Court.

New lawsuit was next legal protest by Okinawa. Local law in Okinawa requires allowance of the Governor when someone breaks rocks of the seabed within a fishery area. The allowance for the national government has expired in March. Nevertheless, the national government continued the construction without new allowance of Okinawan government. Shinzo Abe administration argues that allowance from Okinawan government is not necessary, because the local fishery cooperative organization has abandoned its license for fishery there.

Okinawa protests against that reasoning. It argues that the license for fishery set in each sea area will not be defunct with abandonment of fishery cooperative and allowance of local government is still needed. Okinawa tries to stop the construction, which has been stepping forward beyond the points of no return. “One decision of the Supreme Court, which was approval for landfill, did not mean an approval for whole process of the construction,” told Governor Onaga.

Abe administration does not listen to the voices from Okinawa. “We will not change our standpoint that we will proceed the construction based on related laws,” told Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga. Prime Minister Abe made a speech in a funeral of former Governor Masahide Ota, who led firm protest against national government for reducing U.S. military bases in Okinawa. “I will keep on doing my best for reducing the burden of military base, which you have been hoping so much,” told Abe. But, construction of new base in Henoko is increasing the burden on Okinawa, anyway.

Contradiction in Explanation

The more he is trying to be persuasive, the deeper he falls in contradiction. In the discussion over Kake Gakuen scandal at the Committee of Budget in the House of Councillors on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insisted on the date of realizing the plan for new veterinary school of Kake as January 20^th of this year. He could not explain, anyway, his former reference that had indicated his acknowledgement of the plan. Abe is not good at logical thinking.

To a question about when he had known Kake’s application to National Strategic Special District for new veterinary school in a discussion on June 5^th, Abe answered that he recognized it at the time when Kake Gakuen filed the application with City of Imabari. But, the time when Imabari applied to the District was actually June 2015, one and a half year before the date Abe indicated. Abe is doubted that he has known Kake’s application long before.

Here’s explanation of Abe. There are two types of Special District: one is for National Strategic and another is for Structural Reform. Kake Gakuen, with City of Imabari, applied to Structural Reform Special District in June 2015 and Imabari solely applied for National Strategic Special District in January this year. When I asked about the time I realized the application of Kake for National Strategic Special District, I told the date which indicated the time of applying for Structural Reform Special District. It was this January that I realized Kake’s application.

The opposite parties revealed that Abe had a number of meetings, playing golf or having dinner for fourteen times at least, with Chairman Kotaro Kake before this January. It is natural for one to think that they must have discussed the application during golf or dinner. Nevertheless, Abe denied the possibility of discussion on the issue. It was also revealed in the Committee that Kake had meetings with other Ministers, in each of which they discussed the application. Kake did not do that only with Prime Minister. Can it be so?

Bureaucrats kept on arguing that they had no memory. When a lawmaker, Mitsuru Sakurai, asked former Advisor for Prime Minister, Tadao Yanase, whether Yanase remembered the opportunity of having dinner with Sakurai, Yanase answered that he could remember that it was seven or eight years ago. “So, how about the meeting one and a half year ago?” asked Sakurai, indicating Yanase’s meeting with staffs of Imabari City. “I don’t think I met them, as far as I can remember,” told Yanase. Memory about seven years ago is clear and about one and a half years ago is unclear for Yanase. Abe’s favoritism for Kake has not removed at all.

Obstinacy of Escaping from Truth

The Budget Committee of House of Representatives held an off-session meeting to discuss Kake Gakuen scandal, in which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was doubted as having involved in the process of choosing his friend’s college for new veterinary school. Without hard evidence of ordering it, Abe denied his involvement in the scandal. His bureaucratic staffs followed Abe, reiterating “I can’t remember anything.” Humbleness for saying truth could not find in the words of politicians and bureaucrats.

Former Vice-minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Kihei Maekawa, has testified that he received pressure last fall from an Advisor to Prime Minister, Hiroto Izumi, which was a request of choosing Kake Gakuen along with intention of Abe. That brought broad doubt that the choice had been determined before the official process of selection.

To a question when he realized the plan of Kake Gakuen to establish new veterinary school in Imabari, Ehime, Abe answered that it had been January 20^th of this year, the day when Conference of National Strategic Special District decided to pick Kake. The lawmakers of opposite parties revealed a number of meetings between Abe and Chairman Kotaro Kake with golf or dinner.

It was highly unlikely that Abe and Kake did not talk about new veterinary school in those meetings. But Abe insisted that they had not talked concretely about veterinary school, while he had heard about Kake’s ambition to establish new faculties. Abe refused requests from the opposite parties to invite Kake for a testimony in the Committee.

Izumi could not remember what he had said to Maekawa in a meeting on September 9^th. Although Maekawa revealed that Izumi told him on behalf of Prime Minister, Izumi explained that he simply asked Maekawa an appropriate handling as Vice-Minister. “If I had told an extreme story, I could have remembered it. Because I do not have that memory, I have not say that,” told Izumi. This is a typical syllogism of Japanese bureaucrats. What the people want to know is not the logic of doing, or not doing, but whether Izumi actually did that or not.

Another lawmaker asked former Advisor to Prime Minister, Tadao Yanase, about whether he had met with a staff of City of Imabari in 2015 and told that the process was working preferable for Imabari. Yanase repeated “There is no such memory of meeting him.” Then, Yanase made detailed explanation, “I have no memory of meeting that person, because I met many persons as I was in charge of many issues.” This is not about whether Yanase met him, but what he said to him. Bureaucrats always escape from substance in front of public eyes.

One Year from Major Murder on Disabled

Mostly one year has passed from a horrible murder in a nursery facility for disabled persons, Yamayuri-en, in which a former nursery worker, Satoshi Uematsu, killed 19 residents and injured 27. The incident left a number of lessons to consider, including how to separate potential murderer from society. It is still unclear whether Japan can avoid another incident like in Yamayuri-en.

Uematsu worked for Yamayuri-en for three years and embraced firm belief that disabled people do not worth living. He sneaked into the facility before a dawn and stabbed the residents on beds with knives one after another. After being arrested, Uematsu explained his motivation that he thought it was necessary for him to do that, because the government did not allow mercy killing for the disabled people and their unhappy families.

Mental Health Welfare Act allows the government coercively hospitalizing a person with mental disease who is likely to injure oneself or others. Uematsu was hospitalized according to the law for a week or two five months before the murder, after he revealed his intention to kill the disabled residents in Yamayuri-en. The law could not work for deterring the murder.

After the incident, the national government made a policy to increase professional workers for mental health and welfare. Mainichi Shimbun reported that there were only 23 additional workers for the purpose, in spite of introduction of new budget for it. Uematsu was dropped from the watch list of local government even after he had been released from the hospital. Government is powerless for watching possible murderer after coerced hospitalization.

Since Yamayuri-en was closed after the incident, other survived residents are waiting for the place to go. While the local government made a plan to rebuild new large facility in a rural place, the residents requested rather small ones in local communities. It is international trend to respect decisions of heavily disabled people. But, there still remains a belief in Japanese society that disabled people would be happy to be separated from society.

To avoid the same kind of tragedy, there is an argument to set more security cameras in the streets. But the incident was not the case of indiscriminate murder, but the one with firm intention. Camera could not have deterred the crime. Distorted belief of Uematsu is paralleled with eugenic ideology of Nazis. Unilateral politics of Shinzo Abe administration, in which Minister of Finance once indicated introduction of Nazi method, might have affected to such a narrow belief as that disabled people did not worth living. Social education matters.

One-Half Year of Trump

Newspapers in Japan reviews one-half year of Donald Trump administration with consecutive confusions in executing introverted policies. While the confusions were disseminated to other nations in his diplomacy, President Trump has not achieved eminent outcome in domestic policy such as medical treatment or taxation. His close staffs have left the administration with inconsistent handling of human resource. The historically strange leader does not look like making United States great again.

Mainichi Shimbun reported dismissal of over 600 workers for an air conditioner manufacturer, Carrier, in Indianapolis, IN. The article introduced a speech of Trump at a Carrier factory last December, in which he promised to save 1,100 jobs after criticizing a plan of transferring production lines to Mexico. Although Carrier decided to maintain the jobs in return for $700 million of tax relief right after the Presidential election, Carrier had to fire 600 workers half a year later.

Achievements of Trump administration are limited to something that the President can solely decide. Leaving international framework such as Trans-Pacific Partnership or Paris Agreement on climate change is a typical example. Policies that require negotiation with the Congress have not made good progress. Reviewing Obamacare is one of the clear examples that Trump failed in reaching a deal with the Congress, including Republicans.

Doubt on legitimacy of his Presidency makes the administration weak. Russiagate has been reported in Japan as a major scandal paralleled with Watergate Scandal in Richard Nixon administration. Senior Advisor to Trump or his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has reportedly been losing power in the administration, being involved in a scandal that Russia might have intervened in U.S. Presidential election.

Suffering from consecutive struggle over human relationship within the administration, Trump had to keep on replacing his staffs. White House announced on Friday that Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, left the House. Newspapers in Japan reported Spicer’s frustration with picking of an entrepreneur, Anthony Scaramucci, for White House Communication Director as a main reason of his resignation.

Gossips keep on covering Trump administration. New York Times interview to Trump, in which he referred to Japan’s First Lady, Akie Abe, as not be able to speak English, was distributed to Japanese media as an odd news. A video footage of Trump hitting a reporter, whose face was labeled as CNN, was repeatedly broadcast, making Japanese people pessimistic on U.S. politics in struggle with reporters.

Melted Debris Detected

Tokyo Electric Power Company announced on Friday that it detected blocks, which was supposed to be melted nuclear fuels, under a broken nuclear reactor of First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. It was the first time for the power company to confirm debris of nuclear accident in the plant after the unprecedentedly severe accident in 2011. The findings can be hard evidence that the nuclear reactors were actually melted down, the fact which TEPCO denied right after the accident. The process for dismantlement of the plant is still unclear, anyway.

TEPCO has been examining the situation of broken reactors #1, #2 and #3, using special robot for exploring in the water in which the broken reactors were soaked. It was Reactor #3 where TEPCO found melted debris. In the water under the pressure vessel of the reactor, the robot detected melted debris hanging from the beneath of the vessel like icicles or accumulated like lava of volcano.

Reactor #3 has been supposed to have completely broken down and all the nuclear fuels were to be melted down. The findings endorsed that analysis. “It looked like something that were melted down from pressure vessel and solidified thereafter. We think it to be melted nuclear fuel mixed with other materials inside the pressure vessel,” told spokesperson of TEPCO in the press conference.

If the debris would be confirmed as melted nuclear fuels, it is the great progress for the dismantlement. Robot and camera are proved to have worked. Those devices will be useful in further investigation in other reactors. Information about the situation of Reactor #3 should be contributing to make a plan for containment of radiation and extracting the debris.

However, the situation now is far from total solution. It is still unclear what is the material that consists the debris, how much debris remaining or to what extent the pressure vessel or other structure in the building is damaged. Without those kinds of information, extraction of broken nuclear fuels cannot be started. TEPCO is planning to continue the research in the plant.

In the mid- and long-term plan for dismantlement, TEPCO and Government of Japan will make a plan of how to extract the debris by this summer. Actual extraction in one of the three broken reactors is supposed to start in 2021. Chairman of Nuclear Regulation Authority, Shun-ichi Tanaka, is skeptical so far about determining actual process for extracting debris. Collecting further information and disclosure of obtained facts will be the keys for the process.

Sixth Postponing of Inflation Target

At the Monetary Policy Meeting on Thursday, Bank of Japan decided to postpone its goal for achieving 2% growth of inflation target from “around 2018” to “around 2019.” It was the sixth time for BoJ to delay the goal, which originally had been within two years from April 2013. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda literally abandoned the achievement within his term expiring next April.

BoJ actually has an optimistic view on the development of consumer price index. “The year-on-year rate of change in the CPI is likely to continue on an uptrend and increase toward 2 percent, mainly on the back of the improvement in the output gap and the rise in medium- to long-term inflation expectations,” says the Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices, released after the meeting.

So, why the bank had to postpone its goal for targeted inflation? “Comparing with the current projections with the previous ones, although the projected rates of increase in the CPI are lower mainly for the first half of the projection period, a virtuous cycle between a moderate raise in the inflation rate and wage increases is likely to start operating gradually toward the end of the projection period,” explains BoJ. While the past was worse than expected, it still sees the future to be good. The bank concluded that the timing of the year-on-year rate of change in the CPI reaching around 2% would likely be around 2019.

Under highly unusual monetary easing by BoJ, which caused law-valued Japanese yen, Japanese exporters earned a great amount of profit. However, those corporations did not appropriately redistribute the profit to their employees and accumulated it as internal reserves. Wages are still kept in low level. “Corporations and families still embrace a principle that wages and consumer prices will not be raised. Deflation mind affects,” said Kuroda in press conference after the meeting.

The original scenario of BoJ monetary easing was that the people would believe in future hike of consumer prices, leading to positive balance of corporations and higher wages. But, introducing 8% consumption tax rate in 2014 or decline of crude oil price damaged BoJ policy. Surprises like further quantitative easing or negative interest rate did not work well, only resulting bringing confusion to the market.

Experts demand BoJ the strategy of exiting this unprecedented monetary easing. Accumulation of governmental bond in BoJ has been swollen to the level of pessimistic concern on sudden rise of long-term interest rate, when the bank would start selling it. BoJ does not show any sign of exit strategy. It looks like being bound by political concern of apparent failure of Abenomics led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Invading Territorial Waters of Mainland of Japan

In front of its national interest, the dragon does not understand international law. Chinese official ships started invading sea territory of Japan, not only around Senkaku Islands in East China Sea, but also around Tsushima Island or Tsugaru Strait. Still analyzing true intention of Chinese government, Japan has not expressed protest against those intrusions. China looks like setting new rules for their convenience to keep broader sea lane to Pacific Ocean.

Two Chinese Coast Guard ships entered territorial waters of Japan around Tsushima Island, Nagasaki, and Okinoshima Island, Fukuoka, on Saturday. Two ships sailed for a half hour in the territorial waters around Tsushima and an hour around Okinoshima, having exited those areas after Japanese Coast Guard required leaving. It was the first time that Chinese official ships invaded Japan’s territorial waters around those islands.

It was two days later when Chinese official ships entered for the first time in Japan’s territorial waters offshore of Cape Tappi in Tsugaru Strait. While there is a lane of international waters in Tsugaru Strait between the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Chinese official ships sailed Japan’s territorial waters close to Honshu. Chinese military ships had also entered Japan’s territory in the strait on earlier this month.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea guarantees any military or official ships the right of innocent passage in any territorial sea, as long as they do not harm peace, order or security of the country alongside. Threat or use of force, exercise with weapons or collection of information harming security of the country alongside cannot be recognized as innocent passage.

Japanese government is still analyzing whether the invasions of Chinese ships have been innocent passage or not. China had announced to Japanese government that the ships would be passing around Tsushima and Tsugaru Strait to participate in patrol for crackdown of illegal fishery in North Pacific Sea. Japan refrained from protesting, not having confirmed any action out of the category of innocent passage. Chinese newspaper reported that Japan did not protest against first invasion of Chinese official ships in Japan’s territorial waters.

For China, the archipelago of Japan covers the way to advance to Pacific Ocean, the western half of which it hopes to control. While keeping on invading around Senkaku Island in the southern part of Japan, China seems to have started accumulating examples of controlling Japan’s territorial waters around crucial area for sea lane to the Pacific. The Japanese may regard those activities as another Mongolian Invasion in 13^th century.

Unfit for Civilian Control

She never understands what civilian control is all about. According to multiple officials in Shinzo Abe administration, Minister of Defense, Tomomi Inada, approved the policy not to disclose the information of keeping diary on United Nations peace-keeping operation of Japanese Self-defense Force in South Sudan, which was announced to have been scrapped. It was proved that Inada has made a false statement to the Diet, to which she denied receiving any information from her staffs.

Ministry of Defense dispatched Ground Self-defense Force to South Sudan from January 2012 to this May. Receiving a request to disclose the diary made by SDF officers at the time of major battle in Juba last July, the Ministry decided not to open the diary with a reason that SDF had already discarded it. However, it was proved that the diary was not lost and remained in the computers of SDF as electronic data. The officers had written in the diary that they thought the exchange was “battle,” not “military collision” as Abe administration described, which would cause violation of a law not to send SDF to battlefield.

In the meeting with highly ranked officers in MoD and SDF on February 15^th, Inada received information that there was the diary, which had been announced as discarded. Then they discussed whether the information should be disclosed. The officers made an interpretation convenient for themselves that the information was not official document personally written by the SDF officials. Inada approved it without any question. Minister of Defense has to be a supervisor over uniformed officers to contribute to the right of the people for obtaining necessary information. Her job was far from sufficiency in terms of civilian control.

Inada was also a betrayer against the representatives of the people. To a question from a lawmaker with Democratic Party in the Committee on Security Affairs of House of Representatives on March 16^th, Inada answered that she had received no information from the officers. Now, it was revealed that she actually heard about it at least one month before.

Constitution of Japan requires the Cabinet to be responsible for the Diet, designating the Diet as the supreme state power. Providing with false information, Inada significantly degraded the Diet. She also made inappropriate statement in the campaign for the election of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly earlier this month, in which she asked vote for a candidate of Liberal Democratic Party as the top of SDF that could not legally have political preference. Prime Minister Abe is fundamentally responsible for assigning such an unconstitutional and illegal Minister of Defense.

Government-made Bubble Economy

According to the survey of National Tax Agency, the average price of roadside land in Japan has grown by 0.4% from the previous year, marking consecutive hike in two years. The highest price was for a land in Ginza, Tokyo, with ¥40.32 million for a square meters, exceeding the highest record in 1992 in midst of bubble economy. As this price hike has been led by governmental policy, the phenomenon is called “government-made bubble.”

One of the key elements of government-made bubble is increase of foreign travelers. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism has been leading the policy for making Japan a major country for tourism. Cheap value of Japanese yen encouraged it. The number of foreign travelers to Japan has marked 24 million last year, exceeding 20 million for the first time. China or countries in Southeast Asia are main providers of those tourists.

Another key is Tokyo Olympics 2020. Taking the opportunity for a great momentum for political boosting, Shinzo Abe administration firmly believes that the Olympic will improve the image of Japan and a great number of people from everywhere in the world will visit Japan. Developers are searching for the land for new hotel. Plans for building new hotel rooms exceeded 70 thousand last year, doubling the previous year. It is reaching the level in bubble economy in 1990s.

The fundamental element of new bubble is monetary easing on different dimension, taken initiative by Bank of Japan topped by Governor Haruhiko Kuroda. BoJ has been providing private banks for huge amount of money with unprecedented level. A flood of money brought low value of Japanese yen that encouraged foreign travelers to Japan or investment for real estate with low interest rate. Long-time monetary easing actually generated positive mind of the investors.

Some analysts call it “silent bubble,” which will abruptly or eventually be broken down. Although the ratio of unoccupied office room in downtown Tokyo is as low as 4%, the rent has not grown so much. It is possible that the occupation of office room is based on temporary demand with scrap-and-build of office buildings before Tokyo Olympics. While number of nights of foreign travelers in hotel has increased, domestic travelers, which occupy 86% of all travelers, have declined by 15.36 million. Current boost of tourism may not be kept after the Olympics.

Fanning bubble economy with excessive money flow by Abe administration and Kuroda BoJ is a dangerous gambling. Japan has experienced huge amount of bad debt caused by excessive loan that brought dysfunction of money finance. This vulnerability can be proved by the end of Olympic demand, change in foreign exchange with low-valued Japanese yen or outer pressure for changing monetary policy of Japan.

Focusing on Prime Minister’s Explanation

Having received constant pressure from the people wanting to know the truth, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reluctantly accepted the request of the opposite parties for testimony on Kake Gakuen scandal in a committee of each House in the Diet. The core of the issue is how Abe has been involved in a decision of selecting Kake Gakuen, owned by his close friend, Kotaro Kake, for new veterinary school. There are three points to discuss in the testimony.

The first question is whether the decision had been made before the process of selection. It was Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology that had the power to select next veterinary school. But, the Ministry had been pressured to choose Kake Gakuen for next veterinary school by the staffs in Prime Minister’s Official Residence. “This is what the highest level of the Official Residence is saying,” was the words of a Cabinet Office staff to the Ministry.

It is doubted that some conditions were added in the selection for excluding other colleges. The staffs decided that new veterinary school should be built only in an area without another, which excluded Kyoto Sangyo University. They also required opening new veterinary school in April 2018. As the result, only Kake Gakuen could apply to new veterinary school. Former Vice-Minister of the Ministry, Kihei Maekawa, testified in the Diet that the process was too unclear and he had an impression that Kake Gakuen had already been chosen.

The second question is whether Prime Minister’s Official Residence was actually involved in it. Maekawa argues that an Advisor for Prime Minister, Hiroto Izumi, brought him the decision on behalf of Prime Minister last September. Izumi has not confirmed the meeting with Maekawa and denied any direction from Prime Minister. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Koichi Hagiuda, also set a time limit of April 2018. Hagiuda turned the story down as an inaccurate personal memorandum.

The third question is whether Kake Gakuen had cleared conditions for new veterinary school. It is said that there were four conditions: having brand-new curriculum for educating veterinarian, demand for new type of veterinarian such as expert in life science, not applicable for existing colleges and viewpoints for all over Japan considering demands for veterinarian. While Maekawa argued that supply of veterinarians had been sufficient, Minister for Local Revitalization, Kozo Yamamoto, indicated that they were demanded in some area. Whether new veterinary school is really needed is still not unclear.

Maekawa unequivocally told that the policy was distorted by pressure from Prime Minister’s Official Residence. Abe has to explain what made the pressure delivered.

Struggle over Pacific Saury

Economic growth in emerging countries has changed traditional food culture in each nation. Sea products are some of them which food businesses are focusing on, causing struggle over the share of resource in Pacific Ocean. In the meeting of North Pacific Ocean Fishery Committee held in Sapporo, Japan failed in reaching a deal on setting quota of catching Pacific saury for each country.

Pacific saury is getting one of the main targets for fishery business in North Pacific Ocean. Not only the richness as a resource there, needlessness of advanced skill makes the fishery popular for fishermen in emerging countries such as China, because Pacific saury has a habit of gathering to bright light on the sea surface. In Japan, grilled Pacific saury with salt and soy sauce has been a typical taste in the fall for centuries. The taste the fish is recently getting common in the families in China or Taiwan, along with their growing diversity of food preference.

Having suffered from decline of domestic supply of Pacific saury, caused by growing competition in North Pacific Ocean, Japanese government made a proposal of setting quota in the committee meeting with attendance of eight countries or region. Based on the situation of resource or achievement in the past, Japan proposed 242 thousand annual tons for Japan, 191 thousand tons for Taiwan and 47 tons for China. China firmly opposed it, considering its growing domestic demand. “Because China did not want to be regulated, we could not reach an agreement,” told the deputy representative of Japanese delegation, Takashi Koya.

It is questionable that the proposal of Japan has fundamentally been acceptable for China. China’s total catch of Pacific saury last year was 63 thousand tons. China argued that the resource had not been reduced so much. South Korea joined China’s argument, saying that setting quota was too early. Koya explained the proposal of Japan as a hard target to lead the negotiation.

Japan’s catch has drastically reduced in a decade, from 4.61 million tons in 2008 to 1.78 million tons last year. Schools of Pacific saury travel from the north in the spring to the south in the fall. Japanese fishermen catch them, having been fat during the travel, in the sea area around Japan. Chinese or Taiwan boats catch them in the spring before they have grown.

One strategy of Japanese government is to cooperate with Russia, with which Japan has a long history of negotiation over other kinds of fish including salmon. Japan had first ever joint research on Pacific saury with Russia this year. The result will be submitted to NPOFC meeting next year. It is still not clear, however, for Japan to be successful in building a framework with Russia to counter China or South Korea.

Memorizing Chinese Movement for Democracy

Newspapers in Japan reported the death of a Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, as a consequence of authoritarianism of Chinese regime. Quoting Liu’s affirmation that he had “no enemies,” the papers introduced the writer as a man who devoted himself to liberation of Chinese citizens. They accused Chinese government that rejected liberation of Liu from years of custody.

Judicial authority of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, announced that Liu, who had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, died with multiple organ failure in a hospital in Thursday evening. While Liu and his wife, Liu Xia, demanded medical treatment in Germany, Chinese authority refused releasing them from custody. Chinese government totally dismissed international request to free Liu.

As a lecturer in Beijing Normal University, Liu joined Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, in which Chinese college students required democratization of China. Liu took leadership in hunger strike, which was targeted by Chinese Liberation Army. When military oppression got escalated, Liu led negotiation with Chinese authority, ordering the students retreating from the square. After the protest, Liu was arrested with crime of anti-revolutionary activity and thrown in prison for one year and seven months.

One of the most eminent achievements of his contribution to the movement for human rights in China was participation in the writing of Charter 08, 2008. The Charter required Chinese government abolishment of unilateral rule of Chinese Communist Party or freedom of speech. Chinese authority arrested Liu again with suspect of agitation for overturning national regime. Liu was taken in custody in a prison in Liaoning Province for the penalty of eleven years in prison.

What made the case something special was rigorous attitude of Chinese government, which made the regime isolated in international society. When Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee decided sending Peace Prize to Liu, designating him as the greatest symbol of broad struggle for human rights in China, Chinese government criticized such applause as interference in the domestic affairs. The government insisted on its notion that Liu was a crimial.

Asahi Shimbun held a headline, “Asking What Human Rights All About.” Mainichi labeled Liu as the symbol of democratization movement in China. Nevertheless, Shinzo Abe administration is reluctant to criticize Chinese government. “We will continuously take close watch on the situation of human rights in China,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, avoiding direct criticism on Chinese government. According to diplomatic source between Japan and China, there was some requests for medical treatment for Liu in Japan. Japanese government did not take any positive action to liberate Liu.