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.