Sunday, August 30, 2009
Japan Elects New Government
Indications are that the people of Japan have elected the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to replace the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan. Story here. The score seems to be (300-326) DPJ to (97-106) LDP.
This is a huge shift because the LDP has been in charge for more than 50 years. The Wall Street Journal reports that among the DPJ's goals are: "reevaluation (of) (sic) Japan's historically strong ties with the U.S. and explore greater regional alliances."
Stew's View:
This is a significant development - Japan has had a "self-defense force" as permitted by their constitution since the end of WW2. The US has treaties that obligate us to provide defense for Japan - yet we seem powerless to defend them against the occasional missile shot from North Korea. This coupled with strong domestic difficulties (economic issues, aging population, and miniscule birthrate) means that the DPJ has a strong mandate for change.
BTW, the first offensive deployment of Japanese forces since the end of WW2 was to support the US in Iraq.
This is a huge shift because the LDP has been in charge for more than 50 years. The Wall Street Journal reports that among the DPJ's goals are: "reevaluation (of) (sic) Japan's historically strong ties with the U.S. and explore greater regional alliances."
Stew's View:
This is a significant development - Japan has had a "self-defense force" as permitted by their constitution since the end of WW2. The US has treaties that obligate us to provide defense for Japan - yet we seem powerless to defend them against the occasional missile shot from North Korea. This coupled with strong domestic difficulties (economic issues, aging population, and miniscule birthrate) means that the DPJ has a strong mandate for change.
BTW, the first offensive deployment of Japanese forces since the end of WW2 was to support the US in Iraq.
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