Regarding Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Robert G. Joseph (cf. <http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1235>), United States Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation (!), claimed at the press conference of the third of July that consensus among historians is that a-bombs saved not only the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the allied powers but also those of millions of Japanese ("米特使、「原爆使用が何百万人もの日本人の命救った」," 4 July 2007, <http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/0704/TKY200707040381.html>). I suppose he won't be resigning, let alone committing suicide.
Yuriko Koike, who replaced Fumio Kyuma, is a graduate of the School of Oriental Studies at the American University of Cairo, and she made a public criticism of the US venture in the Middle East -- rare in the LDP -- though she is a hawk on North Korea:
Two areas where Koike has concentrated much of
her attention are the Middle East and the Korean
Peninsula. She has called for a quick end to the war
in Iraq, and warns the United States is mistaken if it
thinks it can quickly bring democracy to that part of
the world.
"America's plan to democratize the Middle East is
extremely naive," she said. "Slow democratization is
best for regional peace. But America's plan is drastic.
It could destabilize countries like Egypt so they end
up like Algeria."
If Koike is dovish on the war in Iraq, she is one of the
fiercest hawks when it comes to a country much
closer to Japan.
For the past few years, she has been one of the Diet's
most trenchant critics of the North Korean regime,
supporting relatives of those who were abducted by
Pyongyang and calling on the Japanese government to
cut the flow of funds to North Korea by demanding that
no public money be used to bail out failed "chogin,"
Korean credit unions that are pro-Pyongyang.
"The root of the North Korea problem is money from
Japan," she said. "Japan, particularly the chogin, is North
Korea's purse, and the (pro-Pyongyang) group that opens
and closes the purse is the General Association of Korean
Residents in Japan (Chongryun)." (Eric Johnston, "Japan
Needs Spine to Stand Up, Cut Its Losers: Koike," 10 April
2003, <http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20030410b3.html>)
But she, like the rest of Japan's ruling establishment, is nevertheless committed to the same dumb American policy toward the Middle East: "Address by Yuriko Koike, Special Advisor to the Prime Minster for National Security Affairs, Japan," 9 December 2006, <http://www.iiss.org/conferences/the-iiss-regional-security-summit/the-manama-dialogue-2006/day-one-plenary-sessions/address-by-yuriko-koike>.
In her response to the November 2003 Mainichi questionnaire for House candidates, Koike said that Japan should consider nuclear armament depending on the state of the world: <http://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/aik4/2006-10-21/2006102102_03_0.html>. The JCP, ever pacifist, thinks that's a bad thing. It would be actually interesting, though, if Japan developed nuclear weapons and independent Middle East policy (without the former the latter would be probably impossible), except neither Koike nor any other LDP politician would do any such thing (nor would any left-wing party contemplate it). Japan's rulers are like the Kemalists of Turkey, and their nationalism is ultimately only directed against their neighbors and minority nations in their own country, not against Washington.
On 7/4/07, Jean-Christophe Helary <fusion at mx6.tiki.ne.jp> wrote:
>
> On 5 juil. 07, at 02:30, uvj at vsnl.com wrote:
>
> > Mr Abe now faces an uphill battle ahead of upper house elections on
> > 29 July,
> > after weekend opinion polls showed support for him had dropped to
> > under 30%.
>
> This does not say that the opposition's polls are raising.
>
> > A heavy defeat for the ruling coalition in the election could lead
> > to calls
> > from within his party for Mr Abe to resign.
>
> Obviously, but would the LDP loose the majority in parliament ?
The Asahi polls demonstrate profound political alienation: "自民、０４年より逆風 「年金選挙」１カ月前 世論調査," 5 July 2007, <http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/0704/TKY200707040458.html>. Both the LDP and the DP have declined. -- Yoshie