Democratic Party of Japan New Leader Election Today

(Update: The last one, Minister of Agriculture Kano, just finished his speech. Well-rehearsed, totally irrelevant in today's Japan, IMHO. Mabuchi made the most sense, and so he won't get the vote. The worst two were Kaieda and Maehara; if either of them ends up getting the majority vote to become the next Prime Minister, oh boy, it's bleak.)



(Update: Kaieda spoke in an agitated manner, incoherent speech. So that's what Ozawa backs - someone who's hapless. Makes sense, just look at the former PM Hatohama, dubbed "space alien". Now Minister of Finance Noda is speaking. Much calmer, focused.)



(Update: The meeting is live on the net. Right now, Kaieda is speaking. Nothing worthy of mentioning. Sumio Mabuchi, who has the least number of supporters, seems to have impressed many net viewers for his forthright message of the first thing first - tackle the Fukushima nuke plant and recover from the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuke accident.)



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The members of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will elect the new leader for the party (who will then become the prime minister) in the early afternoon on August 29, JST.



The meeting of 398 DPJ members of the Diet has just started in Tokyo. The candidates are to give 15-minute speech to the audience before the voting.



The majority vote is necessary to determine the winner. If there is no majority winner in the first round of voting, then they vote on the top two in the first round.



The first round of voting will start around 12:20PM, and the tally will be in by 1PM. If the second round is necessary, it will start about 1:20PM after the top two in the first round tries to convince more voters to vote for them. By 2PM, we will know who will be the new DPJ leader and the next prime minister.



Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda is the front-runner to succeed the outgoing PM Kan. Minister of Finance Noda is considered second, followed by ex-Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara. None of them seems to have secured the majority vote (200).



If it is a popularity contest among the Japanese, ex-Foreign Minister Maehara would win, according to the Yomiuri poll, because he is not backed by the kingmaker Ichiro Ozawa and he is young (he's 49).



"It doesn't matter who's at the top, they're all the same" has been the attitude of most Japanese from the time immemorial. At the same time, they trust the government authority (yes, even today) and clamor for a strong leader to guide them.

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Democratic Party of Japan to Select New Leader, Ozawa Backs Kaieda

Prime Minister Kan finally steps down now that the renewable energy legislation has passed, the ruling party Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is going to hold an election to select the next party leader who will be the new prime minister of Japan.



The election is to be formally announced on August 27, and the voting will be on August 29, according to Jiji Tsushin (8/26/2011).



Jiji reports that there will be 5 candidates for the job. But it seems to boil down to two leading candidates backed by two warring factions within the DPJ.



On one side is Seiji Maeda, 49 years old former Minister of Foreign Affairs, backed by PM Kan and his faction. On the other, Banri Kaieda, 62 years old Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, backed by the faction led by Ichiro Ozawa and ex-PM Yukio Hatoyama, both of whom like to be the "king maker".



Banri Kaieda has been an unabashed proponent of nuclear power as the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry that oversees the nuclear industry in Japan.



5 candidates are:

• Seiji Maehara, age 49, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs

• Yoshihiko Noda, age 54, Minister of Finance

• Michihiko Kano, age 69, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

• Sumio Mabuchi, age 51, ex-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

• Banri Kaieda, age 62, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

Take your pick.

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Japan's Prefecture Assembly Chairpersons Want Prime Minister Kan to Resign

The National Association of Chairpersons of Prefectural Assemblies held its regular meeting on July 27 and passed the resolution demanding Prime Minister Naoto Kan to resign so that the trust in the government is restored.

Uh huh.

From Jiji Tsushin (7/27/2011):

全国都道府県議会議長会（会長・山本教和三重県議会議長）は２７日の定例総会で、東日本大震災で被災した岩手、宮城、福島３県の議長が共同提案した「菅直人首相の退陣を求める緊急決議」を賛成多数で採択した。

The National Association of Chairpersons of Prefectural Assemblies held its regular meeting on July 27 and passed the resolution by majority demanding Prime Minister Naoto Kan to resign. The resolution was jointly proposed by the chairpersons of the prefectural assemblies in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima which have been hit hard by the March 11 earthquake/tsunami disaster.

　決議では、震災や福島第１原発事故をめぐる首相の言動を「場当たり的な対応、一連の発言や行動は国民の政治に対する信頼を著しく損ねた」などと批判し、早期退陣を求めている。

The resolution criticizes the prime minister over his remarks on the earthquake/tsunami disaster and the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident for his "haphazard response, series of remarks and actions which have greatly impaired the trust of Japanese people in their government" and calls for his early resignation.

Prime Minister Kan shows no sign of resigning any time soon, once he duped the super-naive ex-prime minister Hatoyama and used him to destroy the momentum for the vote of no confidence (which was really set to pass with bi-partisan support). On the contrary, Mr. Kan says he's been so inspired by the win by the Japanese women's soccer team in the World Cup, and that he learned from the team "never to give up".

What's interesting about this mostly ceremonial resolution is that it was jointly proposed by the three prefectures where the national government's money (i.e. Japanese taxpayers' money) will rain in the government's effort to "recover and reconstruct" after the earthquake/tsunami/nuke accident. Fukushima is to become the radiation research capital of the world. Miyagi and Iwate are to become the "food factory" for the rest of Japan, with farming and fishing organized into some corporate structure, with people living in "ecotowns" created by shaving off the top of the mountains so that they are safe from tsunami. A grand vision, and the governors there, particularly the Miyagi governor, are thinking in the similar vein.

But their assembly chairpersons want PM Kan to go. That does not add up, does it? It looks more like another pressure tactic to get more of what they want, which is more money from the national government and sooner.

And if they really think PM Kan and the national government are alone in causing the trust in the government to erode fast in Japan, I don't know what to say.

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Post-Nuke Reconstruction Plan for Fukushima Prefecture: World-Class Radiation Medicine, Radiation Contamination Removal, Renewable Energy

When the governor of Fukushima started to say "post-nuke", I thought "OK, he must have found a new way to benefit from the close ties with the national government, other than nuke, or in addition to nuke."

According to Yomiuri Shinbun, the latest and final version of the Kan administration's plan for recovery and reconstruction after the March 11 earthquake/tsunami for Fukushima Prefecture will include a host of government research institutions going to Fukushima, with the related industries - heavy electric, utilities, pharmaceutical, etc. - tagging along.

Dr. Shunichi "100 millisieverts are no problem" Yamashita is already in Fukushima, salivating at the unique, world-first opportunity to study the long-term effect of radiation on children. Also, Fukushima University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, of Monju fame, have signed an agreement to cooperate in research and development of the world-class decontamination technology, among others. (Links are in Japanese.)

That the government research institutions rushing to Fukushima makes me wonder if the whole plan is one gigantic experiment using the land, water, air, people, animals, crops, forests and mountains in Fukushima to develop world-class technologies in radiation medicine and decontamination, and renewable energy that the government and the industries can later capitalize on.

Yomiuri Shinbun (3:03AM JST 7/27/2011)：

東日本大震災の復興に向け、政府が今月末に取りまとめる復興基本方針の最終案が２６日、明らかになった。

The final version of the recovery and reconstruction plan that the government was to submit by the end of this month was revealed on July 26.

原 発被害に苦しむ福島県に、医療や再生可能エネルギーにかかわる研究開発の拠点を整備し、政府系研究機関の関連部門の進出を進めることで復興を後押しする考 えを打ち出した。住宅の再建が難しい被災者には、低家賃の「災害公営住宅」を提供することも盛り込んだ。政府は２９日にも復興対策本部を開き、方針を正式 決定する。

The plan will include the research and development centers for health care and renewable energy in Fukushima Prefecture, which suffers damages from the nuclear plant accident. The government will support the recovery by sending the government research institutions to Fukushima. For residents who cannot rebuild their homes easily, the government will provide the "disaster public housing". The government will set up the headquarters for recovery and reconstruction on July 29, and formally decide on the plan.

　最終案では、原子力災害の復旧・復興について「国が責任を持って対応する」と明記。放射性物質に汚染された土壌の除染や災害 廃棄物の最終処分については、「必要な措置を講じる」とした。また、福島県に「世界をリードする医薬品・医療機器の研究開発拠点」や「再生可能エネルギー の世界最先端の研究拠点」を整備し、関連産業の集積を目指す考えを示した。自宅を失った被災者には「災害公営住宅」を提供し、希望する入居者には将来的に 売却する構想も盛り込んだ。

In the final version of the plan, it is clearly stated that "the national government will be responsible" in recovery and reconstruction from a nuclear disaster. As to the decontamination of the soil and the disposal of disaster debris, the plan says [the government] will "take necessary measures". It also mentions the creation of facilities for the "world-class pharmaceutical and medical equipment research and development" and the "world-class renewable energy research" in Fukushima Prefecture, which are to attract the related industries. For the residents who have lost their homes, the government will provide the "disaster public housing", which will be sold later to those who want to purchase the homes under the scheme.

So here's one answer to the question posed by a resident in the youtube video below that captured the confrontation between the Fukushima residents and the national government officials over evacuation:

"People in Fukushima have a right to avoid the radiation and live a healthy life, too. Don't you think so?"

Well, the government needs them inside Fukushima for all these grand projects. Besides, the government doesn't care about that right for anyone outside Fukushima either.

(h/t for the video, @FukushimaAppeal, @jamesballen)

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PM Kan: "Step 2 Will Be Brought Forward So That You Can Go Home"

"Extend and Pretend" continues in Japan, getting beyond delusional particularly in light of more evidence of widespread radiation contamination.

Prime Minister Kan, who survived the vote of no confidence and is determined more than ever to stay on (or dissolve the lower house and hold a general election with "beyond nuke" message, as some analysts have suggested, to appeal to the Japanese who are increasingly anti-nuke), now promises the 12 heads of the municipalities around Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant that completion of the "step 2" of the so-called "roadmap" will be expedited so that their people can go home.

What is the "step 2"? It is to bring the reactors to a "cold shutdown".

Don't laugh. And don't ask how they can bring three broken reactors which may not even have the fuel (or corium) inside to a "cold shutdown". Technically, a "cold shutdown" assumes a sound RPV and containment, not a RPV with a hole or two, Containment Vessel with a hole or two, and the reactor building top blown to smithereens. They will probably have to change the very definition of "cold shutdown" to claim they will have achieved the "cold shutdown".

Let's see, according to TEPCO, the Reactor Pressure Vessel's temperature for Reactor 1 is 102 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the RPV, the temperature for Reactor 2's RPV at the same place is 127 degrees Celsius. Reactor 3's RPV is hotter at 141 degrees Celsius at the water feeder. But just wait another 3, 4 months or so till the corium completely falls out of the RPVs and hopefully out of the Containment Vessel and deep into the concrete or substrate, so that the RPV's temperature drops down below 100. Call that a cold shutdown, and they're all set.

Yomiuri Shinbun (7/17/2011) reports:

菅首相は１６日、福島県郡山市内のホテルで、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の周辺１２市町村の首長らとの意見交換会に出席した。

Prime Minister Kan attended a meeting on July 16 at a hotel in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture to exchange opinions with the heads of the 12 municipalities surrounding Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

首相は、原発事故の収束までの道筋を示した「工程表」に関し、来年１月中旬までに原子炉を冷温停止状態とする「ステップ２」を前倒しで実現する考えを示した。　出席者によると、同席した細野原発相が、１７日が期限の「ステップ１」を「ほぼ達成できた」と報告し、首相は「多くの皆さんが故郷に帰れるように『ステップ２』を前倒しさせたい」と語った。

Regarding the "roadmap" to winding down the plant accident, the prime minister expressed his hope that the "step 2" will be achieved ahead of schedule. The "step 2" is to bring the reactors to a "cold shutdown" by the middle of January next year. According to the participants in the meeting, Minister in charge of the nuke accident Hosono reported that the "step 1", whose deadline was July 17, had been almost all successfully completed. The prime minister said "we want to achieve the "step 2" ahead of schedule so that many of you can go back to your homes."

また、首相が「脱原発」方針を私的な見解だったと閣僚懇談会や国会で説明したことに関し、脱原発を支持する首長から「本当にがっかりした」などと批判が出た。これに対し、首相は政府として見解を統一する意向を示したという。

Some expressed a huge disappointment at the prime ministers explanation in the cabinet meeting and in the Diet that his "beyond-nuke" stance was only his personal opinion. In response, the prime minister said his administration's unified view on the issue would be decided soon.

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Matsumoto Lasted 8 Days as Minister of Recovery and Reconstruction

Ryu Matsumoto, of Type-B blood and "Taurus", resigned on July 5.

Eight days as the Minister of Recovery and Reconstruction, all he did was to insult the governors of Iwate and Miyagi.

Thanks to Tohoku Broadcasting Co. who wasn't intimidated by this Minister's words and broadcast the news segment and thanks to the Internet users who spread the news video, he's gone. For now.

From Bloomberg (7/4/2011):

Japan’s disaster reconstruction minister quit a week into his job after publicly scolding the governor of a tsunami-devastated region, in the latest blow to embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s administration.

Ryu Matsumoto told reporters today in Tokyo that he had submitted his resignation to Kan, adding that he also quit as disaster prevention minister.

In a July 3 meeting with Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai, Matsumoto rebuked him for arriving late, then told him that unless there was a consensus in the prefecture regarding a rebuilding plan, “we won’t do anything.” Matsumoto then told the assembled press not to report the conversation. Video of the meeting has been posted on the Internet.

Opposition lawmakers called on Matsumoto, 60, to quit and criticized Kan’s judgment in appointing him to the newly created post. Kan is already under pressure from both the opposition and his own Democratic Party of Japan to step down over his handling of the March earthquake and tsunami that caused the biggest nuclear disaster in 25 years.

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Matsumoto's Excuse: "I Am from Kyushu and I have Type-B Blood"

Being criticized for his manner when he visited Tohoku, Ryu Matsumoto, Minister in charge of recovery and reconstruction for the Kan Administration, apologized to Tohoku people if "his words had hurt the feelings of people in the disaster area in Tohoku", and defended himself by saying:

"I'm from Kyushu. People from Kyushu talk tough."

"I have the Type-B blood, so I may be short-tempered."

And it looks some people in Kyusu and from Kyushu and some people in Japan with the Type-B blood are highly offended by the association. Japanese are 39% Type-A, 29% Type-O, 22% Type-B, and 10% Type-AB.

And no, he has no plan nor intention to resign.

If you read Japanese, go to this link to read his excuse.

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This Is the New Japanese Minister in Charge of Recovery and Reconstruction

Naoto Kan, after surviving the vote of no confidence thanks to Hatoyama's deluded decision to play "kingmaker", just does as he pleases these days without fear or worry. And that includes appointing this man as the minister in charge of recovery and reconstruction in the Tohoku region.

From Tohoku Broadcasting Company's news report:

(Announcer): Ryu Matsumoto, newly-appointed Minister in charge of recovery and reconstruction from the March 11 earthquake/tsunami, visited Miyagi Prefecture for the first time since the appointment. When he didn't see the governor waiting for him in the meeting room, the Minister got angry, and strongly rebuked the governor.

(Announcer): Here's Minister Ryu Matsumoto visiting the Miyagi prefectural government office. When he did not see Governor Murai in the room waiting for him, his countenance became severe.

(Matsumoto): He [the governor] should be here before me, and that's the proper way, isn't it?

(Announcer): A few minutes later, Governor Murai came in smiling, and offered his hand to the Minister for a handshake. The Minister refused. The atmosphere in the room immediately turned tense. After receiving the documents that detailed the requests [from Miyagi Prefecture], Minister Matsumoto told the governor in harsh words.

松本：（水産特区は）県でそれはコンセンサスを得ろよ。そうしないとわれわれ、何にもしないぞ。だからちゃんとやれ。今あとから自分は入ってきたけど、お客さんが来るときは、自分が入ってからお客さんを呼べ。いいか？　長幼の序がわかっている自衛隊ならそんなことやるぞ。わかった？　はい。しっかりやれよ。今の最後の言葉はオフレコです。いいですか？　皆さん。いいですか？　はい。書いたらもうその社は終わりだから。

(Matsumoto): [Regarding the special fishery zone, which the government is pushing and many local fishermen oppose] Get the consensus. Otherwise we won't do anything. Just do it. You came in after me, but when you greet a guest, be in here first and call in the guest. Understand? The Self Defense Force would do it because they have the sense of seniority. Got it? Do better than this. [Speaking to the news reporters in the room] Oh my last remark is off the record, understand? Everyone. Understand? If any of you dare write it, that will be end of your company.

(Announcer): This remark by Minister Matsumoto is likely to create a stir.

There is no way to convey the sense of what he said to the governor of Miyagi. Japanese language has several modes of speech from super-vulgar to super-polite. While there are English equivalents in more polite forms of speech, the base language used by him cannot be fully translated without adding extremely rude and vulgar interjections. For example, his first word to the governor would be more like "Get the consensus, you piece of sh-t."

Matsumoto's grandfather was the founder of the Buraku Liberation League, and Matsumoto still serves as the vice chairman of the organization. He is a multi-millionaire from the family business (general contractor in construction) and from, as some allege, the Buraku Liberation League money. The League by the way is mired in financial scandals.

During the early days of crisis after the March 11 earthquake, Matsumoto, who was (and still is) the Minister in charge of disaster countermeasures, allegedly hid in the Prime Minister's Residence, shaking in his boots. The initial delay and confusion in delivering aid to the Tohoku area (where he visited on July 3) was due to his panic and indecision. (from Japanese wiki entry)

Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano defended Matsumoto, saying "It was from his strong sense of duty and responsibility that he spoke that way." (from NHK Japanese)

The governor of Miyagi said "I'm sure Prime Minister Kan has appointed the best person for the job." (from NHK Japanese) The governor is a graduate of the National Defense Academy, and was an officer in the Self Defense Force before he ran for office.

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Japan's Kan Administration to Formally Push for Numbering the Citizens in a Program Called "My Number"

Never waste a good crisis. What better crisis than the March 11 triple-whammy of earthquake, tsunami, and a Level 7 nuke plant accident?

Japan's embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his administration have formally decided on their plan to assign a unique number for every single Japanese citizen so that they (the government) can smoothly manage and handle important individual information like income, public insurance, medical care, pension, and tax.

From the Asahi article below, they will also get information about bank accounts of the citizens.

It will be sold as a good, convenient thing in Japan, along with "large scale" wind farms and solar farms (key word is "large-scale"), "smart grid", and a host of other government initiatives (like "eco-towns" to be built by shaving off hills and mountains) after the quake/tsunami/nuke accident. More power and control to the government. Will the Japanese buy it?

From Asahi Shinbun (6/30/2011):

菅政権の政府・与党社会保障改革検討本部（本部長・菅直人首相）は３０日、国民一人ひとりに番号を割りふって所得や社会保険などの個人情報を管理す る「社会保障・税の番号制度」の大綱を正式決定した。番号の名称は「マイナンバー」で、２０１５年１月の導入を目指し、今年秋の臨時国会にも法案を提出す る。

The Kan Administration has formally decided on the framework to introduce "the numbering system for social security and tax", in which a unique number is assigned to each Japanese citizens to manage income and public insurance. The number will be called "My Number". The administration aims at introducing this numbering system in January 2015, and will submit the legislation during the extraordinary session of the Diet in autumn.

　共通番号は、消費税率を引き上げた後の低所得者対策に所得の正確な把握が不可欠になるとして、菅政権が「税と社会保障の一体改革」と共に制度設計してき た。一つの番号で様々な情報を結びつけることで、課税や給付の漏れを防いで公平感を高めたり、住民票など手続き時の書類を減らしたりする狙いがある。

The Kan Administration has been designing the system along with the tax and social security reform, in order to better assess the impact on low-income households after the consumption tax rate is raised. By tying various information to one common number for a citizen, the government can increase the sense of fairness among citizens in taxation and distribution of public benefits. The number may be used to reduce the paperwork when registering the domicile.

　共通番号を使うのは、年金、医療、介護保険、福祉、労働保険、税務の６分野。このほか東日本大震災のような大災害時には、預金の払い戻しや保険金支払いなどにも使えるようにする。１８年をめどに利用分野の拡大も検討する。

The numbers will be used in pension, medical care, assisted living care, welfare, workers insurance, and tax. It will be also used for deposit withdrawal and insurance payout at the time of a disaster like the March 11 earthquake/tsunami. The government will consider expansion of the use of the numbers by 2018.

OK.. Benefit for the citizen: sense of fairness, ability to withdraw money from the bank when disaster strikes. Benefit for the government: information on bank accounts, income, tax, where the citizen lives.

They don't even bother to translate "My Number", pronounced in Japanese as "ma-i nan-bah" into Japanese. I'm not sure whether all Japanese know what "my" is and what "number" is, but that's precisely the point, probably. If you tell them exactly what it is in Japanese, there may be some who will say "Wait a minute...".

"Oh don't worry the government already has our numbers anyway, just the matter of putting all those numbers together, what's the big deal? Nothing is private any more in this day and age" would be the comment from the defenders of "My Number", I am assuming.

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Japan's PM Kan Survives Vote of No Confidence and Stays On

Thanks to the last-minute maneuver by the ex-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (aka "space alien") who says he has persuaded Kan to step down once the recovery and reconstruction from the March 11 earthquake is well on its way.

Bummer. The vote of no confidence was set to pass, until Hatoyama decided he wanted to be a king-maker. Ichiro Ozawa, who an increasing number of Japanese feel should be the PM to deal with the current crisis, was betrayed by Hatoyama, who had promised Ozawa that his faction would vote for no confidence.

I don't know why anyone still listens to Hatoyama, who was one of the most ineffectual PMs that Japan had, in my opinion, until Kan came along. Good pedigree and tons of money count, I suppose.

Many people in Japan have said it is no time to fool around with politics when the country is in crisis. So? This particular government hasn't done much anyway, other than giving press conferences. People are still living in shelters, without enough running water or food. The government doesn't do anything about Fukushima I Nuke Plant; TEPCO does. Besides, this was the country that went on to hold nationwide local elections soon after the quake/tsunami and Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident when people were still very much shaken and not in the right frame of mind.

Getting rid of this Prime Minister and his cronies in his office and in the administration would have been a fresh start.

More about → Japan's PM Kan Survives Vote of No Confidence and Stays On