Export thread

Japanese PM resigns

#1

Cajungal

Cajungal

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10211314.stm

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has announced his resignation after just eight months in office.

It comes after he broke an election pledge to move an unpopular US military base away from the island of Okinawa.

Mr Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is struggling to revive its chances in an election due in July.

He said he had also asked DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, who has been embroiled in a funding scandal, to step down to "revitalise" the party.

The centre-left DPJ's election landslide last year ended half a century of conservative rule in Japan.

Mr Hatoyama, 63, was Japan's fourth prime minister in four years. He will remain in office until a the DPJ meets on Friday to appoint a new leader who will almost certainly become prime minister.
Click to expand...
Just thought this was interesting.


#2

Frank

Frankie Williamson

That's the difference between you and me Japan, it takes an absolute, party crippling scandal to get our PMs to step down....sometimes.


#3

Cajungal

Cajungal

I thought the same thing. What if more leaders stepped down after screwing up and not fulfilling their promises? The turnover would make my head spin.


#4

drawn_inward

drawn_inward

A politician that has the decency to resign when campaign promises weren't kept. We would probably have 2 or 3 elected officials left in D.C. if they all followed suit.


#5

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

dr_awkward said:
A politician that has the decency to resign when campaign promises weren't kept. We would probably have 2 or 3 elected officials left in D.C. if they all followed suit.
Click to expand...
Your proposal interests me. Please continue.


#6



Element 117

4th prime minister in 4 years. Everyone talks about politicians leaving being a good idea, but consider your country's infrastructure in that power vacuum. Back on topic: Anyway you slice this, it's bad news for JPN in the short term.


#7

AshburnerX

AshburnerX

Honestly... considering how badly influenced their Diet is by the organized crime in their country, as well as by their country wide obsession with being the master race for humanity, I really don't think letting the first liberal PM leave is going to help them. At all. They need that left leadership to address some of the ass backwards policies and overt racism they have in Japan, ESPECIALLY the one where your not considered a full citizen unless your racial Japanese. Japan needs to face facts and accept that they need others if they want to be the world player they are aiming to be.

Edit: Ugh... Dave, you might want to put in the description that any post features from the Market are ALWAYS ON.


#8



Element 117

hard times bring change hot afoot


#9



RealBigNuke

AshburnerX said:
Honestly... considering how badly influenced their Diet is by the organized crime in their country, as well as by their country wide obsession with being the master race for humanity, I really don't think letting the first liberal PM leave is going to help them. At all. They need that left leadership to address some of the ass backwards policies and overt racism they have in Japan, ESPECIALLY the one where your not considered a full citizen unless your racial Japanese. Japan needs to face facts and accept that they need others if they want to be the world player they are aiming to be.
Click to expand...
I agree. Japan can't hope to grow with the system they have in place now. Literally - their population is shrinking, and their GDP must soon follow. No country is an island, even if your country is, well, an island.


#10

sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

I can't remember the exact number, nor can I find the info to back me up. But Italy went through 16 parliamentary elections in a short period of the 80's.


#11



Chibibar

RealBigNuke;393393][QUOTE=AshburnerX said:
Honestly... considering how badly influenced their Diet is by the organized crime in their country, as well as by their country wide obsession with being the master race for humanity, I really don't think letting the first liberal PM leave is going to help them. At all. They need that left leadership to address some of the ass backwards policies and overt racism they have in Japan, ESPECIALLY the one where your not considered a full citizen unless your racial Japanese. Japan needs to face facts and accept that they need others if they want to be the world player they are aiming to be.
Click to expand...
I agree. Japan can't hope to grow with the system they have in place now. Literally - their population is shrinking, and their GDP must soon follow. No country is an island, even if your country is, well, an island.[/QUOTE]

Heck the original Japanese wouldn't accept any other "full blood" Japanese that has been living in other country. then again, I can't say much for Chinese either. People in China will tolerate me ONLY because I'm a U.S. citizen if not that, I would be shunned by them (heck some of the time I'm shun BECAUSE I'm U.S. citizen)


#12

Terrik

Terrik

Really chibi? In my Asia experiences I've found Chinese to be the more tolerant of the bunch. I saw "Japanese only" signs In Japan, and get evil eyes from koreans for stepping into a restaurant but not so much frm Chinese. Everday After I go home from working at the Korean International school in Shenyang (China) I feel like a veil of hate has been lifted.

Back on topic, I was actually conting down the days for this resignation to happen. As soon as the now former PM said the relocation wasn't REALLY a promise I knew it was over


#13

Null

Null

Honestly, it was a rather silly promise to make. History shows that the Japanese government hasn't had tremendous success forcing out the United States Marine Corps.


#14

Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

Null said:
Honestly, it was a rather silly promise to make. History shows that the Japanese government hasn't had tremendous success forcing out the United States Marine Corps.
Click to expand...
Ooh-rah. :slywink:

On a more serious note, while I think it's a god thing that politicians should hold themselves accountable for their failures to deliver on campaign promises, I also agree with Amy that too much change creates too large of a power vacuum for them. Political turmoil without results does no-one any good. Especially Takahami-san schlubbing away, trying to earn enough for his family.


#15



Element 117

Frankly, I'd be perfectly happy if the us military removed all their presence from Japan. If Tokyo recreates the sdf into an actual army, that would forcibly push the country into high gear.


#16

Null

Null

That's a good idea, but unfortunately too much of the US' Pacific deployment is build around the availability of bases in Japan. Now, it's one thing for it to be negotiated and the US agree to withdraw. It looks like he promised results without really involving the US in the discussion.

As for the SDF into a real military, their gear is generally quite high quality. Individually, they are about as well armed as the average UK Armed Services personnel. But the manpower seems very limited and without either mandatory conscription or prohibitively expensive benefits, I don't know how they can increase their numbers. Either move could be disastrous for their relations with neighboring countries. From what I understand - and this may be outdated - China and the Koreas are not particularly pleased at the existence of the SDF.

Gearing up to a size-appropriate armed forces would revitalize their economy, certainly. But the costs of doing so in the short term might be catastrophic, and not merely in monetary terms.


#17



Element 117

Null said:
That's a good idea, but I don't know how they can increase their numbers.
Click to expand...


#18

Null

Null

Of course, this is Japan. What was I thinking?


#19

AshburnerX

AshburnerX

From what I'm told, Japan mainly views the SDF in the same way we view the National Guard in the US: People responsible for responding during disasters first, military actions secondly. In this regard, they are generally viewed positively. However, many areas also have a high resistance to having military bases in their area, as it brings back bad memories of Imperial Japan during the WWII era. They'll need to overcome that if they want to make the SDF into a proper fighting force.

However, none of this really matters. Japanese politics as they are, they'd never be able to get the resolution passed through the Diet. Even if they did, as the ONLY Nation in the World that has outright stated it will never pursue Nuclear arms (for obvious reasons), they will always be out-gunned by any enemy they face. That means Japan would lean heavily on our support in any large scale confrontation anyway.


#20

Null

Null

Plus, they whip out robots, someone else is gonna pull clones, and before you know it, it's all George Fucking Lucas.


#21



Chibibar

I forsee that Japan will produce the first sex/companions robots


#22



Element 117

Chibibar said:
I forsee that Japan will produce the first sex/companions robots
Click to expand...
you're about ten years behind the times in your foresight there, pal.

Mr. The_Hun, I see your point, but I think a SDF force could stand on its own, in small scale engagements. Also I think the reality of the global economies may have a role to play there, but who knows, as an armchair speculator I'm the worst. (That said, your avatar is suddenly hilarious.)


#23

Krisken

Krisken

Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.


#24

sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

The US, Korea, China, Singapore, Australia... etc are not ready for Japan to have a new military.


#25

Frank

Frankie Williamson

Germany's had a post WW2 army since 1955. DOUBLE STANDARD WORLD!


#26



Iaculus

Krisken said:
Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.
Click to expand...
That's not grounds for resigning, it's a job requirement.

... A moist, cephalopoid job requirement.


#27



Element 117

Iaculus;393849][QUOTE=Krisken said:
Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.
Click to expand...
That's not grounds for resigning, it's a job requirement.

... A moist, cephalopoid job requirement.[/QUOTE]

Icarus?


#28

sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

Frank said:
Germany's had a post WW2 army since 1955. DOUBLE STANDARD WORLD!
Click to expand...
But they are pretty much on the same footing as the SDF. To the point that they can not deploy outside their own borders.

Like when the US invades Iraq the last 2 times, I've seen several people complain that Japan and Germany are not pulling their weight and helping by sending forces. Then I have to remind them that their Constitutions (that the US wrote) do not allow them to deploy.


#29



Iaculus

B.T.;393864][QUOTE=Iaculus;393849][QUOTE=Krisken said:
Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.
Click to expand...
That's not grounds for resigning, it's a job requirement.

... A moist, cephalopoid job requirement.[/QUOTE]

Icarus?[/QUOTE]

Nah, that'd be the lolicon folder.

If you don't know what that is, don't bother looking it up. Your vestigial faith in humanity will thank me.


#30



Element 117

Iaculus;393880][QUOTE=B.T.;393864][QUOTE=Iaculus;393849][QUOTE=Krisken said:
Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.
Click to expand...
That's not grounds for resigning, it's a job requirement.

... A moist, cephalopoid job requirement.[/QUOTE]

Icarus?[/QUOTE]

Nah, that'd be the lolicon folder.

If you don't know what that is, don't bother looking it up. Your vestigial faith in humanity will thank me.
[/QUOTE]

I've talked with Shego at length. I know horrible horrible things.


#31



Iaculus

Figured as much - the warning was for anyone who read the post.


#32

Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Clearly the Emperor, descendant of Amaterasu, needs to reclaim complete control.


#33

Null

Null

This is true, and important. The way that Japan teaches 20th Century history, the Japanese Empire "intervened in the chaotic Asian mainland to restore peace". That is the truth, in the same way that saying "Vikings intervened across Europe to control population growth and redistribute wealth" is true.


#34

Baerdog

Baerdog

B.T.;393864][QUOTE=Iaculus;393849][QUOTE=Krisken said:
Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.
Click to expand...
That's not grounds for resigning, it's a job requirement.

... A moist, cephalopoid job requirement.[/QUOTE]

Icarus?[/QUOTE]
Those tentacles were very mature for their age, you have NO idea. They'd been through so much.


#35

Silver Jelly

Silver Jelly

Baerdog;396633][QUOTE=B.T.;393864][QUOTE=Iaculus;393849][QUOTE=Krisken said:
Well, at least he didn't resign due to tentacle porn.
Click to expand...
That's not grounds for resigning, it's a job requirement.

... A moist, cephalopoid job requirement.[/QUOTE]

Icarus?[/QUOTE]
Those tentacles were very mature for their age, you have NO idea. They'd been through so much.[/QUOTE]

Wait, we are talking about Icarus having sex with underage tentacle monsters??


#36

Silver Jelly

Silver Jelly

mr_thehun said:
great guys

now that we are talking about underage tentacle rape porn we are going to start attracting a bunch of sickos to the board
Click to expand...
:awesome:


#37

Krisken

Krisken

We're at the top of the google search list for Vocaroo Orgasm. I think tentacle porn aficionados is the least of our worries.


#38

Calleja

Calleja

"vocaroo" sounds like something an Ent would say...


Top