Volume 02, Number 21.

Click here for the audio file for this program.

Click here for a transcript of this program.

Thanks for joining me again today. We've got a long show. Lots going on in Tokyo that we must cover. We begin with some new offerings on the Japan Considered Project website. These include an excellent summary of a talk given by Professor Len Schoppa of the University of Virginia on May 31, 2006, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington D.C. The paper, entitled, "The 2006 Koizumi Succession in Historical Perspective," is in the "Occasional Papers" section of the site.

At the request of a listener, I provide what I hope are clear instructions on how to access the audio files for the program. Both for the IBM-PC and for the Mac.

Then we update Japan's relations with Mainland China and South Korea, and consider recent developments in preparations for Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Washington later this month.

The bulk of the program is taken up with consideration of developments in the LDP presidential race. Professor Schoppa provided us with information about the participation of LDP prefectural branches in the presidential election, details he learned from Professor Yukiko Amakawa of the Chiba Institute of Science during his visit to CSIS at the end of last month. Professor Amakawa is a friend and adviser for Shinzo Abe. Professor Schoppa provides the details of Professor Amakawa's contribution in his paper.

We conclude with notice of unexpected parliamentary developments in the committee considering the conspiracy crime law we have mentioned from time to time on this program. The DPJ, it seems, ended up refusing to debate their own bill. A lesson to us all.

As always, continue to send your comments and suggestions to me at RobertC.Angel@gmail.com. I read them all and take them into consideration when preparing future shows. And, look through the Japan Considered Project website for more specific information on the topics we cover in this program.