Friday, August 3, 2007

August 3, 2007. Volume 03, Number 27

Click here for the audio file of this program.

Click here for a transcript of this program.

Greetings from the Mobile Studio again. Back home on Tuesday, if all goes as planned. Things then will return to normal. Well, closer to normal. At least until classes start at the University on the 23rd.

Speaking of classes, this semester our Japan domestic politics class will have a great time watching the aftermath of Sunday's Upper House election. As predicted, the LDP lost -- and Lost Big. For the first time since the Party's creation in 1955, it no longer is the largest single party in both houses of the Diet. Now, that matters.

This week on the program I'll consider what happened, why it happened, and some of the consequences. This is a big subject, and will take at least one or two more programs to complete. But first things first. What happened? And what Didn't happen? And why?

Thanks for your attention to the Japan Considered Podcast.

RCA