July 4, 2008; Volume 04, Number 22
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Click here for a transcript of today's program
Welcome again. And Happy Fourth of July! I hope your celebration is going well today. We have a couple of interesting topics to cover again. This time from the Mobile Studio, parked at Iron Station, in our Neighbor to the North. You may hear the sound of gunfire in the background. No, we're not under attack. As far as I can tell. It's just the way they celebrate July 4th here abouts. Quite a sound!
This week we begin with a follow-up look at Japan's response to President Bush's decision to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Nothing very surprising. The real test of the significance of this issue is yet to come.
Then we shift to domestic politics, to consider a proposal recently made by LDP Upper House Member, Ichita Yamamoto. To change the rules under which an LDP president is elected. Yamamoto's proposal has received virtually no attention in Japan's political press. But I think it could well be important in the future. If, as I suspect, Yamamoto is raising the issue with the support of a larger number of reformers within the LDP. We have to review Junichiro Koizumi's experience back in 2001 to appreciate the potential of this issue.
Thanks for all of the e-mailed comments and suggestions. Again, you don't have to agree with my interpretations to have your e-mails read and taken seriously. I read each one. It's become impossible to respond individually to every note. But, even if you don't receive a reply, be confident that your effort isn't wasted. Send them to RobertCAngel@gmail.com. And click on over to the Japan Considered Website at www.JapanConsidered.Com for additional background on Japan's domestic politics and conduct of international relations.
