May 19, 2006. Volume 02, Number 19.

Click here for audio file for today's program.

Click here for a transcript of today's program.

Thanks for tuning in again today, and for your interest in Japan's domestic politics and international relations. As I do each Friday, today I'll offer you some interpretation and analysis of events in Japan's political and international news.

This week we consider encouraging developments in Japan's relationship with the People's Republic of China, with some of my thoughts on how Japan's behavior as an international actor has chanced since the 1950s.

Then we review Ichiro Ozawa's debut at Diet "Question Time" as leader of the main Opposition Party, the DPJ. I give you some background on Opposition party boycotts -- and threats of boycotts -- of parliamentary debate since the 1950s. How has it worked in the past? Will the DPJ under Ozawa employ the same tactic in the near future in dealing with the LDP? And how will Japan's political news media evaluate the effort if he does? All questions worthy of consideration now, I think.

During the program I mentioned the recent Japan Considered interview with Dr. James E. Auer, director of the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies and Cooperation at Vanderbilt University. Click here to read and listen to that interesting interview.

I also mentioned a valuable resource Dr. Leonard Schoppa of the University of Virginia sent us last week. A chart of the history of the LDP's factions from 1959 to present. This too is a valuable contribution to our Occasional Papers section. You can access it directly by clicking on this paragraph, or in the Japan Considered Website's "Occasional Papers" section.

Also mentioned in the program was the video file of the "Question time" debate between Prime Minister Koizumi and DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa. You can access that file with a click on this paragraph.