For those of us who can't yet read Japanese news articles, let's use this topic to discuss Japanese politics.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...efer=japan

It seems that Taro Aso's approval rating is plummeting, and Ichiro Ozawa's is rising.

For people living in Japan and up-to-date on local politics, I have some questions:

- What do Japanese people have to say about Taro Aso? How much longer is he likely to remain Prime Minister?

- How do the Japanese view the global recession? Who do they blame?

- How do the Japanese view George W. Bush, and how do they view Barack Obama in comparison? (I'm referring to all Japanese, not just those living in the city Obama.)

- How do Japanese people view same-sex marriage, abortion, and women in the workforce? Are there growing differences between generations, like in the US?

- Do the Japanese support the existence of the Royal Family? Is there a republican movement?

abdwef Wrote:For people living in Japan and up-to-date on local politics, I have some questions:

- How do the Japanese view the global recession? Who do they blame?

- How do the Japanese view George W. Bush, and how do they view Barack Obama in comparison? (I'm referring to all Japanese, not just those living in the city Obama.)

- How do Japanese people view same-sex marriage, abortion, and women in the workforce? Are there growing differences between generations, like in the US?

I have been away for a year but...

Japan has been in a recession for almost two decades so there probably isn't much outside blame.

I talked politics in class at an eikaiwa in Nara and the majority of students really dis-liked Bush so any change would seem to be good. Politics in Japan seem to be chaotic. The politicians drive around in a truck and campaign with a loud speaker blasting in all directions. It drove me nuts but students took it as natural.

Women in the workforce is an area that needs change.
My first job in Japan was as a factory worker in Shiga prefecture. I was the only English speaking employee ever to work in that factory and played charades alot getting information as my Japanese was not so good. It was never explained to me why but I was the highest paid line-worker there at 1200 yen per hour. The pay scale broke down by race and gender. The Japanese men were all section chiefs. I do not know what they got paid. The next highest paid were the Brazilian men at 1100 yen per hour. Next were Japanese and Brazilian women at 900 yen per hour. The lowest paid were Chinese of any gender. I was told they got 500 yen per hour but I think that is below minimum wage so I always questioned that.

I do MSN video chat with a Japanese friend who is a part-time teacher. She wants to be full-time but her administrator will not give it to her. He flat out told her she is 30 and will most likely quit when she finds a husband so he can not take a chance and give her a full-time position.

The older students would tell me that the younger generation was lazy and dis-respectful. This is the view of every culture through every generation though I think. Not unique to Japan.

bodhisamaya Wrote:

abdwef Wrote:Japan has been in a recession for almost two decades so there probably isn't much outside blame.

No it hasn't. The Japanese economy has been growing at around 2-3% since 2003. From the burst of the economic bubble in 1991 to 2002 it was either stagnant or grew slightly. Very rarely in the last 20 years, or in the last 60 years for that matter has the Japanese economy been in recession. In the last month, however, the government announced that the economy was in recession like most other developed countries.

abdwef Wrote:For those of us who can't yet read Japanese news articles, let's use this topic to discuss Japanese politics.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...efer=japan

It seems that Taro Aso's approval rating is plummeting, and Ichiro Ozawa's is rising.

For people living in Japan and up-to-date on local politics, I have some questions:

- What do Japanese people have to say about Taro Aso? How much longer is he likely to remain Prime Minister?

- How do the Japanese view the global recession? Who do they blame?

- How do the Japanese view George W. Bush, and how do they view Barack Obama in comparison? (I'm referring to all Japanese, not just those living in the city Obama.)

- How do Japanese people view same-sex marriage, abortion, and women in the workforce? Are there growing differences between generations, like in the US?

- Do the Japanese support the existence of the Royal Family? Is there a republican movement?

You're asking generalised questions about a very diverse country, but I'll try and answer some.

1) Aso was fine in the beginning as he looked like a "people's prime minister", what with the otaku and manga thing, but after a series of gaffs, including not being able to read certain kanji properly he is starting to look like a bumbling fool. A bit like George W Bush.

2) They view the recession in the same way as everyone else. As far as blame goes, hasn't it been agreed that over lending to sub-prime borrowers triggered this recession? Why would the Japanese be any different?

3) People's views on GWB are as diverse as any other country. I suspect many people view Obama as a mere curiosity.

4) Generally about as conservative as southern US with same-sex marriages. Very liberal with abortion. And many view that there is a lot of sex discrimination in the workforce, although more and more women are taking up jobs with higher responsibility.

5) Most people range from being generally fond of the royal family to completely indifferent. I did meet one man who hated them though. So, yeah, about as diverse as any other liberal democratic country.

bucko Wrote:No it hasn't. The Japanese economy has been growing at around 2-3% since 2003. From the burst of the economic bubble in 1991 to 2002 it was either stagnant or grew slightly. Very rarely in the last 20 years, or in the last 60 years for that matter has the Japanese economy been in recession. In the last month, however, the government announced that the economy was in recession like most other developed countries.

I haven't seen any statisics on it. That is just what Japanese friends tell me.

Quote:- How do the Japanese view George W. Bush, and how do they view Barack Obama in comparison? (I'm referring to all Japanese, not just those living in the city Obama.)

One opinion from someone I spoke to was that he thought GW is not a bad man but living in unlucky times, and the war was probably a mistake. On Obama, the thought is he looks very smart, and that change was needed, but at the same time Obama has a lot to prove, and don't expect miracles. But certainly he was happy about Obama winning over McCain.