Shinjiro Koizumi: Japan Must Have Drastic Change

Shinjiro Koizumi Son Of Former PM Junichiro Koizumi

The Japanese public’s top pick to become the next prime minister says the country’s not ready for the scale of change he thinks it needs.

Shinjiro Koizumi, the 38-year-old son of popular former premier Junichiro Koizumi, consistently leads polls asking who should succeed long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. 
As the most prominent member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s new guard, he wants quick reforms to manage the country’s rapidly ageing population.

“If you look at Japan now, people don’t want to change much,” Koizumi said in an interview at his offices in Tokyo Wednesday.

“They don’t have big dreams, but they don’t have a sense of crisis either,” he added. “But it’s no good for this country to stay as it is. What this country needs more than anything is change. Not just change, but rapid change.”

Even though the younger Koizumi has never held a cabinet post and limits his media exposure, he is seen by many as the future of the ruling party due to his charisma, clean image and a resemblance to his father. The ex-premier enjoyed immense popularity during most of his five-year run in office and was known for his willingness to stir up the stodgy LDP.

But that doesn’t mean the public’s completely on board with his agenda yet, Koizumi said.
Koizumi heads an LDP panel on social security, which last month published a “vision” for reforms to tackle what Abe has called the national crisis of Japan’s demographics. The population is set to slump by almost a third by 2060, by which time about 40 percent of Japanese will be aged 65 or over, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

In a bid to rein in the ballooning debt fueled by the developed world’s fastest ageing population, Abe’s government is set to raise the sales tax to 10% in October from the current 8%. Koizumi declined to comment on whether he agreed with the plan, saying only: “it has been decided.”

Rather than calling for higher taxes or lower payouts in its report, Koizumi’s panel urged a re-evaluation of the concept of the working-age population. Older people should be encouraged to stay in the labor force beyond the traditional retirement ages of 60-65, becoming contributors to the social security system, rather than burdens on it, the report says.

“We have to correct that huge imbalance between those who are supporting social security and those who are being supported by it,” Koizumi said. Specific measures should include changing a tax system that gives precedence to housewives over working women, and offering health-maintenance incentives.

Koizumi speaks English fluently, which is rare in Japan’s political world. He earned a master’s degree in political science at Columbia University, and served as a secretary to his father before taking over his parliamentary seat in 2009 in the port city of Yokosuka, home to the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

A poll by Jiji Press in March found Koizumi was the most popular choice to succeed Abe, with 24.4% of respondents opting for him. In second place was former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba on 18.9%.

“My field of vision has always been international, rather than domestic,” he said. “With the falling population, the domestic market is shrinking. When I was head of the party’s agriculture panel, I said Japan’s farmers shouldn’t look at the 100 million-strong internal market, but must sell to the 10 billion-strong global market.”

The need to expand export markets was why he supported Japan joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade deal at a time when it was anathema to many lawmakers in the LDP, which has strong ties to farming groups opposed to opening up agricultural markets.
“We were a tiny minority in the party. Can you imagine how much we were criticized?” he said. “But we can’t make do just with our own shrinking market, we need to face up to the world.”

After President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the TPP soon after his inauguration, the 11 other members including Japan went ahead without the U.S. to forge a successor deal.
Despite that strong public support and four consecutive election victories, Koizumi is seen as too young for the top job by Japanese standards. Abe was queried about his youth when he embarked on his first stint as premier at age 52.

Koizumi’s rivals to succeed Abe are now mostly in their sixties. And it may not be over for the premier, whose current term ends in September 2021. Some in his party have called for a change in the rules to allow him to run for a fourth consecutive term, though polls show voters oppose the idea.

Bloomberg

Miyazaki Quakes Raise Awareness Of Nanakai Trough

Japan Meteorological Agency Graphic Of Nankai Trough

The Central Disaster Prevention Council is urging reinforced countermeasures against a huge Nankai Trough earthquake in light of the recent activity along the trough in the last week.

Since Friday there have been a total of 7 earthquakes in the trough area near the Miyazaki coastline. The quakes have ranged in magnitude from 6.4 to 3.8.  Other quakes have occured since Tuesday in Kochi Prefecture on the island Shikoku, the bay of Hiroshima and in the Tokai bay off the coast of Southeast Aichi Prefecture.  These quakes ranged from 3 to 4.5.

Part of a review of disaster prevention steps based on the Act on Special Measures Concerning Countermeasures for Large-Scale Earthquakes has been underway since Saturday. 
 

The government is to review measures to send out disaster management information, which are in place based on the assumption that such a powerful earthquake is predictable. In the report, Shizuoka and Kochi prefectures, as well as the Chubu economic region centered in Nagoya, are selected as model areas, with discussion about specific disaster prevention measures. 

While there is no specific mention of reviewing the Act on Special Measures Concerning Countermeasures for Large-Scale Earthquakes itself, it states that disaster prevention steps should be reviewed on the grounds that "it is not possible to predict an earthquake with a high degree of certainty." 

In addition, there are four scenarios of a major earthquake occurring. These are: 1) a huge tremor occurring east of the hypocentral region of a major Nankai Trough earthquake; 2) a magnitude 7 earthquake occurring in the same hypocentral region; 3) observation of changes such as a decrease in the number of quakes -- as was the case before the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011; 4) and observation of ominous "sliding plates" that would suggest a Tokai tremor is imminent. 

In the case of 1) and 2), the probability of additional quakes occurring becomes higher, therefore making it necessary to consider evacuating residents in advance and other measures. In addition, in the case of 3), "it is not possible to determine whether this will lead to a major tremor," and therefore it is judged that prior evacuation measures are not possible. 

On the other hand, in the case of 4), the prime minister is supposed to issue warning statements in accordance with the Act on Special Measures Concerning Countermeasures for Large-Scale Earthquakes -- asking residents to evacuate in advance as well as halting public transport services. 

However, it has been pointed out that it is not possible to judge the extent to which an earthquake occurring has become more likely. But administrative bodies need to be on alert, but at the same time it is difficult to ask residents to evacuate in advance.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said yesterday, "We need to hurry ahead with these disaster prevention measures." In particular, disaster countermeasures in cases 1), 2) and 4) need to be revised. 

With regard to local authorities that have been selected as model districts in the report, aspects such as the kinds of residents who should be evacuated in advance, the length of the evacuation, and evacuation areas will be discussed. Based on this, local authorities will draw up guidelines relating to disaster prevention in their respective areas. 

Since the 6.4 quake in Miyazaki on Friday morning the latest aftershock earthquake occurred today at 7:20am in Hyuga Bay off the coast of Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture with a magnitude of 3.7.  There were no reports of damage or injury.

Miyazaki And Kyushu Still Shaking From Aftershocks

Miyazaki Prefecture Crews Inspect Sinkhole From 4.2 Quake

Today Miyazaki has experienced three aftershock earthquakes of 3.9, 4.2, and 4.9.  These have also affected nearby prefectures of Oita, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Fukuoka.  Damage was reported by several buildings in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, and Kobayashi all in Miyazaki Prefecture.  A sink hole formed in Miyazaki City from a 4.2 quake that hit the area at 11:15 this morning.  No injuries were reported in any of the quakes.

Seizmology experts at Kyushu University are concerned about detected activity at the volcanoes Shnimoedake, Aso, and Sakurajima.  It has been 2 weeks since Aso erupted, six months since an eruption at Shinmoedake, and Sakurajima has had level 3 warnings for the last year.

The Japan Meteorological Agency office in Miyazaki is advising people affected by the earthquakes in southwestern Japan to remain on the alert for more tremors.

Agency official, Masaki Nakamura, spoke to reporters after the last quake (4.9) rocked Miyazaki Prefecture and the surrounding areas this afternoon.

Nakamura warned that quakes with intensities of up to 5-minus on the Japanese intensity scale of zero to seven could follow over the next week. He added that extra caution is advised for the next two to three days.

He called on residents to stay on the alert, as the quake may have increased the risk of rock falls and landslides in hard-hit areas, and volcanic activity as well.

Nakamura said the earthquakes occurred at a plate boundary beneath the sea. He warned that a tsunami could hit coasts if a quake with a bigger intensity occurs in the same area.

Nakamura added that the focus the quakes could be located in an area along the Nankai Trough that is expected to trigger a mega-quake. But he said the agency did not issue an alert notifying residents of the increased risk of a mega-quake.

He explained that the scale of the quake did not meet the government's criteria for conducting a survey to examine if the possibility of a mega-quake has risen.

Sankei Miyazaki

6.4 Earthquake Strikes Off Miyazaki Coast

Inspectors of JR Kyushu Check Rail Line

 An earthquake hit off the coast of Kyushu off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture. No tsunami warning was issued and there are no reports of injuries or damage.
 
According to the Miyazaki Nichi-nichi Newspaper, the quake struck at 8.48 a.m. local time, with its epicenter off the coast of Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture at a depth of 20 km in the Hyuga Coastal Bay.

The quake did cause the delay of airline travel at Miyazaki City and local private airports. Rail travel was halted for an hour throughout the prefecture as JR Kyushu, Hyuga Railway, and Nichinan Lines checked lines and equipment.

The Japan Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 6.4.

2020 Olympics Minister Resigns Disparaged Fukushima Victims

Olympics Minister Sakurada Resigns

 

 Japan's Olympics minister Yoshitaka Sakurada resigned Wednesday after coming under increasing pressure over a series of gaffes -- in the latest, saying politics is "more important" than the recovery of the country's northeastern region devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. 

"I felt I had to take responsibility and submitted my resignation" to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Sakurada, who was in charge of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games to be hosted by Tokyo, told reporters. 

Abe virtually sacking the 69-year-old is a setback to his administration seeking to showcase the Tokyo Games as a symbol of Japan's recovery from the disaster that led to the Fukushima nuclear crisis. 

After accepting his resignation letter on Wednesday night, Abe then publicly apologized for appointing Sakurada as the Olympics minister. 

"As prime minister, I'd like to apologize to people in the disaster-stricken area for the remarks (made by Sakurada)," Abe told reporters. "I bear responsibility for having appointed him." 

"We need to straighten up and make sure we can run the event without a problem," a senior Japan Olympic Committee official said. 

In mid-March, the head of the committee, Tsunekazu Takeda, said he will step down when his current term ends in June, as he is under investigation by French authorities for alleged bribery related to Tokyo's successful bid for the Tokyo Olympics. 

Sakurada's resignation comes less than a week after a senior vice minister at the land ministry, Ichiro Tsukada, was forced to quit following comments suggesting he had acted in the interests of Abe's constituency over a road project. 

Sakurada is the eighth Cabinet minister to resign since Abe returned to power in 2012. As Abe's Liberal Democratic Party gears up for a series of elections through July, the prime minister's decision to oust Sakurada from the government is seen as a damage-control effort. 

Former Olympics minister Shunichi Suzuki, 65, will replace Sakurada, according to a government source. 

At a fund-raising party in Tokyo for an LDP lawmaker from the northeastern region, Sakurada said the lawmaker, Hinako Takahashi, is "more important than the (region's) recovery." 

The remarks came on top of earlier ones that had already prompted opposition parties to step up calls on Sakurada to step down. 

In February, he said he was "very disappointed" over swimming gold medal hopeful Rikako Ikee's diagnosis of leukemia -- a comment on the potential absence of the star from the Tokyo Games that elicited a huge backlash. 

Sakurada, while attending a parliamentary session, also said he has heard of the Olympic Charter but has never read it. 

In March, reflecting his lack of knowledge about the situation in the northeastern region, Sakurada said traffic was smooth on highways linking the Tohoku and Kanto areas in 2011 even as they were indeed damaged by the disaster. 

Sakurada, first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, then called the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit prefectures, "Ishimaki" more than once during a parliamentary session on Tuesday. 

Opposition party leaders and residents in the northeastern region view his resignation as a natural turn of events. 

Yukio Edano, who heads the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said his latest remarks are "unbelievable." 

"The remarks are those that hurt people affected by the disaster," Edano told reporters. "The responsibility now lies with Prime Minister Abe who has continued to defend Mr. Sakurada."

"We are still halfway toward the recovery" said Shigeru Yamazaki, a 70-year-old resident in Iwate Prefecture, who just resumed his clothing business in February after his shop was destroyed by the tsunami eight years ago. 

"There are many people who are still struggling. His resignation won't settle everything," Yamazaki said. 

Senior officials from the Tokyo metropolitan government said they are concerned the remarks could undermine the image of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics. 

"The comments are beyond acceptable and it's unthinkable for someone representing the nation to say such things," a senior metropolitan government official said. 

Asahi

Japan Prepares For Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is coming to Japan and will be played in the cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Sapporo, Toyota, Osaka, Kobe, Fukuoka, and Oita.

The opening ceremony and match will be held in Tokyo on  September 20, and the final match will be November 2 in Yokohama.

To view the schedule click the link below.  It is a printable and downloadable pdf.

2019 Rugby World Cup Schedule

Emperor Naruhito Will Face Challenges

Emperor Naruhito

Whatever the future may hold for the new era under Emperor Naruhito, it’s clear that the majority of Japanese remain supportive of the imperial family and the sense of national unity the Chrysanthemum Throne provides.

However, the real test of the symbolic strength of the emperor and his family could well be how the imperial household fares when it comes to promoting Japan’s image and interests overseas.

While the new emperor and empress will be more than capable of serving as Japan’s ultimate ambassadors abroad, they will have to overcome considerable hurdles at home before they can realize their full potential as great diplomats.

Like Britain, Spain and Denmark, Japan too has a constitutional monarchy in which the sovereign has no political power.

Still, when it comes to enhancing relations abroad, the royals can be an asset in otherwise tricky situations, especially in dealing with other countries that also have monarchies. They can also add an extra layer of reassurance as well as glamor to countries with which Japan maintains well-established ties.

For example, Japan’s imperial household has been an essential diplomatic tool in reaching out to the Saudi royalty and the sultan of Brunei. Saudi Arabia and Brunei are two countries with which Japan has significant economic interests and yet may find it challenging to see eye-to-eye politically.

Meanwhile, relations with Western European allies such as Belgium and the Netherlands have benefited from friendly royal relations, not least through eye-catching photo opportunities showcasing the elegance of monarchies.

The pomp accompanying the imperial household will be on full display for Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony on Oct. 22. Leaders and royalty from nearly 200 countries will be invited to take part in the festivities in Tokyo.

The real diplomatic challenge for the new emperor and empress, though, is whether they will have the opportunities and will to make full use of their own attributes.

After all, the Oxford- and Harvard-educated Empress Masako was a career diplomat before she married Emperor Naruhito, while he too studied at Oxford and has publicly declared his two years there as one of the happiest times in his life.

Both are certainly more than up to the task of being part of Japan’s soft-power strategy, and while they may not be as alluring as the duke and duchess of Cambridge or the king and queen of Spain, they could no doubt contribute to adding more glamor to Japan on the global stage.

There are, however, three major hurdles at home for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to playing a greater role in imperial diplomacy. First and foremost, the fact that their only child cannot inherit the throne simply because she is a female will only be highlighted as the question of succession and will invariably remain an issue.

Without changes to the succession rules, the 17-year-old Princess Aiko will never become empress and will actually relinquish her royal title after marriage.

Instead, her cousin, 12-year-old Prince Hisahito, who is the son of Emperor Naruhito’s brother, is in line to the throne. Gender equality is guaranteed by law and Japanese women are as well-educated as men.

Perhaps most importantly, it is apparent that Emperor Naruhito is a loving husband and a doting father, and incredibly protective of both his wife and daughter. Yet such facts are likely to be eclipsed by the fact that there is such blatant gender discrimination within the imperial household.

The second obstacle for imperial diplomacy remains the Imperial Household Agency itself. The fact that Empress Masako suffered from stress-related disorders as a result of pressures to adapt to imperial rules is evident.

In her new role there will be more public duties for Empress Masako to attend and she will be less able to sit out highly visibility functions both at home and abroad.

Whether there will be greater flexibility and tolerance on the part of the rule-makers to allow Empress Masako to be able to take on those roles without any emotional turmoil remains to be seen.

Finally, the challenge of Japan being able to improve relations with its immediate neighbors, particularly South Korea, will continue to be an issue for the imperial family.

This is not least due to the fact that Japanese aggression was virulent across Asia during the reign of Emperor Naruhito’s grandfather, Emperor Showa.

That said, his son, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, was personally committed to expressing remorse about Japan’s wartime past and offering condolences across the Asia-Pacific, especially in the Pacific islands.

Expectations for Emperor Naruhito to carry on his father’s legacy on the one hand, while navigating the evolving political minefield of reaching out to former occupied countries on the other, will continue to be a balancing act for the new sovereign with no end in sight.

Whether the emperor will be able to meet those expectations remains to be seen. What is clear at this juncture is that there is no end to the list of issues Emperor Naruhito could tackle in his new role at home as well as abroad.

Ryo Hasegawa