FROM THE EDITOR (IWAO Sumiko)

CHRONOLOGY (March – April 2006)

POLITICAL CURRENTS

How the LDP Survives (KABASHIMA Ikuo, Gill STEEL)

The Misconstrued Shift in Japan’s Foreign Policy (SOEYA Yoshihide)

MONETARY POLICY

An End to Five Years of Quantitative Easing (NARIAI Osamu)

INEQUALITY AND THE MARKET ECONOMY

Repositioning the Economic Policy Debate (KOBAYASHI Keiichirô)

Now that the economy is enjoying a long-awaited recovery, people have started focusing more on issues like “fairness” in the distribution of wealth and safety in transportation and construction. There is growing sentiment that it would be better to aim for a fair society than to pursue structural reform that seeks efficiency above all. But the key requirement is to ensure the sustainability of the market economy by addressing market failures. (Ronza, March 2006)

Straight Thinking About the Income Gap (OHTAKE Fumio)

It is a fact that the gap among household incomes in Japan has been increasing over the past three decades, but the primary reason is the aging of the population. In an era of deregulation and technological innovation, it is easy for income gaps to emerge. It is necessary to establish a sturdy social safety net while taking care not to sap people’s incentive to get ahead by adapting to change. (Ronza, April 2006)

JAPAN IN ASIA

Reemerging Japan and Its Regional Role (Bill EMMOTT, TANAKA Naoki)

Emmott, the recently resigned editor in chief of the Economist, declares that Japan needs to find a way to increase political and economic integration with Asia in a way that does not contradict integration with the United States. Noting that Yasukuni Shrine continues to engender international discord, he suggests that the ideal solution would be to renationalize it and harmonize with government policy. (Chûô Kôron, April 2006)

CARRYING ON THE CHRYSANTHEMUM THRONE (TAKASHINA Shûji)

Imperial Succession: Reform Still Needed (KASAHARA Hidehiko, as told to MINAMIYAMA Takeshi)

After it was announced in February that Princess Akishino (Kiko), consort of the emperor’s second son, was pregnant, Prime Minister Koizumi changed his mind about pushing for quick passage of a bill to revise the law regarding the imperial succession. But even if the princess gives birth to a boy, who would be eligible to take the throne, there is no guarantee that there will continue to be eligible male successors in the future. The law should be revised to allow female succession. (Chûô Kôron, April 2006)

Don’t Tamper with the Imperial House Law (WATANABE Shôichi, MOMOCHI Akira)

Last year an advisory council recommended adoption of a system of absolute primogeniture for the imperial succession, allowing for both reigning empresses and succession through female lines of descent. But Japan should not rush to change the rules. There have been succession crises any number of times in the past, and each time people found the wisdom to deal with them while preserving the venerable tradition of male-line succession. (Voice, January 2006)

Why Female-Line Succession Won’t Do (NITTA Hitoshi)

Tanaka Takashi, known as an authority on Japan’s ancient history, has argued that there is nothing wrong with allowing succession to the imperial throne through female lineage. But the historical evidence that he cites in favor of this position is poorly grounded. And he fails to even note the existence of a crucial question: If ancient principles allow succession through a female line, why has there not been a single example of this in the record of Japan’s 125 sovereigns? (Shokun, April 2006)

APPRECIATING JAPANESE CULTURE

Japanese Literature as a Bridge for the World (Donald KEENE, interviewed by OZAKI Mariko)

For over half a century Donald Keene has written and taught about Japanese literature. Previously it was common for Western observers to look at it as no more than a branch of Oriental literature, but thanks to his work, now people around the world are studying it in its own right. A personal friend of Japan’s leading postwar authors, Keene was especially impressed by Shiba Ryôtarô, who had a deep aversion to the sort of nationalism that pits culture against culture. (Voice, March 2006)

KEYS TO THE JAPANESE MIND

Edo Screen Painting in Context (TAMAMUSHI Satoko)