FROM THE EDITOR (SHIRAISHI Takashi)

CHRONOLOGY (September – October 2009)

HATOYAMA FACING ROUGH SEAS? (TAKENAKA Harukata)

Finally, a True Change of Government (INAMORI Kazuo)

The founder of Kyocera Corp. welcomes the victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in the August lower house election, setting the stage for a turnover of power from the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party, under which the political leaders teamed up with the bureaucrats in a defensive posture aimed at preserving the status quo. A change of government offers Japan the opportunity to cast off the shackles of the past and step forward as a new nation. (Bungei Shunjû, October 2009)

A Golden Opportunity for the Japanese Economy (SAKAKIBARA Eisuke)

As it seeks to revive the Japanese economy, the new DPJ administration can learn from the failed policies of the previous LDP administration, which spent huge sums on stimulus measures without making a significant difference. The problem was that the stimulus was not accompanied by moves to cut into the established economic structure. Japan needs economic policies that match the changing times, with a focus on regional economies, agriculture and services, and the expansion of domestic demand. (Bungei Shunjû, October 2009)

Time for a Mature Foreign Policy (TERASHIMA Jitsurô)

Under the LDP, the government continued to pursue foreign policy strategies based on a Cold War mind-set. Instead of putting its fate in the hands of the United States as if it were infallible, Japan should move actively to formulate and pursue its own post–Cold War foreign policy. While moving gradually to scale back the US military presence here, Japan should encourage constructive engagement by the United States in East Asian affairs. (Bungei Shunjû, October 2009)

Starting Point for a Transformation (KITAOKA Shin’ichi, MIKURIYA Takashi)

The massive victory of the DPJ in the August election represented a tectonic shift in the political world, linked to a rejection of LDP-style authoritarianism and opportunism. It may even be the starting point for a transformation of Japanese society as a whole. Unlike the Liberal Democrats, who ended up acting as if they would be in control forever, the DPJ should focus on producing visible results during the four-year term of the current members of the lower house. (Chûô Kôron, October 2009)

The End of Two Eras (SASAKI Takeshi)

It is perhaps no coincidence that the collapse of LDP power came just as Japan was losing its position as the world’s second-biggest economy. The LDP’s approach to economic policy had ceased to produce growth, and people lost their faith in its ability to govern. The time has come for Japan to face up to the harsh reality of its current situation. We need a wise government that will make good use of the resources at the nation’s disposal. (The Nikkei, September 2009)

Hatoyama Launches His Administration

CHARTING JAPAN’S ECONOMIC FUTURE

Shortcomings in the DPJ’s Economic Policy (NARIAI Osamu)

Japan as Number Three (KOJIMA Akira)

A SOCIETY BLIGHTED BY DRUGS AND DESPAIR (KONDÔ Motohiro)

Stop the Suicides (TADA Yôhei)

More than 30,000 Japanese kill themselves every year. While the suicide rate among those in middle age and above seems to have plateaued, the number of young people taking their own lives is still rising. Many think suicide results primarily from depression, but the causes are more complex. Fortunately local governments are now undertaking various initiatives aimed at preventing suicide. (Ekonomisuto, September 22, 2009)

Psychoanalyzing “Drug Paradise” Japan (SAITÔ Tamaki)

Recently there has been a rash of incidents involving the use of illegal drugs by college students and celebrities in Japan. The spread of the Internet and mobile phones has made it easier for people to buy drugs, and the threshold to entry into the world of narcotics and the like has clearly been lowered. It is necessary to drive the buying and selling of drugs underground to limit the number of people falling prey to them. (Chûô Kôron, October 2009)

CULTURE

The Need for Greater Creativity (AOKI Tamotsu, TSUJII Takashi)

Tsujii, pen name of the poet, novelist, and businessman Tsutsumi Seiji, rues the current state of Japanese culture in a dialogue with the (then) commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. He notes that students in China now speak Japanese more properly than young people in Tokyo and Osaka. Meanwhile, the suppression of regional dialects has impoverished the Japanese language. Tsujii and Aoki agree that the educational system is failing to teach about art and culture. (Bunkachô Geppô, no. 489)

VOICES OF JAPAN

Healing Old Wounds with Manga Diplomacy (ISHIKAWA Yoshimi, interviewed by KÔNO Michikazu)

WAR RESPONSIBILITY

Peace Advocates Fail to Deliver (Yomiuri Shimbun War Responsibility Reexamination Committee)

Chapter 11 of the book From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor: Who Was Responsible? (The Yomiuri Shimbun, 2006). Based on a series of articles in the daily Yomiuri Shimbun, this book examines the responsibility for Japan’s taking the path to war first with China and then with the United States.