Japan Aff Michigan 2010 / ccgjp lab – 7wks
Exts: Japan Politics – Troop Withdrawal Key
Download 0.59 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Exts: Japan Politics – Bases Key
- DPJ popularity tied to base relocation
Exts: Japan Politics – Troop Withdrawal KeyTroop withdrawal key to Kan’s popularity Airey 6/8 [Allison, public affairs director for Kreab Gavin Anderson in Japan, “HATOYAMA RESIGNATION – A NEW START FOR THE DPJ?”, http://www.publicaffairsasia.com/publicaffairsasia/AnalysisView.do?id=1211] Prime Minister Hatoyama’s resignation on 4 June gives the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) a chance of being redeemed by voters ahead of the Upper House elections in July. The catalyst for Hatoyama’s resignation was his backflip over the relocation of the US marine airbase currently located in Futenma, and the resulting decision by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to withdraw from the coalition. Even prior to this, support ratings for his Cabinet had dropped to disastrously low levels. Pressure for his resignation by Upper House members facing the polls under his leadership was already starting to build. The decision to resign must have been a difficult one for Hatoyama and the rest of the party leadership. Personally, Hatoyama has invested a great deal of his career, and personal wealth, in the DPJ. From the party’s viewpoint the resignation risked reinforcing voter disillusionment, by making the DPJ resemble the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which saw leadership changes approximately annually. Having decided to change leaders ahead of the election, it would have been meaningless for Ozawato remain in the post of Secretary General. The big slide in the DPJ’s popularity occurred around the time his money scandal surfaced. Voters would not have been satisfied until he had stepped down. Much is therefore being made of the anti-Ozawa character of the new leadership line-up. Newly elected party leader, Naoto Kan, has elevated prominent critics of Ozawa to key positions in the Cabinet and party. Kan has also suggested it would be in the interests of the party and Ozawa himself for him to “remain quiet for a while.” There is a degree of theatre in this. The DPJ sees distancing itself from Ozawa as a way of restoring its credibility. Ozawa himself would acknowledge the liability he represents for the party. How far Ozawa’s influence actually diminishes is another question. Losing his institutional position, along with the damage to his prestige by effectively being forced to resign, no doubt undermine his authority. His skills as a strategist and his power base ensure he will continue to exert a degree of influence from the shadows. Replacing Hatoyama with Kan has had the desired effect of increasing support for the DPJ. Kan has long been a popular figure in Japanese politics. Politically, he stands to the left of Hatoyama on the spectrum, and in Opposition shared many of his ideals, including moving US bases from Okinawa. He is, however, a pragmatist and has made clear his intention to advance the relocation of the Futenma marine airbase in line with government-to-government agreements. He will also balance his commitment to social welfare objectives with the need to address Japan’s Government debt, the urgency of which he came to appreciate as Finance Minister. Security issues were always the DPJ-led coalition government’s Achilles heel, given the wide divergence of views among its members. It is therefore not surprising that they brought about its first casualty. This might have been avoided in the short-term had there been less in the way of conflicting statements and unrealistic promises by the Prime Minister over the Futenma base relocation. Long-term, however, it would have been difficult for the DPJ to maintain it alliance obligations to the US, while keeping its socialist partner happy. The SDP’s departure from the coalition will therefore give the DPJ the policy scope to maintain a credible security posture anchored firmly in the Japan-US alliance. The unease created by Hatoyama’s handling of the alliance confirms the importance voters attach to this. Unless the DPJ improves its strength in the Upper House in July, however, it will need to look for a replacement for its erstwhile partner. Exts: Japan Politics – Bases KeyRemoval of Bases key to DPJ popularityWorker’s World 6/10 [6/10/2010, Danann, Sharon, “Huge protests demand US leave Okinawa air base”, http://www.workers.org/2010/world/okinawa_0617/] Once Hatoyama was elected, however, the U.S. government put heavy pressure on him to go back on his pledge to the Japanese people. Hatoyama finally caved in April and agreed to keep the Futenma base. That’s when all hell broke loose. Huge demonstrations rocked Okinawa and other parts of Japan. On June 2, after his popularity plummeted and his coalition government fell apart, Hatoyama resigned his post, bowing to the greater pressure, the power of the people. When Hatoyama’s Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) swept the Liberal Democratic Party out of office after a 50-year reign, it was partly due to his Okinawa Vision 2008, which called for the complete removal of Futenma, not just moving it away from the heavily populated city of Ginowan. Futenma had been fiercely opposed by the people, especially after the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995. The U.S. had then agreed to turn over Futenma in five to seven years. Urgency was added in 2004 when a Marine helicopter crashed into Okinawa International University in Ginowan. Two years later the U.S. agreed to eventually relocate the base to a less populated area. But the people kept up their struggle to get rid of the base altogether. When Okinawans this year sensed that Hatoyama might double-cross them, they launched two months of protests. On April 6-9, some 150 Okinawans staged a sit-in at the Japanese Diet (parliament) building, along with their legislators. DPJ popularity tied to base relocationiMarketNews 6/4 [ 6/4/10, “ Japan PM-Elect Kan: To Seek Growth, Fiscal Health, Social Sec”, http://imarketnews.com/node/14473] After less than nine months in power, Hatoyama announced his resignation after failing to deliver the key election campaign promise to relocate a controversial U.S. air base outside the tiny southern island of Okinawa. Kan said his government needs to honor the Japan-U.S. agreement that Futenma Air Base in the middle of a residential area should be moved to the shore of Henoko on Okinawa. Before the lower house elections last August, Hatoyama, who headed the DPJ, vowed to relocate the key U.S. military base on Okinawa somewhere outside the prefecture or even outside the country given the heavy presence of U.S. forces on the tiny island, the site of one of the fiercest battles between the U.S. and Japanese troops in the closing days of World War Two. The DPJ scored a landslide win in the elections, taking power away from the LDP. Months later Hatoyama found that the U.S. government would not agree to his relocation idea and no other prefectures would accept the air base. The row over the U.S. military presence led to the departure of the Social Democratic Party, one of the two small coalition partners, at the weekend. That has complicated the passage of bills in the upper house of parliament where the DPJ only has a majority thanks to the support of its allies. Directory: files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Integer programming and game theory files -> 4 Integer Programming files -> Bpa vehicle Window Repair Scenario #1 task: Procure vehicle window relacement. Objective files -> Pop Warner History files -> North Carolina Inclusion Initiative Mapping Where Children with ieps are Being Served Purpose files -> Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Program Data: Standard 1 Exhibit 4d files -> Hanban – asia society confucius classrooms network 2010 request for proposal files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations Download 0.59 Mb. Share with your friends:
|