The 56th edition of Seijigiri opens with a discussion of North Korea’s recent nuclear weapon test. Co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley consider what steps Japan might take in reaction to the test, and discuss recent rabble that Japan should declare itself a nuclear power - and why that won’t happen.

After that, new US ambassador to Japan John Roos is discussed. While Joseph Nye was the presumptive choice for this post, it seems as though the Obama administration has gone down the path of rewarding a major campaign fundraiser with a plum position. Some of the predictable knee-jerk reactions to this decision are discussed along with the issues facing Mr Roos going forward.

Next on the agenda is a discussion of last week’s Diet debate between Prime Minister Aso Taro and new Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama. After that, the discussion turns to a look at the extra budget, which the ruling party is hoping to pass through the Diet in the coming weeks. Just what is taxpayer money going to be spent on?

Finally, we would like to encourage everyone to come to the Pink Cow in Shibuya on Thursday, June 4 at 7:30pm for the first ever live edition of Seijigiri. More details can be found here.

It has been some time since the last Seijigiri release, and co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley pick things up by diving straight into current events. First, last Saturday’s election of Yukio Hatoyama as DPJ Party President is analyzed. After that, talk turns to the Lower House election which must be held by October 19, as the term of the Lower House will expire on September 11. The discussion first centers on when the election might happen, then moves on to consider what issues will come up during the election, and finally turns to how recent events have affected election outcome predictions.

This edition of Seijigiri concludes with a special rant.

As always, thank you for listening.

In this edition of Seijigiri, co-hosts Garrrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley begin by discussing the problems revealed by former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa recent resignation. After appearing drunk and incomprehensible at the G7 meetings in Rome last weekend, media pressure mounted on Nakagawa and he was forced to resign earlier this week.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party continues to be dogged by public relations issues, and seems unable to conduct itself in a manner that would lead to the building of public trust. This portion of the show includes several audio samples, and the source videos are available below. Garrett chides Ken for referring to the incident as “Nakagawa-gate,” and Ken decides that it should be referred to as 中川門 (Nakagawa-mon) from now on.

The last ten minutes of the show focus on pressure being put on Prime Minister Taro Aso from former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. After Aso stated that he wasn’t a true believer in postal privatization, Koizumi hit back, saying he wondered if Mr Aso knew why the LDP had so many seats in the Diet, and that he would abstain from voting to fifty-nine* through the economic stimulus package that Aso is counting on getting passed.

As always, thank you for listening! Videos follow the break:

Nakagawa at the G7 press conference:

There are many, many videos of Nakagawa’s press conference out there. Some of the samples used in this recording come from the video above, but two other videos were used.

Audio of Nakagawa arriving home is on this video, at about the 0:50 mark. Audio of the drinking party attended by both Aso and Nakagawa is at about the 1:30 point:

Video of Aso’s comments in the Diet seem to have been pulled, although I will look for an alternate version.

There are several videos of Koizumi announcing he would refrain from participating in the re-vote of the economic stimulus bill in the lower house. This video focuses on Koizumi:

*For those who are just joining us, to “fifty-nine” a bill is the Seijigiri-coined term for pushing it through the Diet through the use of a supermajority in the Lower House after its rejection by the Upper House, in accordance with Article 59 of the Constitution. We use it as a neutral alternative to such forceful terms as “ramming” or “forcing.”

For this special extended edition of Seijigiri, co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley are joined by Tobias Harris of Observing Japan. The discussion starts with Tobias describing some possible scenarios for this year’s upcoming lower house election, and moves on to take a look at the role of New Komeito’s role in the ruling coalition. After that, the agenda moves on to discuss Prime Minister Taro Aso’s agenda, and Tobias offers his opinion on why the LDP is unable to govern itself at this point.

Other topics discussed include the role of Yoshimi Watanabe, who recently resigned from the LDP, and a consideration of who could possibly lead the LDP in the future.

As always, thank you for listening.

This edition of Seijigiri begins with co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley considering three diplomatic issues. First, last Friday’s appearance by former US Undersecretary of State Richard Armitage at Keio University is discussed, especially as his comments related to the previous Seijigiri release. After that, talk turns to the upcoming session of the Six Party Talks and North Korea’s decisions to “ignore” the Japanese side at the talks. Finally, this portion of the discussion turns to Japan’s decision to cut off Overseas Development aid to Vietnam. Japan claims that Vietnamese politics is corrupt, while the incident in question involved bribery instigated by a Japanese firm. As Japan is the largest supplier of ODA to Vietnam, consequences of this decision are considered.

The second portion of the show turns to domestic politics. Prime Minister Aso Taro’s approval rating are in freefall. Although this comes as no surprise, the level of intra-party dissent has been somewhat surprising. Former candidate for prime minister Nobuteru Ishihara and former Reform Minister Yoshimi Watanabe have made waves with statements critical of Mr Aso, while Watanabe has been joined by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki and Toshimitsu Motegi in forming an association of diet members who are pushing Mr Aso to get the second part of his economic stimulus package through the Diet.

Are they really looking to push economic stimulus? The reality of the matter is that Mr Aso said he would dissolve the Diet and call a general election after getting the second part of the stimulus package through the Diet. These fifty-something lawmakers - the ara fifu group as Shisaku refers to them - seem to have realized that an Aso premiership is not going to lead the LDP to victory in the next election, whenever it may come.

Will the fear of self-preservation lead to further turmoil in the LDP? Did Koizumi make good on his promise to destroy the LDP? This edition of Seijigiri holds that some answers to these questions may come in the following weeks.

Now that Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States, Seijigiri co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley are back with a look at how the Obama presidency might work within the context of the US/Japan alliance.

This release is broken into three broad categories: First, the background of the US/Japan alliance is considered. Second, the expectations of an Obama administration itself are examined. Finally, our co-hosts consider what impact changes in Japanese domestic politics might have on the alliance.

The background portion begins with the events of the Clinton administration, and President Clinton’s summit with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1996. It then moves to a discussion of two papers published by Richard Armitage, in 2000 and 2007. Finally, the discussion comes to the present by considering how the US/Japan alliance has evolved during the Bush administration.

The second part of the show focuses on what developments might be seen in terms of trade, politics and security during the Obama administration. The 2007 Armitage paper as well as Mr. Obama’s stated ideas on international trade form the backdrop to this section.

Finally, possible changes in Japanese domestic politics are discussed within the context of the US/Japan alliance. Such changes are heavily dependent upon the results of the upcoming lower house election, and the impact of such changes on trade is examined.

As always, thank you for listening!

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After that, the discussion turns to Aso’s approval ratings and public perception. Although Aso’s approval ratings have only fallen slightly, his disapproval ratings are rising, and he has not come across as likable, a quality which may prove important with an election bound to happen sometime in the next ten months.

Talk then turns to the state of the US-Japan alliance. After the US removed North Korea from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, the predictable melodrama followed, with some saying that Japan had been stabbed in the back by its ally. Garrett describes why the US did Japan a huge favor, and Ken gives his opinion that not only will it have no long-term effect on the alliance, but that the event gave a select group of politicians and commentators their much-savored chance to let off some righteous indignation - even as the public already seems to have forgotten why they were supposed to care in the first place. Moving on…

Finally, the question of whether a Republican or Democratic US President is “better” for Japan is considered. Conventional wisdom holds that Republicans are somehow more committed to the US-Japan alliance, but does history really bear that out?

In this show, co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley begin by taking a look at the factors that have led to any possible lower house election being put off for at least the time being. Mr Aso’s first policy speech as Prime Minister is examined, as is the reply of the opposition leader, DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa. At the time his policy speech was made, it seemed more as though Aso was giving a campaign speech.

Ozawa’s plan for economic recovery is then examined, and whether or not his plans are affordable is discussed.

After that, the discussion turns to the non-issue of Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano catching some heat for watching television during a recent diet session.

The last part of the show beings with Ken’s rant on the foreign media’s depiction of Prime Minister Aso, which has been discussed in several blogs recently. Why is Aso being called “hawkish” or a “nationalist”?

After that, discussion focuses on the rumors of a general election to come as soon as October 26. Both hosts get into their predictions, and speculate on whether the ruling LDP-New Komeito coalition might be worse off following such an election. Is there actually a chance that the DPJ could take control of the lower house?

Finally, a few quick words on LDP upper house member Tamayo Marukawa, who was elected in last summer’s election. Her camp is scrambling to explain how 11 million yen in office expenses were racked up last year while her condo in Shinjuku doubled as her office.

After that, the discussion turns to polling numbers for the new cabinet, which has generally received a boost since the reshuffle. What will the cabinet have to do to continue improving on public sentiment? The discussion then moves to a quick look at the new cabinet’s first project, which will be to deal with weakening economic conditions. This brings up the issue of what will happen in the extraordinary session, and when that session may start. Once again, the LDP is going to have to get through a renewal of the refueling bill.

Over at the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, a vote for the next party president is due in September. Our hosts discuss why Ichiro Ozawa will most likely run uncontested and serve a third term as DPJ party president.

A quick look is taken at the North Korea situation, as the US has announced it will not yet remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Finally, the discussion moves to Garrett’s recent trip to Hiroshima and a discussion of the events surrounding the end of the war every August and how related issues are presented in both Tokyo and Hiroshima.

As always, thank you for listening.