Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule February 20-26

February 20, 2012 (MON)

AM
09:31 Office of PM
09:52 Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake
11:58 The Frontier Subcommittee of the Council on National Strategy and Policy – Frontier of Wisdom Panel at Joint central government building No.4, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo

PM
12:14 Office of PM
04:02 Meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius; Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, also joined
04:29 See off Prime Minister Kubilius
04:32 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
05:02 "Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize" Committee
05:15 Mr. Okada, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Komiyama, Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare; Mr. Terada, Special Adviser to PM; and Mr. Asonuma, Administrative Vice Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare
06:06 Mr. Yonemura, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management; Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office
07:05 Dinner with all five Special Advisers to PM, at “Ichinoya”, a grilled eel place in NIshiazabu, Tokyo
09:11 Residence of PM

February 21, 2012 (TUE)

AM
07:58 Parliament
08:05 Ministerial Meeting on Response to Heavy Snow
08:29 Ministerial Meeting
08:47 Office of PM
09:00 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
10:09 Both leave
10:31 Mr. Masayuki Naoshima, former Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry
10:55 Mr. Naoshima leaves
11:47 Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
11:57 Mr. Taketoshi leaves

PM
12:48 Parliament
12:53 Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance
01:02 The Lower House Plenary Session
04:00 Office of PM
05:03 The Prime Minister Meets with Prime Minister Ali of Mozambique; Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Yanagisawa, Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
05:29 See off Prime Minister Ali
05:40 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:37 Residence of PM

February 22, 2012 (WED)

AM
07:15 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:47 Both leave
08:50 Parliament
08:59 The Lower House Budget Committee

PM
12:04 Office of PM
12:54 Parliament
12:59 The Lower House Budget Committee
05:35 Office of PM
05:37 Mr. Nobuaki Koga, President of Japanese Trade Union Confederation; and Mr Guy RYDER, Executive Director of International Labour Organization
06:16 Radio recording for the government public relations
06:36 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:06 Dinner with Mr. Hata, DPJ Upper House Parliamentary Affairs Chief and others, at “Torishige”, Roppongi, Tokyo; Mr. Mizuoka, Special Adviser to PM also joins
09:08 Residence of PM

February 23, 2012 (THU)

AM
Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:55 Both leave
08:51 Parliament
09:00 The Lower House Budget Committee

PM
12:32 The Lower House Plenary Session
12:54 Mr. Azumi, Ministry of Finance
12:59 The Lower House Budget Committee
05:35 Office of PM
05:43 Mr. Tanaka, Minister of Defense; Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM; Mr. Inouye, Director General for Okinawa Affairs, Cabinet Office; Mr. Ihara, Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Yamauchi, Director General of the Bureau of Local Cooperation, Ministry of Defense
05:47 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, joins
06:02 Mr. Tanaka leaves
06:22 Everyone leaves
06:45 Mr. Fabius, former Prime Minister of France; Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, attends
07:03 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:29 Residence of PM

February 24, 2012 (FRI)

AM
07:30 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:12 Both Leave
09:01 Parliament
09:06 Ministerial Meeting on Okinawa
09:25 Ministerial meeting
09:35 Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance
10:01 The Upper House Plenary Session
11:53 Office of PM

PM
01:03 Mr. Gemba, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Sasae, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Mr. Sugiyama, Director-General of Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
01:35 Mr. Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Mr. Hosono, Minister of State for the Nuclear Power Policy and Administration; Mr. Takahara, Director-General, Agency for Natural resources and Energy; and Mr. Fukano, Director-General of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
02:03 Everyone leaves
03:06 Press group interview
03:38 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM; Mr. Inouye, Director General for Okinawa Affairs, Cabinet Office; and Mr. Ihara, Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
04:19 Three DPJ/Government Executive Meeting
04:54 The meeting adjourned
05:16 The Prime Minister Receives a Courtesy Call from International Abilympic Gold Medalists; Mr. Tsuda, a ministerial aid for the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare
05:49 Mr. Yuhei Sato, Governor of Fukushima Prefecture; Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake; and Mr. Honda, Special Advisor to PM
06:23 Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance
06:47 Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office; Mr. Kinomura, Director of Deffense Intelligence Headquarters; and Mr. Nishi, Director-General of the Bureau of Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense
07:11 Mr. Ishii, Chair of the Upper House Budget Committee
07:30 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:38 Residence of PM

February 25, 2012 (SAT)

AM
11:50 Lunch with Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary at a Japanese restaurant “Yamazato” in Hotel Okura, Toranomon, Tokyo

PM
12:53 Residence of PM
01:55 The Prime Minister Receives a Courtesy Call from a High School Student Orphaned by the Tsunami and the Japan Women's Tohoku Youth Football Team; Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary
02:16 All leave

February 26, 2012 (SUN)

AM
08:55 Haneda Airport
09:08 Leave Haneda on ASDF U4 Multi-Purpose support plane; Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM; and Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM
11:51 Arrive at Naha Airport, Okinawa

PM
12:20 Tour the Naha Airport runway expansion site and new cargo terminal building
01:20 Okinawa Peace Memorial Park. Floral tribute at the National Cemetery of the War Dead, observe the Cornerstone of Peace.
01:54 The Himeyuri Monument, floral tribute.
02:03 Himeyuri Peace Memorial Museum
02:47 Tomigusuku City, old Imperial Navy Command Bunker
03:46 Urasoe City, JICA Okinawa, Okinawa International Center. Observe the statue of late Ichiro Suetsugu, President of National Security Issues Research Institute
04:36 Naha City, Okinawa Harbor View Hotel Crown Plaza
05:00 Press interview
06:51 Okinawa Daiichi Hotel, dinner with Mr. Nakaima, Governor of Okinawa
08:49 Okinawa Harbor View Hotel Crown Plaza
09:05 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM;
10:05 Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM, joins
10:40 Mr. Taketoshi leaves
11:10 All leave, stay in the hotel.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule February 13-19

February 13, 2012 (MON)

AM
07:16 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:00 Mr. Tezuka leaves
08:22 Mr. Saito leaves
08:50 Parliament
08:59 The Lower House Budget Committee

PM
12:07 Office of PM
02:00 Mr. Norio Kanno, Mayor of Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture
05:03 Mr. Fujita, Senior Vice Minister of Finance; and Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
05:50 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:23 Residence of PM

February 14, 2012 (TUE)

AM
09:22 Office of PM
09:32 Ministerial meeting
09:53 Mr. Fujii, DPJ Head of Tax Research Commission
10:15 Mr. Maehara, chairperson of DPJ Policy Research Council
10:43 Courtesy call from H. E. Dr.Ir.Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Member, Presidential Advisory Board
11:14 Mr. Sasae, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
11:34 Mr. Sasae leaves

PM
01:10 Mr. Okada, Deputy Prime Minister
01:32 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
02:27 Mr. Furukawa, Minister of State for the New Public Commons
02:56 Mr. Furukawa leaves
04:09 Mr. Nishimiya, Foreign Ministry councilor in charge of economics
04:40 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
05:24 Reconstruction Promotion Council
05:52 The council adjourned
06:49 Residence of PM

February 15, 2012 (WED)

AM
07:53 Breakfast with Mr. Homei Shirakawa, Governor of the Bank of Japan
08:42 Parliament
09:00 The Lower House budget Committee.

PM
12:10 Office of PM
12:51 Parliament
01:00 The Lower House Budget Committee
02:10 Office of PM
04:29 Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance; and Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary
05:07 Both leave
06:05 Mr. Yukio Endo, Mayor of Kawauchi Village, Fukushima Prefecture, Mr. Honda, Special Advisor to PM also attended
06:41 Mr. Ehud Barak, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel, Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM also participated
07:26 Residence of PM

February 16, 2012 (THU)

AM
09:28 The Lower House First Diet Members’ Building
09:30 Dentist inside the building
09:51 Office of PM
10:08 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
10:40 Mr. Matsumoto, Administrative Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office
10:55 Mr. Matsumoto leaves

PM
01:51 Mr. Takeshi Nakane, Ambassador to Germany; and Mr. Yu Tsuji, Ambassador to Croatia
02:23 Video Recording of the Prime Minister's Message on the Comprehensive Reform of Social Security and Taxation Systems
02:50 Recoding ends
04:31 Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office; and Mr. Mukuki, Director of the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center
04:55 Mr. Kitamura leaves
05:00 Mr. Mukuki leaves
05:17 Ministerial Council on Monthly Economic Report and Other Relative Issues
05:33 Mr. Kawabata, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs; and Mr. Goto, Senior Vice Minister of Cabinet Office
05:53 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:22 Three DPJ/Government Executive Meeting
07:15 The meeting adjourned
07:41 Residence of PM

February 17, 2012 (FRI)

AM
06:46 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:52 Mr. Tezuka leaves
08:07 Mr. Saito leaves
10:00 Parliament
10:16 Ministerial meeting
10:58 The Lower House Budget Committee

PM
12:12 Imperial Palace, a get-well will for the Emperor
12:22 Parliament
12:59 The Lower House Budget Committee
05:04 Office of PM
05:23 Mr. Nakaima, Governor of Okinawa, The Prime Minister Receives a Request from the Council for Promotion of Dezoning and Reutilization of Military Land in Okinawa
06:01 Ceremony to Present the Award of Japan for Crafting
08:28 NHK, Shibuya-ku, Jinnan, Tokyo
09:00 Appear on a broadcasting show
10:01 Residence of PM

February 18, 2012 (SAT)

AM
11:03 Mr. Matsubara, Minister for the Abduction Issue

PM
12:00 Mr. Matsubara leaves

February 19, 2012 (SUN)

AM
10:31 Courtesy call from high school students from six schools in the Tohoku region, Mr. Terada, Special Advisor, also attends
11:00 Press interviews
11:58 Capitol Hotel Tokyu, Japanese restaurant “Suiren”, lunch with Jiro Ushio, Chairman of Ushio Inc.; Mr. Hiroya Masuda, former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication, Mr. Takeshi Sasaki, Professor at Gakushuin University.

PM
01:13 Capitol Bar, Mr. Yasutomo Suzuki, Mayor of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture
01:43 Residence of PM
05:53 The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, attends inauguration ceremony of “Japan Akedemeia”
07:05 Residence of PM

Japan's Iran policy

Shingetsu News Agency in Tokyo interviews conservative Sunrise Party head, Takeo Hiranuma for his defense of Japan's policy to protect itself from U.S. sanctions on Iran. The full intervie, in Japanese, can be found HERE.

How Will Prime Minister Noda Slice his Neapolitan?

In the second week of February, the Noda Cabinet has seen its popularity reach new lows.  The Kyodo poll of February 17 and the JNN poll of February 20 have found that support for the cabinet has fallen below 30%, a disturbingly low level for a cabinet that is only five months old. 

When those who do not support the cabinet are asked the reason for their negative views of the government, respondents cite either the pointlessness of policies being pursued, the low expectations of the cabinet’s getting anything done, and the prime minister’s lack of leadership.

This extreme pessimism felt by a majority of the public is out of sync with the actual state of affairs in the Diet.  Rather than being deadlocked or sidetracked in political circuses, the three main political parties are actually hammering out agreements on major pieces of legislation at a fairly astonishing rate.  The signing on February 17th of an agreement between the three major parties to cut the salaries of bureaucrats by an average of 7.8% is just the latest example of this cooperative trend.

The key takeaway from the signing is that the bill in question was not drafted by the DPJ or its ruling coalition partner the PNP.  Instead the draft came from the New Komeito. 

The Noda Cabinet’s willingness to hand over part of the bill drafting process to the opposition demonstrates the rather advantageous position Prime Minister Noda finds himself in terms of policymaking.  It is as if he has been handed a scoop of Neapolitan ice cream (it has three flavors): he has the pick of different policy options.

The first Neapolitan flavor is the obvious one of having three main parties in the Diet.  When a policy listed in the DPJ’s party manifesto of 2009—still the main source of DPJ initial postures—is seen as having no chance of passing, Noda and the DPJ leadership have shown no shame or reticence in borrowing ideas from their rivals.

In the debate over the reform of the House of Representatives, the main DPJ bill borrows the idea of abolishing five electoral districts from LDP and the reworking the manner proportional seats are handed out from the New Komeito. As for the much anticipated and much feared (in some quarters) amendments to the post office privatization bill, the DPJ seems to be ceding the role of lead actor to the New Komeito.

The division of control of the Diet among three parties is not the only scoop of Neapolitan ice cream Noda can enjoy.  There is a second to choose from based upon the DPJ’s recent past, its origins and the situation outside Japan.

The first flavor in the scoop is the Ozawa Ichiro-drafted 2009 Manifesto.  This list of campaign promises earned scorn at the time of its release as representing nothing more than a shameless giveaway of goodies to every constituency in order to effectively buy the election.  However, the fiscal expansion carried out under the manifesto’s mandates provided a tonic for the country in the aftermath of the Great Recession, with few negative effects in the Japan government bond market.  Noda can still pick up ideas from out of the manifesto, even though it was drafted by a political rival with very different political proclivities.  Drawing ideas from out of the manifesto also pleases the 150 or so legislators who feel a strong obligation to paying respect to Ozawa, as he was the one who anointed them as candidates.

The second flavor of policy is the traditional DPJ policy mix.  It shares with the Ozawa mix a visceral mistrust of the bureaucracy.  It differs radically in its budgetary priorities, however.  It has always seen the limitation, or if possible the reduction, of the budget deficit as key to Japan’s economic health. This has been the party’s mainstream ideology since its establishment.  The focus on cutting government waste and fiscal discipline endeared the party to the urban and suburban white collar middle class, which saw LDP fiscal profligacy as the surplus being created by their profitable enterprises being squandered on keeping rural areas and marginal businesses on life support.

This traditional DPJ stance of fiscal restraint and retrenchment, which is shared by the bureaucrats of the Finance Ministry, guides the spirit of current government action.  That the recent loosening of political controls over the bureaucracy has led to the compilation of a draft budget demonstrating a return to the bad old days when each ministry’s interests, not the national interest, guided budget requests, shows that a spirit to minimize is not yet enough to thwart incentives to maximize.

In line with the traditional and entirely domestic-oriented DPJ tendency toward conservative budgets is the turmoil in international sovereign debt markets.   This is the third flavor in Noda’s Neapolitan policy choice mix.  Japan is not Greece, Italy, Spain or Ireland.  However, the fear of even a mild panic in the Japanese bond market, with a consequent fall in bond prices and an explosion of the government’s interest payment obligations, provides the Noda Cabinet with a stick to beat back suggestions that the government should be expanding Japan’s debt burden further in order to countermand the deflationary effects of the proposed raising of the consumption tax to 10%.  Prime Minister Noda and Finance Minister Jun Azumi have constantly brought up the situation in Europe as justifications for the Japanese government’s need to put its fiscal house in order. 

The Noda Cabinet’s being able to pick and chose choose from amongst the various flavors of policy gives it an unprecedented degree of flexibility.  It also gives the Noda Cabinet a certain degree of leverage in getting legislation passed through the Diet, as each of the policy flavors is legitimate in its own way—either from its being a particularly party’s fixed policy position or a demonstration of an awareness of Japan’s place in the world.

The political opinion polls demonstrate a lack of public faith in the Noda Cabinet's ability to lead the country in a positive direction.  It may take a very long time for the Japanese people to appreciate the government’s rather favorable political situation. There is a corrosive atmosphere of deep pessimism abetted by a news media complex that sees destruction of Japanese administrations as both a duty and a game.      

Michael T. Cucek

Research Associate, MIT

Author, Shisaku Blog, http://shisaku.blogspot.com

Appeared in the February 21, 2012 is of the Asia Policy Calendar sent to APP members.

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule February 6-12

February 6, 2012 (MON)

AM
07:01 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:40 Both leave
08:49 Parliament
09:00 Upper House Budget Committee
11:57 Three DPJ/Government Executive Meeting

PM
12:37 Meeting adjourned
01:00 Upper House Budget Committee
04:31 Office of PM
04:51 Mr. Matsubara, Minister for the Abduction Issue
05:31 Mr. Abu Zahar, President of the Senate of Malaysia
05:54 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:39 Residence of PM

February 7, 2012 (TUE)

AM
06:52 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to
07:32 Both leave
08:18 Parliament
08:25 Ministerial Meeting
08:54 Mr. Gemba, Minister of Foreign Affairs
09:00 Upper House Budget Committee

PM
12:02 Nippon Seinenkan, 2012 National Rally to Demand the Return of the Northern Territories
01:40 Office of PM
03:28 Mr. Taketoshi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
04:00 Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Joint Government Building No.4
04:02 The Frontier Subcommittee of the Council on National Strategy and Policy – Frontier of Peace Panel
04:19 Office of PM
04:28 Mr. Jojima, DPJ Diet Affairs Chief
05:44 Mr. Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Mr. Adachi, Administrative vice-Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry; Mr. Takahara, Director-General, Agency for Natural resources and Energy; Mr. Fukano, Director-General of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
06:32 Members of the "Plum Mission" from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine
06:53 Nagatacho, Tokyo, The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, Dinner with Professor Masayuki Yamauchi of Tokyo University Graduate School.
08:52 Residence of PM

February 8, 2012 (WED)

AM
08:47 Office of PM
08:49 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
09:48 Parliament
10:00 Upper House Budget Committee

PM
12:24 Office of PM
02:00 Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office
02:28 Mr. Muneo Suzuki, Former Lower House Member and Party Leader of Shito Daichi-Shin-Minshu
03:17 Parliament
03:31 Upper House Plenary Session
03:59 Mr. Hirata, Chairperson of the Upper House; Mr. Otsuji, Vice-Chairperson of the Upper House; Mr. Tsuruho, LDP Chair of Upper House Committee on Rules and Administration, visits to ruling and opposing parties. Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance, and Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary, accompanies
04:15 Office of PM
04:54 Mr. Sugiyama, Director-General of Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
05:18 Mr. Ishida, Senior Vice Minister of Cabinet Office
05:30 Mr. Gemba, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Tanaka, Minister of Defense; and Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary
06:10 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM

February 9, 2012 (THU)

AM
07:00 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
08:37 Mr. Saito leaves
08:47 Mr. Tezuka leaves
08:50 Parliament
08:59 Lower House Budget Committee

PM
12:01 Office of PM
01:50 Parliament
01:59 Lower House Budget Committee
05:06 Okinawa Policy Council
05:22 Office of PM
05:30 Three DPJ/Government Executive Meeting
06:09 Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa, DPJ Chairperson of Administrative Reform Research Council; Mr. Koshiishi, DPJ Secretary General; Mr. Tarutoko, DPJ Acting Secretary General; Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary
06:18 Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake; Mr. Koshiishi, Mr. Tarutoko, and Mr. Fujimura stayed
06:24 Mr. Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General of UN International Maritime Organization; and Mr. Hiramatsu, Director-General for Global Issues, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
07:21 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:46 Residence of PM

February 10, 2012 (FRI)

AM
06:16 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:45 Both leave
07:48 Parliament
08:00 Ministerial meeting
08:24 Issue written appointments for Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake; and for Mr. Ogushi, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake, followed by photo shooting
08:59 Lower House Budget Committee

PM
12:26 Sankaido Bldg., Akasaka, Tokyo, hang the Reconstruction Ministry nameboard with Mr. Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake
12:36 Parliament
12:59 Lower House Budget Committee
05:34 Office of PM
06:20 Press conference
(Video and script: http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/noda/statement/201202/10kaiken.html)
06:50 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:17 Mr. Suematsu, Special Advisor to PM
07:59 Imperial Palace, report to the emperor, Appointment ceremony for Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa, and Mr. Tadahiro Matsushita.
08:54 Office of PM
09:06 Issue a written appointment for Mr. Nakagawa, new Disaster Prevention Minister, followed by photo shooting
09:24 Residence of PM

February 11, 2012 (SAT)

AM
10:00 Kashiwa sity, Chiba Prefecture, Toyoshiki apartment complex, Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM accompanies
10:03 Mr. Hiroyasu Akiyama, Mayor of Kashiwa, exchange opinions with apartment complex residents
11:06 meeting adjourns
11:10 Press interviews
11:11 Interview ends

PM
12:19 Flora Nishifuna, a wedding ceremony hall, Funabashi city
01:01 Attend alumni reunion event of Funabashi High School
01:59 Leave the venue
02:23 Hair cut at “Ginza Matsunaga”, Yaesu, Tokyo
03:30 Residence of PM

February 12, 2012 (SUN)
Spend all day at the residence of PM

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule January 30 - February 4

January 30, 2012 (MON)

AM
07:38 Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
09:15 both leave
09:51 Parliament
10:01 Upper House Plenary Session
11:43 Office of PM

PM
12:50 Parliament
01:01 Upper House Plenary Session
04:01 Lower House Budget Committee
04:31 Upper House Budget Committee
04:49 Office of PM
05:46 General Oriki, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Japan Self-Defense Forces, and General Iwasaki, next Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Japan Self-Defense Forces.; Mr. Jinpu, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense
05:55 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:08 Mr. Sugiyama, Director-General of Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
06:27 Mr. Ritsuo Hosokawa, Head of Research Council on Integrate Reform of the Social Security and Taxation Systems, Mr. Akira Nagatsuma, Secretary General

January 31, 2012 (TUE)

AM
06:30 Mr. Saito and Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:48 Everyone leaves
07:52 Parliament
08:00 Ministerial meeting
08:24 Headquarters for Administrative Reform Implementation
08:59 Lower House Budget Committee
11:59 Office of PM

PM
12:50 Parliament
01:00 Upper House Budget Committee
04:15 Office of PM
05:12 Mr. Maehara, Chairperson of DPJ Policy Research Council
05:41 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:15 Mr. Tezuka leaves
07:27 Japan Press Center, Uchisaiwai-cho, Tokyo. New Year’s party at the “private broadcasting commentators association ”.
07:47 Residence of PM

February 1, 2012 (WED)

AM
07:02 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:57 Mr. Tezuka leaves
08:47 Mr. Saito leaves
08:50 Parliament
09:00 Lower House Budget Committee
11:57 Office of PM

PM
12:50 Parliament
01:00 Lower House Budget Committee
05:15 Office of PM
05:32 Prime Minister Receives a Courtesy Call from the Winners of the National Truck Driver Contest
05:45 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:02 The Frontier Subcommittee of the Council on National Strategy and Policy
06:51 Residence of PM

February 2, 2012 (THU)

AM
09:33 Office of PM
09:36 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
10:12 Both leave
11:10 Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM
11:25 Mr. Nagashima leaves

PM
12:49 Parliament
01:00 Lower House Budget Committee
05:33 Office of PM
05:45 Ministerial Meeting on Response to Heavy Snow
06:15 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:01 Residence of PM

February 3, 2012 (FRI)

AM
08:33 Parliament
08:41 Ministerial meeting
08:52 Mr. Gemba, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Sasae, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
09:21 Lower House Budget Committee
09:46 Office of PM
09:48 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
10:25 Both leave
11:31 Interview from Mainichi Shimbun
11:43 Mr. Masayuki Naoshima, former Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry

PM
12:02 Mr. Naoshima leaves
12:50 Parliament
01:03 Lower House Plenary Session
01:59 Lower House Budget Committee
05:04 Office of PM
05:20 Courtesy call from H.E. al-Jasser, Saudi Arabian Minister of Economy and Planning; Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Suematsu, Special Advisor to PM
05:57 Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance
06:41 Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office
07:01 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:27 Residence of PM

February 4, 2012 (SAT)

AM
Residence of PM

PM
02:45 Keio University, Mita, Tokyo
03:09 Gave a lecture at the symposium hosted by the Economics Department of Keio University
04:14 Residence of PM
04:58 Hotel New Otani, Garden Court, Kioi-cho, Tokyo, conversation with Mr. Hiroaki Saito, President of TAC; Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:12 Residence of PM

February 5, 2012 (SUN)

AM
Residence of PM

PM
05:22 Leave the residence
05:27 Hotel Okura, Toranomon, Tokyo. Dinner with Mr. Shinji Shimizu, President of “joint association of national life and consumer organizations”; Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance; Mr. Fujii, DPJ Head of Tax Research Commission
08:07 Residence of PM

Japan's Populist Right

In a previous post, Shisaku's Michael Cucek pointed out the national ambitions of Hashimoto Toru. Much of Hashimoto's celebrity results from his revisionist historical views and social conservatism. Hashimoto's nationalism, however, is different from Japan's mainstream conservative nationalists. It is rawer and draws from the despair of the average Japanese who see a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.

This reactionary populism also manifests itself in the rhetoric of former General Tamogami Toshio and his Gambare Nippon movement. Both eschew "establishment" conservatism.  Above is a report by the Shingetsu News Agency of a Gambare Nippon rally outside the Yomiuri Shimbun against the newspaper's support for expanding Imperial succession through the female line. The Yomiuri is the paper of record for Japan's establishment.

Prize winning noodles

Chef Hou Chun-sheng

One of Taiwan's top culinary artists, Chef Hou Chun-sheng, winner of the 2011 Taipei Beef Noodle Soup Competition, will visit Washington, DC on February 15 to serve his version of beef noodles during a reception at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery. 

The noodle preparation demonstration and tasting will be followed by a screening of Eat Drink Man Woman (1994, 124 minutes).

Stew-style beef noodle soup (or hung shao new row mien) is widely considered a national dish in Taiwan, where it was first created. It is a must-eat for international gourmets and the perfect dish to prepare viewers for Eat Drink Man Woman – Taiwanese Director Ang Lee's food-centered film about an elderly chef and his family as they experience the trials and joys of life in modern Taiwan. 

This evening of home-style Taiwan food culture will be held on Wednesday, February 15 at 6:00pm at the Freer Gallery. It is free and open to the public, presented by the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery and by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office. For more information contact Ms. Thalia Lin.

What Are The Survival Prospects Of the Noda Cabinet?

Two seemingly unrelated stories dominated Japan’s political news over the last weekend in January. First, Japan’s ruling party, the DPJ, discovered and then tried to hide an estimate that the consumption tax would have to be 17% by 2075 to fulfill commitments. The second is the rise Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru onto the national stage. Tying these two together is that opposition to the rightwing Hashimoto may be the salvation to the DPJ’s repeated bad judgment as exemplified by its obsessing over a distant future scenario.

Consumption tax surprise

The Noda administration has publicly committed itself to raising the consumption tax from 5% to 10% over the next three years. At the same time, the DPJ made its own internal estimates of the amount the consumption tax would need to rise to fund the pension payment promise made in the party’s 2009 Manifesto. This was 7.1% by the year 2075, suggesting that the consumption tax in 2075 would be greater than 17%.

A debate broke out within the party leadership over whether or not to publicly air this estimate. In the face of difficult bargaining with the LDP-New Komeito opposition alliance over the bill raising the tax to 10%, opening up about a situation arising decades hence seemed foolish.

Predictably, the opposition LDP and the New Komeito caught wind of this debate. Just as predictably, their leaders went before the cameras to complain that the DPJ was negotiating in bad faith and trying to cover up the truth about the consumption tax. The DPJ thus gave itself yet another black eye before the public, with the likelihood that the foul-up up was to knock a few more points off the Noda Cabinet’s popularity.

Rise of the Right
However, the usual slide in public approval is not necessarily going to doom Noda Yoshihiko as it has the last four prime ministers. This is because the weekend’s other top political story -- the wholesale rush by rightist and quasi-libertarian politicians to embrace the rising political movement of Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru -- poses an existential threat to the mainstream political order.

Hashimoto’s politics is heady and if not somewhat simplistic. Derisively referred to as “Hashism,” it appeals to a broad spectrum of political elements usually excluded from visible power on the national stage. His unrepentant patriotism and his crusade against the education system makes him a favorite of supporters of the rightwing Sunrise micro-party and Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro.

His bureaucrat-bashing and budget-slashing zeal during his days as Osaka Governor energizes the supporters of Watanabe Yoshimi’s hardline anti-bureaucrat Your Party. His call for the creation of an Osaka Metropolitan District, a mirror image of the Tokyo Metropolitan District, has revived an off-again on-again movement for a major devolution of power to the regions.

“Hashism” is an electoral winner. Hashimoto shellacked his incumbent opponent, the avuncular Hiramatsu Kunio, in the Osaka City election last November. Hashimoto prevailed despite Hiramatsu’s enjoying the support of all major national political parties except for the Your Party. Even the Communist Party, which until now has never cooperated with other parties and has always run a candidate in elections for municipalities, deferred on putting up a candidate of its own in the Osaka election in order to boost Hiramatsu’s numbers.

Hashimoto now is in control of the Osaka governorship, the Osaka prefectural assembly, and the Osaka City government. He is a young man in a hurry who fully embraces that he is a “movement.” He refuses to cooperate with either the DPJ or the LDP. Instead, he wants to establish a training school for 400 novice politicians to run under his direction in the next House of Representatives election.

Defending the Status Quo

This potential army of candidates and Hashimoto’s current popularity has the Tokyo establishment scared. The Yomiuri Shimbun, the de facto party paper of the LDP, recently made an about-face and demanded that the LDP and the New Komeito drop their petulant, automatic “No” to anything the DPJ proposes. Calls for immediate elections, which have been the staple of LDP and New Komeito rhetoric for over a year, have suddenly abated.

For the LDP particularly, collaboration with Noda and the DPJ is now the lesser of two evils. That a new era of peace shall break out in between the DPJ and the LDP-New Komeito alliance may seem a stretch. There remain and will remain serious differences of opinion over particular programs and policies.

However, the Noda government has demonstrated a willingness to include LDP and New Komeito ideas in legislation, or even swallowing LDP-New Komeito draft legislation wholesale (marunomi). The rocket-like rise of Hashimoto into the national political scene seems to be untwisting the “twisted” Diet, raising the hope that the major establishment parties can cooperate, at least in the interim, to pass major pieces of legislation.

The result is that Noda’s poll numbers may not fully reflect the strength of his administration. There are now other factors at play that can prolong his tenure. In the Nagata-cho, opposition to Mayor Hashimoto’s populism is stronger than opposition to Prime Minister Noda.

Michael Thomas Cucek
Research Associate
MIT Center for International Studies
Blog: http://shisaku.blogspot.com/

This essay first appeared in the January 30th issue of the Asia Policy Calendar, which is sent to the members of Asia Policy Point

Prime Minister of Japan's Schedule January 23-29

January 23, 2012 (MON)

AM
09:31 The office of PM
10:30 Courtesy Call from Astronauts Satoshi Furukawa and Akihiko Hoshide
10:47 Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake; Mr. Maki, Senior Vice Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
10:56 Mr. Maki leaves
11:01 Mr. Hirano leaves
11:40 Video message recording for the World Economic Forum (annual meeting in Davos)

PM
02:30 Conversation with editorial writers of various media, Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary , Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM, also attend
02:57 Conversation with commentators of private TV broadcasting companies
03:22 Conversation with top reporters of the Cabinet Office Correspondents Association members.
03:57 Mr. Fukuyama, former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
04:23 Ministerial Committee on the Formulation of the Budget
04:39 Headquarters for the Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake
05:10 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
05:31 Ruling party leaders talks with Mr. Kamei, Leader of the People’s New Party (Kokumin Shinto), Mr. Koshiishi, DPJ Secretary General; Mr. Shimoji, Secretary-General of the People’s New Party
06:01 Meeting adjourned
06:53 Dinner with Mr. Fujio Mitarai, Chairman of Cannon, and Mr. Yuzaburo Mogi, Chairman Emeritus of Kikkoman
09:06 The residence of PM

January 24, 2012 (TUE)

AM
08:53 The office of PM
09:05 Ministerial meeting
09:20 Meeting adjourned
10:51 Parliament
10:53 Mr. Igarashi, Mr. Igarashi, Senior Vice-Minister of Finance, and Mr. Fujii, DPJ Upper House member
11:02 Lower House plenary session
11:10 The office of PM
11:32 Parliament

PM
12:00 Opening ceremony of 180th ordinary diet session
12:13 The office of PM
12:50 Parliament
01:02 Lower House plenary session
02:46 Upper House plenary session
04:14 The office of PM
05:30 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:11 Mr. Furukawa, Minister of State for National Policy
06:40 The residence of PM

January 25, 2012 (WED)

AM
09:32 The office of PM
09:58 Parliament, made remarks at the DPJ joint Plenary meeting of both houses of the Diet
10:09 The office of PM
11:00 Mr. Asonuma, Administrative Vice Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare; Mr. Katori, Director-General for Policy Planning and Evaluation
11:16 Mr. Hosono, Minister of State for the Nuclear Power Policy and Administration
11:38 Mr. Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, joins
11:53 Mr. Okada, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Sengoku, DPJ Deputy Chair of Politicy Research Council, join

PM
12:24 Everyone leaves
01:23 Mr. Kozo Watanabe, DPJ Lower House member
02:02 The Council on National Strategy and Policy
03:09 Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, former Prime Minister; Mr. Hiramatsu, Director-General for Global Issues, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
03:30 Mr. Okada, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Azumi, Minister of Finance; Mr. Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Ogushi, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office; Mr. Katsu, Administrative Vice-Minister of Finance; Mr. Furuya, Director-General of the Tax Bureau, Ministry of Finance
03:58 Mr. Fujimura leaves
04:02 Mr. Ogushi leaves
04:08 Mr. Okada leaves
04:11 Everyone leaves
04:25 Mr. Yoshio Hachiro, DPJ Lower House member, and Mr. Shinkun Haku, DPJ Upper House member
04:53 Both leave
05:46 Mr. Honda, Special Advisor to PM
05:56 Mr. Nobuaki Koga, President of Japanese Trade Union Confederation
06:23 Mr. Yamaguchi, Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
06:39 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:05 Dinner with Mr. Jojima, DPJ Diet Affairs Chief; Mr. Matsumoto and Mr. Kato, Deputy Diet Affairs Chiefs
08:24 The residence of PM

January 26, 2012 (THU)

AM
09:01 The office of PM
09:07 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
10:28 Mr. Nagashima, Special Advisor to PM
10:58 Mr. Gemba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Sasae, Administrative Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
11:25 Both leave

PM
12:50 Parliament
01:02 Lower House plenary session
04:13 The office of PM
05:30 Mr. Kitamura, Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office; Mr. Shimohira, Chief of Defense Intelligence Headquarters, Ministry of Defense; and Mr. Nishi, Director-General of the Bureau of Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense
05:57 Mr. Yokomitsu, Senior Vice Minister of Environment; Mr. Terada, Vice-Minister for Global Environment
06:12 Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
06:29 The residence of PM

January 27, 2012 (FRI)

AM
07:02 Mr. Saito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; and Mr. Tezuka, Special Advisor to PM
07:38 Mr. Nagahama leaves
08:52 Everyone leaves
09:08 Parliament
09:17 Ministerial meeting
10:01 Upper House plenary session

PM
12:05 The office of PM
01:49Parliament
02:02 Upper House plenary session
06:32 The office of PM
06:35 Mr. Tatsuo Hirano, Minister for Reconstruction in the Response to the East Japan Earthquake; Mr. Sugawara, Director-General of Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
06:48 Mr. Uichiro Niwa, Japanese Ambassador to China
07:11 The residence of PM.

January 28, 2012 (SAT)

AM
Spend the morning at the residence of PM

PM
04:36 At “Aoyama Earth Studio”, JIngumae, Tokyo
05:00 Attend TV meeting of World Economic Forum (annual meeting in Davos)
05:38 The residence of PM

January 29, 2012 (SUN)

AM
Spend the morning at the residence of PM

PM
01:15 Mr. Okada Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Asonuma, Administrative Vice Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare; and Mr. Katori, Director-General for Policy Planning and Evaluation
01:54 Everyone leaves
02.00 Three DPJ/Government Executive Meeting
03:15 Meeting adjourned

Torture, War Crimes & Justice

LESSONS ON WAR CRIMES ACCOUNTABILITY: BOOK DISCUSSION OF ALL THE MISSING SOULS: A PERSONALl HISTORY OF THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNALS. 2/2, Noon-2:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: American Society of International Law (ASIL). Speakers: David Scheffer, Mayer Brown/Robert A. Helman Professor of Law and director of the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law; former Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues. Location; Diane Orentlicher, Professor of International Law, American University; former Deputy for War Crimes Issues, U.S. Department of State; Jane Stromseth Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, former Senior Advisor for Rule of Law and International Humanitarian Policy, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy; Moderator: Djurdja Lazic, International Legal Materials Managing Editor, American Society of International Law.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (ICJ). 2/2, 6:00-7:30pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: American Society of International Law (ASIL). Speaker: Thomas Buergenthal, former judge on the ICJ.

IN SEARCH OF ACCOUNTABILITY: JUSTICE AFTER NUREMBERG. 2/2, 7:00-10:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Speakers: Harold Koh, legal adviser to State Department; David Scheffer, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for War Crimes Issues; William Shawcross, author of "Justice and the Enemy: From the Nuremberg Trials to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed”; Moderator: Michael Abramowitz, director of the Committee on Conscience at Holocaust Memorial Museum. 

ALL THE MISSING SOULS: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL. 2/3, 7:00pm, Washington, DC. Sponsor: Politics and Prose Bookstore. Speaker: David Scheffer, senior adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, President Clinton’s ambassador-at-large for war crimes, author.