The Japanese politics thread: Old men fucking each other ITT

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > The Japanese politics thread: Old men fucking each other ITT

LngBolt: Sep 2, 2009

A lot of the best anime is actually political commentary. Akira and Ghost in the Shell are two examples.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2012 09:14

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 15:39

LngBolt: Sep 2, 2009

Back on track talking about Japanese politics. It's all about corruption and hidden bank accounts. Check out this article:

quote:

Similarly, John Dower (a member of the JPRI Board of Advisers) comments, "We look at the LDP and say it's corrupt and it's unfortunate to have a one-party democracy. But we have played a role in creating that misshapen structure." (see "C.I.A. Spent Millions to Support Japanese Right in 50's and 60's," New York Times, October 9, 1994.) This is JPRI's interest in this subject. It is historical but it is also directly connected with day-to-day policy-making in Tokyo and Washington now and in the future

Here's how they did it:

quote:

After Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945, a military government was established in Japan by the U.S. armed forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. In the early postwar period, General MacArthur saw that financial aid would be required in order to develop democratic institutions in Japan and to rebuild its devastated economy. Primarily because some of these funds would be used to finance political activity deemed necessary to get democratic forces off to a good start, General MacArthur became convinced that it was essential to establish a secret fund.

Such a fund was duly created, utilizing primarily money and property that had been in the possession of the Japanese armed forces at war's end after having been seized during the war in occupied areas such as China, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. This wealth, which was turned over to the U.S. at war's end, was not on Japan's books as a nation and was available for use by MacArthur without the need of any public legislative action in the United States. It turned out to be much more substantial in amount than was originally realized. Later, so-called "counterpart" funds--"soft" foreign currencies acquired by the U.S. which could not be converted into dollars--were added.

You can read the entire article here: http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp11.html

JPRI also has an article detailing the mechanics of corruption and money laundering within the LDP:

quote:

It was, after all, Kishi who first connected the discredited world of prewar politics to postwar conservative hegemony and it was Kishi who welcomed organized crime and the nationalist rightwing into the mainstream of LDP power. By the 1990s, however, few seemed to remember the connection. By then, Kodama was dead, Sasakawa was weakened and dying, and a range of newly-founded religious organizations had become active -- indeed indispensable -- supporters of the LDP. Kishi's advice echoed faintly. Structural corruption within the "1955 System" was taken for granted. It was just the way things worked.
http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp83.html

Once you start to see the contours of corruption within the Japanese system, it inevitably leads to interlocking networks among American elites. Once you realize how much gold is out there, and who is holding it, you also begin to realize why some people want a gold standard.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2012 23:11

LngBolt: Sep 2, 2009

ErIog posted:

I agree with Roadside_Picnic on this. Japan does have a lot of unfortunate problems that shouldn't happen, but most of the hand-wringing I see over it comes from business people or economists that, in my opinion, have a very warped view that economic growth should be infinite. You see it phrased as "Japan's economy is stagnating."

Japan is doing less well than it could if it had full employment. Which it could have, but doesn't, because interests within the leadership refuse to utilize their sovereign currency to the maximum extent. Oh and the austerity, consumption tax stuff isn't helping either.

Edit: and also, they refused to write off the bad private debts.

LngBolt fucked around with this message at 08:00 on Sep 21, 2012

# ¿ Sep 21, 2012 07:57

LngBolt: Sep 2, 2009

Supposedly there is also undersea oil and gas there. I suspect that's the real reason for the dispute.

# ¿ Sep 25, 2012 19:43

LngBolt: Sep 2, 2009

Not every country can be a net exporter.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2012 18:28

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