Word: abely
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...been a year of setbacks for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Since the elections of last September, he has lost four cabinet ministers to political scandals; control of the upper house of parliament; and 40 approval rating percentage points. Now, in an attempt to right his ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prepare for a tumultuous fall Diet session, Abe has reshuffled his cabinet, bringing in a host of veteran politicians to regain voter confidence...
...lineup is in sharp contrast to the so-called "buddy cabinet" of almost a year ago, made up of Abe's friends and largely first-time ministers. With key positions such as the cabinet speaker and foreign affairs minister now filled by LDP veterans who control powerful factions within the party, Abe's new cabinet is more reminiscent of days when appointments were handed out to political factions to curry favor and support - and is a sign that the embattled Prime Minister now needs all the help...
...time, I have a responsibility." Though he says he doesn't want to talk about Japanese politics, he returns to the subject again and again throughout a 212-hour conversation, bushy eyebrows bobbing as he worries about "politicians who rewrite history," and the growing tendency in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Japan to forget about wartime atrocities. Japanese history has always been in the background of his works - and his best novel, 1994's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, dissected the groupthink that led Japan into a catastrophic war - but now he wants to act. "Before, I wanted...
...terror - a poll in May found that only 22% of Japanese believed the military should support reconstruction activities in countries still in conflict, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. But the politician Ozawa has in his sights isn't Bush; it's beleaguered Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has long pushed for greater participation by Japanese forces in the war on terror. After losing control of the Upper House in stunning fashion, Abe is under intense pressure to resign as Prime Minister, even from members of his own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). By blocking the Japanese military from continuing...
...Ozawa, the man who could well be Japan's next Prime Minister. The two finally met Wednesday, only after Ozawa had previously snubbed the ambassador - and he made clear that he would continue to oppose continuing Japan's participation in Afghanistan operations. Bush forged a solid relationship with Abe, and both men supported the idea of a Japan that takes a much more assertive role within the security alliance. But with Abe weakened, and Japan possibly turning inward, "we could be at the beginning of a redefinition of the U.S.-Japan alliance," says Tanifuji. Such a shift would...