Word: japanned
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...fitting that the first official day of campaigning for the presidency of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) - and at least temporarily, the prime ministership - should come Sept. 17, on keiro no hi, or "Respect for the Aged Day." Japan's political old guard, shunted aside under just-resigned Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is back with a vengeance, and the consensus pick to be the next leader of Japan is a 71-year-old veteran who was rejected last year in part because he was considered too elderly. Yasuo Fukuda, an LDP Diet member who'd disappeared into...
...wasn't supposed to be this way. In the immediate aftermath of Abe's sudden resignation on Sept. 12, it was Aso - the conservative, high profile ex-Foreign Minister - who had the inside track. A comic book-loving populist - his most recent book was titled Awesome Japan - Aso had finished second to Abe in last year's LDP presidential election, and generally scored well with the public. But like a radioactive bomb, Abe's departure was so disastrous that it contaminated anyone near him, particularly Aso, who reportedly knew of the Prime Minister's coming resignation days before...
...Prime Minister, Fukuda seems likely to continue the general course of the Abe administration, albeit with a more moderate touch. He also seems less willing to prioritize the U.S. alliance at the expense of Japan's Asian relations. Though not an opponent of economic reform, Fukuda is unlikely to risk taking any chances, which means needed changes like a consumption tax increase will stay on the shelf, even as Japan's recovery loses steam. For now, after the tumult of July's election and Abe's exit, Japan seems to be in a holding pattern, with tradition-bound hands...
Once the dust clears, Abe's departure could also signal a return to the old Japan. Abe was elected less than a year ago, promising to centralize power in the Prime Minister's office--traditionally weak compared with those of other countries--and promote a more assertive Japan abroad. Instead, the influence has shifted back to behind-the-scenes power brokers, and the country appears to be retreating from the world stage. At this uncertain point, it seems Japan could go any way but forward...
Other popular destinations for spring included Rome, with Vera Wang excavating ideas from the city's ancient polycultural society and translating them into toga-like dresses, and Bali, where Diane von Furstenberg found bold floral prints. Japan--specifically its traditional folded-and-dyed fabric-printing technique, shibori--turned up on the runways of designers like Narciso Rodriguez, Proenza Schouler and Thakoon Panichgul...