Word: ozawa
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...would like the Japanese people to be gentle with us." He continued, "This is an encounter with the unknown, and we're embarking on a trip that we've never experienced." His Cabinet appointments immediately received praise. But a big question remains: How will he work with Ichiro Ozawa...
...Ozawa is the Secretary-General of Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan (DJP) and the éminence grise of the electoral campaign that catapulted the new Prime Minister to power to transform Japanese politics. More than anyone else over the past 20 years, Ozawa worked to bring down the Liberal Democratic Party through means both public and subtle. His opinions, such as pursuing independent foreign-policy goals rather than cleaving to the U.S. (as Tokyo has done since the end of World War II), are likely to gain traction - raising the question of how much influence he will have...
Over three decades, Ozawa has wielded his influence behind the scenes, and many fear that, as Secretary-General, surrounded by close allies, he could exercise veto power over policy legislation and undermine Hatoyama's control. Takao Toshikawa, the editor of the political newsletter Insideline, has named Ozawa the "new shadow shogun" (as has the Economist). He says, "Ozawa's power is increasing day by day, and I'm afraid that if Ozawa's influence becomes much greater, how Hatoyama will maintain leadership." Toshikawa calls Ozawa's views radical, particularly those that could threaten bilateral relations with the U.S. (Read Michael...
...constitutional politics." He leads a party cobbled together from groups united in not much more than their opposition to the LDP; it has no obvious coherent ideology of its own. Though there are a number of old heads in the party--its éminence grise, former LDP minister Ichiro Ozawa, has been a player in Japanese politics for 30 years--no fewer than 46% of its Diet members will be first-time parliamentarians. But voters were prepared to take a chance on the new team, hoping it will have fresh ideas to address Japan's protracted economic malaise and growing...
...Ozawa is not anti-American; when I spoke to him at length earlier this year, he stressed that the U.S.-Japan alliance is "the most important relationship for Japan." At the same time, Ozawa insisted that in "global disputes," Japan should take a "U.N.-approach." "When it comes to an exercise of power by the U.S. alone," Ozawa said, "then Japan is not able to go along." Within a U.N framework of dispute resolution, however, "Japan should be proactive in rendering support." Ozawa said that this position was "starkly different" from that taken by the LDP. He really could...