Word: tanaka
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Economically and socially, it is not an exaggeration to say that Japan now faces a historic turning point." So said Premier Kakuei Tanaka at the opening of the Japanese Diet early this month. He was not exaggerating. Since then, Japan's economic crisis, created by the energy shortage, has only grown worse. As Japan Times Editor Masaru Ogawa brooded editorially, it may turn out that "the Japanese economic giant has only feet of clay." Moreover, the political repercussions threaten to engulf Tanaka himself, and even raise the worrisome specter of a resurgence of Japanese nationalism...
Panic Buying. Beyond the economic crisis, the political paralysis of the Tanaka government has created a crisis of confidence in it. Housewives have indulged in a wave of panic buying of such potentially scarce items as sugar and soap. Some experts fear that when the real crunch comes early next year, particularly if there are severe food shortages, Japan could be plagued by consumer riots...
...from the Middle East. While reports of a formal Arab "ultimatum" were denied by government sources in Tokyo, TIME learned that Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani suggested to the Japanese ambassador that in order to be classed as a "friendly" nation, Japan should break relations with Israel. Tanaka told Kissinger that to get supplies, Japan would have to abandon its formally neutral stance for a pro-Arab policy, and asked for U.S. understanding. Kissinger urged...
Mutual Distrust. The talks apparently did nothing to dispel the sense of mutual distrust that has long plagued Kissinger's relations with Japan. Both sides issued bland statements to the effect that Kissinger "understood Japan's serious predicament." But the phraseology was diplomatic euphemism. After Tanaka explained Japan's economic predicament, Kissinger's rather cold-nosed reply was that while he understood the situation, the state of the Japanese economy and what to do about it was not really his problem...
...evince much sympathy for Tanaka's political situation. The Premier explained that the Japanese Cabinet was expected to endorse the Arab interpretation of United Nations Resolution 242, requiring complete Israeli withdrawal behind the pre-1967 ceasefire lines. Earlier, Japan had taken the view that Resolution 242 must be implemented in all its parts, including Israel's right to "secure and recognized boundaries," which in Israel's view allows for changes in the 1967 lines. Out of fear that it would look like a direct rebuff to Kissinger, however, the Tanaka Cabinet decided next day to delay...