daver 0 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 In light of recent comments made by high profile politicians, one has to ask; are these people utterly insane and totally out of touch with their constituents? Or, do they actually represent the views of the average voter in Japan? I am referring to Abe's recent denial of of comfort women, and the comparison Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Bunmei Ibuki, made between butter and human rights. Notably, too much of either is bad. Of course we have the now infamous Yagisawa and his baby machines. And let's not forget the always popular fascist Ishihara. If these people and their outlandish world views do not accurately represent the average Japanese voter, how do they continue to be elected into office? If they do indeed accurately represent the views of the average Japanese voter, what does that mean for the future of this currently great nation? Link to post Share on other sites
number9 0 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Is democracy perfect? Japan's version of democracy is far from it but.. Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 but what? don't distract from the issue. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 You think politics at that level of government really care what people think? They don't need to. They don't have to answer to voters, period. The same party has been in power (except for a brief period) since the war. It is not democracy as much as it is a one-party state. Also understand that here, as in most 'democracies', half the population (ie women) are grossely underrepresented. Its a boys club. Although i am still suprised and saddened by what comes out of those guys mouths, what kind of remarks do you expect in such a pay-to-play tight circle of men? Sensitivity? Especially when the female population is taught from birh to put up with mass amounts of bullshit (我慢）and keep their mouths closed in the shape of a smile? Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 i understand and agree with you. however sensitivity is one thing, but outwardly stating human rights are bad for the country is something entirely different. this is coming from the man in charge of educating the youth of japan! i might be mistaken, but i do recall reading that women make up a significant majority of not the potential voting public the the active voting public in japan. with that in mind i find the results of said "democracy" shocking. i guess though you have to look at the alternatives. not much there as a viable option to choose from. it just saddens me. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Quote: It is not democracy as much as it is a one-party state. Why has it become like that? Voter apathy? Voter satisfaction? It is interesting that it has stayed like that for just so long without any changes. Is the "birth machine" comments guy still doing his job? Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 its Japan, dude. Change is a four-letter word. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 About the Minister of the Education (MEXT)... The human rights thing isn't the first stupid thing to come out of Ibuki's mouth. Others include his opposition to English at Elementary Schools based on the completely false belief that it will interfere with students mother tongue, his recent statement about Japan being a homogeneous country of Yamato people, and other stuff. He established a not-so-subtle pattern a while ago and shows no sign of deviating from the course. His background is in finance --not education. I don't know why exactly he was assigned to MEXT but all indication is that it was more or less random. Actually, I heard that he was pissed off at the assignment because MEXT is the second weakest ministry. (The weakest ministry is the Min. of Environment). Anyway, people who have spent their lives trying to improve education in Japan are trying to 'educate' him at the moment. He's notoriously stubborn. This information does not come from guessing and speculating. This is the 'word' according people at the University level. Daver, you mentioned politicians not reflecting the will of the people. Yeah, that's the point of democracy isn't it?! I haven't thought about it much in those terms though. I'd just like to hear politicians say something intelligent, that is based on ... ... some kind of sound theory... or research... or REALITY. Japanese politics is a pretty soft target but actually my problem is not with Japanese politics. It's with the current administration. Political rhetoric these days sounds more like 'Uncle-Joe' in the living room after a big Thanksgiving dinner and a few too many drinks. Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 The birth machine guy sure is still in his job BagOfCrisps. He seems to get more time outside of his sexist comments now too. From what i can understand of local elections, most people seem to vote for someone because they are a friend of a friend or some kind of giri rather than through policies. When the big guys are elected do people vote for them direct or the local guys? Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 the way giri influences peoples' choices is a very interesting aspect of japan and i do admire it for a variety of reasons. however when it comes to politics giri slaps the voter right back to the age of serfdom. i always presumed public opinion was what made people keep their obligations, but voting being a private thing is free of public scrutiny. i just don't get it. Link to post Share on other sites
cal 6 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I have heard that kind of thing a lot as well. Seems that some (many?) people don't even listen to the actual policies or whatever they just vote for who it is and where their giri lies. Perhaps with younger generation that kind of thinking is on its way out. Link to post Share on other sites
Curt 1 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Another frustrating I find here is how people seem to accept things without causing a fuss. Not that I want to cause a fuss when it is not called for of course, but I like to understand why things are as they are and some of my colleages just seem to very much sit back and accept things without question. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 My friend's family owns one of the bigger food distributors in Japan and her Dad says that company policy is to vote LDP --"But employees vote for who they want right?" "Nope. This company votes LDP" --so he says. Link to post Share on other sites
samurai 0 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by Curt: Another frustrating I find here is how people seem to accept things without causing a fuss. shoganai. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 (I understand that! I think) Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by ger: My friend's family owns one of the bigger food distributors in Japan and her Dad says that company policy is to vote LDP --"But employees vote for who they want right?" "Nope. This company votes LDP" --so he says. so is he openly admitting he infringes on his employees' basic democratic freedom? actually, that really isn't too shocking. isn't that the wish of every corporation? what shocks me is that his employees might obey. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 They probably say they do but just go vote for whoever else they have giri for. Not as if they are checking. Link to post Share on other sites
number9 0 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 People vote for all sorts of reasons (platform, party alliance, charisma, familiarity, etc.) Giri is an additional reason in Japan (but not like it's a totally foreign concept in other democracies). Link to post Share on other sites
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