Toshi Maeda - The Japan Times

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Toshi Maeda

For Toshi Maeda's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

JAPAN

Mar 18, 2000

Embattled triumvirate seeks to rally the public before polls

Although Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi encountered little difficulty in securing Diet passage of the fiscal 2000 budget Friday, the likelihood of him dissolving the Lower House for general elections in the near future seems more distant than ever.

JAPAN

Mar 16, 2000

Parties claim Obuchi AWOL

Discretion is the better part of valor, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi might say.

JAPAN

Mar 8, 2000

Life of North Korean spy laid bare

When Pak Chung Sun met her former boyfriend in Seoul in January, he was no longer the reticent, tender-hearted gentleman with whom she had lived a quarter of a century ago in Tokyo.

JAPAN

Mar 6, 2000

Japan needs juggling act to secure future in Asia

With China expected to assume a greater presence as a regional power both economically and militarily early next century, Japan appears groping for a way to get along with its giant neighbor without disrupting its decades-old security partnership with the United States.

JAPAN

Jan 3, 2000

Opposition parties headed for breakthrough

Staff writer Cashing in on the unpopularity of the "gigantic" ruling coalition, opposition parties are optimistic of making a big leap forward in the next general election -- and forecasts by political analysts suggest they have a favorable wind behind them. But it is not clear if the opposition forces, in particular the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, have a clear strategy to seize power in the future as they try to ride the wave of public criticism directed at the alliance led by the Liberal Democratic Party. DPJ officials say the party sees the election as a first step in its goal to take power in the years ahead. "We are on the offensive," said Tadao Maekawa, emphasizing the poor reputation of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's tripartite coalition of the LDP, Liberal Party and New Komeito. In fact, the coalition, which together controls 70 percent of the Lower House, succumbed to fierce resistance from the DPJ-led opposition and had to abort plans to ram pension reform bills through the Diet in the last session, which ended in mid-December. Once the campaign is started, Maekawa said, the DPJ will strongly criticize the ruling parties for the inconsistencies in their policies as well as their high-handed way of handling Diet proceedings, while simultaneously presenting voters with the DPJ's vision for the nation's future. Maekawa predicted that Obuchi could dissolve the Lower House as early as this month, setting the stage for an election in February. Political analysts say the LDP and DPJ are likely to have contrasting results in the election. While the DPJ, which currently has 94 Lower House members, is widely expected to increase its strength, the LDP could fail to retain its single-party majority in the 500-member chamber, in which it currently holds 269 seats (not including Speaker Soichiro Ito). LDP leaders have become so concerned about the election that Deputy Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka has set a target of winning 215 seats -- more than 50 below its current strength. DPJ sources said the party aims to gain 150 Lower House seats by fielding candidates in 250 of the total 300 single-seat constituencies of the chamber. The rest of the 500 Lower House members' seats are chosen through proportional representation. "If we can encourage voters to harbor concerns about the giant coalition, that will be advantageous to us. Throwing Diet (deliberations) into confusion and letting (the coalition) again steamroll controversial bills would be another plus," said a senior DPJ lawmaker, who asked not to be named. The DPJ is not the only party hoping to make rapid strides in the next election, which must be held no later than October. "If we work hard, there will be chances ahead for us to take an unprecedented leap," said Tadayoshi Ichida, election committee chairman for the Japanese Communist Party. Ichida claimed that compared with a decade ago, the Communist Party can expect more votes from people critical of the ruling camp as public "misunderstanding" of the party has been gradually dispelled following the collapse of communist regimes worldwide. Some observers predict the Japanese Communist Party could even jump to third place after the LDP and DPJ by increasing its Lower House strength from its current 26 seats to around 40, as the LDP's coalition partners are expected to take a pounding in the upcoming election. Another opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, which now has 14 Lower House members, hopes to secure at least 21 seats in the new chamber -- the required minimum for a party to propose amendments to a legislative measure. Lower House member Sekisuke Nakanishi, who is in charge of the SDP's election affairs, said the party will try to appeal to voters by vowing to safeguard the pacifist Constitution from recent efforts both within and outside the Diet to review it. These three parties did manage to forge a united front as they challenged the overwhelming ruling alliance in the last Diet session, but it is an entirely different question as to whether they trust each other sufficiently to form a solid coalition to provide an alternative to the LDP-led alliance. As a strategy to win power, Ichida, of the Communists, maintained that the party is open to forming an alliance with any party except the LDP -- and if necessary, the JCP will temporarily "freeze" its basic party principle of seeking to scrap Japan's security alliance with the United States. The DPJ's Maekawa, however, said the JCP's offer is unwelcome, adding that it is an "illusion" on the part of the Communists for them to believe they can team up with the DPJ. "We would face a crushing defeat (in elections) if we formed a coalition with the JCP," said Maekawa, explaining that DPJ supporters would not tolerate an alliance with a party whose diplomatic and national security policies are utterly irreconcilable with those of the DPJ. "Many of our party members would say that we would rather team up with the LDP than with the JCP." In fact, many DPJ lawmakers, including President Yukio Hatoyama, are former LDP legislators and have often collided with left-leaning members of the party over key policy matters. DPJ officials maintain that the party must establish its position as "one of the two major parties," along with the LDP, and they believe teaming up with other parties would do them more harm than good. "Among the six major parties, the Liberal Party and the SDP are on the way to disappearing, and New Komeito and the JCP are peculiar ones (backed by special interest groups)," a senior DPJ member said on condition of anonymity. "In the end, only the DPJ and LDP will remain as the last remaining 'ordinary' parties." Still, Maekawa admitted that it will be extremely difficult for the DPJ alone to secure a simple Diet majority in the foreseeable future, and thus it will need partners if it is to take power. Since its creation in 1996 and the party's expansion through mergers with various conservative groups in 1998, the DPJ has retained its position as the largest opposition camp, but its popular support has seen wild ups and downs. According to a December survey by Kyodo News, public support for the DPJ fell to 12.7 percent from 18.3 percent in the previous poll in October, although support for Obuchi's tripartite alliance also dropped 6.2 points to 45.6 percent. It is not clear how many of the voters who do not support any particular party -- and account for 30.5 percent of the electorate -- will opt for the DPJ in this year's election.

JAPAN

Dec 2, 1999

DPJ giving up its 'well mannered' style

Staff writer In an effort to turn itself from a "well-mannered" party into an "aggressive" force, the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, is beginning to square up to the ruling coalition. "We used to work hard to provide counterproposals (to the ruling alliance) because we thought that was the responsibility of the opposition," a senior DPJ member said recently. "But now we have reached the conclusion that we should be more aggressive and criticize the ruling parties, because that is also our job." The metamorphosis first emerged when the DPJ, in a united move with other opposition parties, boycotted all Diet deliberations from late last week through early this week to delay the ruling camp's attempt to pass pension reform bills. "Our firm attitude did the trick," said DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday, referring to the fact that the boycott forced the ruling coalition to accept more deliberations and "another vote" on the bills at a Lower House committee, although the ruling alliance insists that the procedure is merely a confirmation of the vote conducted on Friday. Hatoyama went on to say that the DPJ intends to attack the coalition again in an attempt to have the Lower House dissolved during the current Diet session. Using hard-nosed tactics may be the only choice left for the DPJ, whose efforts to affect policy seem to have been pretty much in vain in the face of the giant tripartite ruling coalition launched in October, which outnumbers the opposition camp in both chambers of the Diet. But another reason may be behind the DPJ's unyielding stance appears to be the falling approval rating of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Cabinet in recent opinion polls. The DPJ's joint struggle with the other opposition parties -- the Social Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party -- is likely to continue in the near future. On Wednesday, the opposition camp, in a united front, turned down a request by the ruling coalition to begin deliberating the 1999 second extra budget plan today. The resistance of the opposition, which insists that discussion of the budget will not start until Dec. 6, when three key Cabinet ministers return from the WTO summit in Seattle, will delay the Diet's schedule not only for the budget bills but also in other contentious legislation -- and could cause another rift within the ruling coalition. The delay in handling the budget and pension bills would make it difficult for the ruling camp to pass legislation to reduce the number of seats in the Lower House during the current Diet session, which runs through December 15. If that happens, the Liberal Party, a member of the coalition that strongly advocates a reduction in the number of Diet seats, is likely to start making more noises about breaking away from the coalition.Senior Liberal Party lawmakers say the party will not tolerate having the matter tucked away and forgotten and suggest that the ongoing Diet session be extended for one or two weeks if necessary. The DPJ maintains that it will simply reject any appeal for an extended session, as soon as it is asked.

JAPAN

Nov 23, 1999

ASDF aid flights climb to legalistic threshold

JAPAN

Nov 22, 1999

Will LDP let Ozawa come in from the cold?

JAPAN

Nov 9, 1999

Politicians brace for one-on-one Diet debate

JAPAN

Oct 21, 1999

Futenma debate near conclusion

JAPAN

Sep 10, 1999

Analysis: Kan's fading star may reflect DPJ's fate

JAPAN

Aug 12, 1999

Emigrants gypped on 'paradise' sue

JAPAN

Aug 5, 1999

Japan, South Korea hold first joint naval drill

JAPAN

Jun 28, 1999

Base not Ishihara's only target

JAPAN

Jun 25, 1999

Nuclear plants feared vulnerable coastline targets

MIHAMA, Fukui Pref. — A North Korean submarine runs aground on the nuclear plant-dotted shores of Fukui Prefecture and 11 commandos armed with antitank rockets storm ashore.

JAPAN

Jun 17, 1999

Portugal — the next hot European tourist draw?

OPORTO, Portugal — The government of Portugal is trying to convince Japanese tourists that provinces in the south of France are not the only destination for a relaxing vacation in Europe. Instead, it is pushing the Iberian countryside with its ecotourism opportunities and locally made brandy-laced wines.

JAPAN

May 24, 1999

Diet enacts defense bills, but doubts on alliance linger

JAPAN

Apr 29, 1999

MSDF tries out new sea patrol tactics

JAPAN

Apr 8, 1999

Okinawa town ready to accept U.S. Navy site

JAPAN

Mar 30, 1999

Agency brainstorming rogue boat options

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

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