Kenzo Uchida - The Japan Times

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Kenzo Uchida

COMMENTARY

Dec 31, 2002

Koizumi losing ability to lead

The most striking impression about 2002 is that the world has become increasingly insecure. When two jetliners hijacked by suicide terrorists crashed into New York's World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, old-fashioned big-power games ended and a new struggle between civilized society and international...

EDITORIALS

Dec 16, 2002

It's still the economy, stupid

U.S. President George W. Bush has shaken up his economic team. The moves had been long expected. Despite the U.S. administration's claim that the economic downturn was the product of events beyond its control -- an assertion that is largely true -- the president's top officials were not doing him much...

COMMENTARY

Dec 10, 2002

Political stability decreasing

Nearly 20 months since the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi began, popular support for the Cabinet hovers around 50 to 60 percent, down from the extraordinarily high levels of 70 to 80 percent last year.

COMMENTARY

Nov 22, 2002

Koizumi deserves more time

The political situation is beginning to show signs of yearend tumult. At the beginning of the fall, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was doing fine. In September he visited Pyongyang and managed to extract an apology from North Korean leader Kim Jong Il for the abduction of Japanese nationals in the...

COMMENTARY

Nov 1, 2002

Coalition poised for offensive

In the Oct. 27 runoff parliamentary elections, the three-way ruling coalition won five of seven seats at stake, defeating the four-party opposition alliance. The elections were held in five Lower House and two Upper House constituencies. The coalition victory has created a measure of political stability...

COMMENTARY

Oct 14, 2002

Testing times for Koizumi

Japanese politics is entering a crucial period. On Sept. 30, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reshuffled his Cabinet for the first time since taking office in April 2001. The reshuffle, however, was limited in scale. Moreover, he kept his party's executive lineup unchanged.

COMMENTARY

Oct 6, 2002

A very busy month for Japanese politics

Last month, the political situation in Japan was roiled by three big events: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's surprise visit to North Korea (Sept. 17); the confused leadership election in the Democratic Party of Japan (Sept. 23); and a Cabinet reshuffle (Sept. 30).

COMMENTARY

Sep 20, 2002

Political lull comes to an end

This past summer was rather quiescent both politically and economically. About the only big story was former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka's resignation from the Diet over allegations that she misused the state-funded pay of her legislative secretaries.

COMMENTARY

Aug 20, 2002

New era brings new Japan-U.S.-China ties

I am writing from Honolulu, more than 60 years since the Japanese Imperial Navy's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 8, 1941, which started the Pacific War between Japan and the United States.

COMMENTARY

Aug 6, 2002

Koizumi safe amid instabilit

The long Diet session has come to an end, and politicians have gone on summer vacation. The first half of the latest session was marred by a number of political scandals; during the second half, legislators were busy deliberating on a number of important bills. A sense of vanity, though, pervades the...

COMMENTARY

Jul 23, 2002

Who can succeed Koizumi?

A sense of frustration prevails as the marathon Diet session nears its end. Since it convened in January, the scandal-racked legislature has achieved very little, and the political situation has become increasingly unstable.

COMMENTARY

Jul 9, 2002

Turmoil after Diet adjourns

The regular Diet session, which was extended in late June for 42 days through the end of July, is entering a critical period. Since it opened in January, the Diet has performed poorly, with a number of key bills still awaiting action.

COMMENTARY

Jun 23, 2002

Support for reshuffle builds

The regular Diet session has been extended for 42 days through July 31. On Wednesday, when the extension was approved, the Lower House voted unanimously to accept a request from the Tokyo District Court to issue an arrest warrant for legislator Muneo Suzuki. And later the same day, public prosecutors...

COMMENTARY

Jun 11, 2002

Optimist has lost his bearings

The government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi continues to face greater difficulties than perhaps ever before. I previously criticized his Cabinet as beset with troubles, both at home and abroad, as a result of scandals involving lawmaker Muneo Suzuki, former Liberal Democratic Party secretary general...

COMMENTARY

May 19, 2002

Koizumi must act to end his state of siege

I cannot help but suspect that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the members of his Cabinet feel beset with troubles both at home and abroad as the current session of the Diet enters the homestretch.

COMMENTARY

May 4, 2002

Signs the Cabinet may fall

As the limitations of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government reveal themselves, there are emerging signs of the possible downfall of his Cabinet. The crushing defeat of a Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the Upper House by-election in the Niigata constituency on April 28 was one event testifying...

COMMENTARY

Apr 20, 2002

Comedy on the heels of traged

As the saying goes, "tragedy at first, followed by comedy." Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's dismissal of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Jan. 29 was a tragic event in the political world. The collapse of the Koizumi-Tanaka team, at the forefront of the government that emerged in April 2001 to tremendous...

COMMENTARY

Apr 7, 2002

Gloom looms before Koizumi

The outlook for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration, which previously enjoyed high approval ratings and looked set for continued success, has taken a dramatic turn for the worse.

COMMENTARY

Mar 20, 2002

Uncertain future for Koizumi

In politics, as the saying goes, all is darkness just a step down the road. How right they are. When the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was inaugurated at the end of April 2001, it enjoyed a stellar Cabinet support rating of 80 percent, and the prime minister himself was hugely popular....

COMMENTARY

Mar 5, 2002

Narrow field helps Koizumi

Immediately after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi fired Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka early Jan. 30, the public approval rate of his government plummeted to about 50 percent from the unprecedentedly high 80 percent it had maintained for nine months since its inception in April. There may be no rebuttal...

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