Hisahiko Okazaki's Sept. 15 article, "End the yearlong gridlock," is a metaphor for what's wrong with Japanese politics today. Okazaki puppets the party line -- that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda can judge himself objectively -- questions the patriotism of anyone who opposes the policy of the Liberal Democratic Party, and declares that whatever the LDP says is good for Japan.
I would like to ask Okazaki: What good exactly will come from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies? And why is opposing the LDP's policies automatically bad for Japan?
Public debate is what Japan needs. The people need to take power back from the government that they have become so apathetic to. Refueling activities in the Indian Ocean, a war constitution, and Fukuda's resignation without excuses may be all good for the LDP, but if these were brought before the people, I think Japanese citizens would pull the rug out from under the smug ruling party.