Bravo! to Hiromi Murakami for his May 30 article, "Changing Japan's system to handle the 'unexpected.'" That's telling it like it is. I write a blog that gets about 1,000 reads per article under the pseudonym "gonzedo" in my local newspaper. Most of my recent articles have had to do with the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. Consequently, I have had the need to understand the social-political propensities of the Japanese people.

Murakami's piece confirms my belief that the political system in Japan is very much like that in my own country. Big-money cartels rule the roost without adequate regard for the hardworking, suffering people.

I have in the past expressed the belief that Japanese society, at large, exhibits many admirable qualities such as good education, stoicism, perseverance and a strong work ethic. Unfortunately Japan's leaders seem to "prepare for the best" and seldom "prepare for the worst." That needs to change.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

name withheld by request