On April 4, my blog reported on the upcoming Japanese elections. I made some predictions on the basis of Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), running against someone from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). I suggested that Prime Minister Taro Aso should not be that person. Well, five months later, the situation has significantly shifted, for Ozawa did resign, and the people of Japan are ready to kick out the LDP after 54 years of almost continuous rule.
The individual who should become the next Japanese Prime Minister on Sunday is Yukio Hatoyama (pictured above), who obtained a PhD in engineering from Stanford University. In 1981, he became an assistant professor at Senshu University, a private college in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Senshu has no engineering program, so I wonder what he taught? He ran for the House of Representatives from Hokkaido in 1986 and won.
Hatoyama is 62, and the grandson of a former Prime Minister, Ichiro Hatoyama. Yukio Hatoyama, of course, was part of the LDP, but in 1993 he broke ranks with his family and joined the Japan New Party. That lasted only about a year, so he wandered about in new organizations for a while and was involved in the formation of the DPJ, a consolidation of various new parties, in 1998. There was then another merger with Ichiro Ozawa’s Liberal Party in 2003. Ozawa became their leader in 2006, and was replaced by Hatoyama in May.
The DPJ is more liberal, more social and is for change and transparency. Sort of sounds like Obama’s campaign. So we shall see how the DPJ improves the Japanese economy and finds ways to reverse the aging of the country.
-
The Dow Jones Industrials showed an increase for the eighth straight day, up 37 to 9580, but world markets were almost all down. Gold rose $5/toz to $950 and oil is at $72.59/barrel.
-
There are four storms in the East Pacific. Hilda went south, Ignacio is going north and who knows what those other two disturbances will do. Tropical Storm Danny is not fully organized, but is at 45 MPH, and could increase to 55 MPH over the next day or two. Models show the potential of landfall on the Eastern Seaboard Saturday night:
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น