On December 16, voting in the Japanese elections will take place to select the country's seventh prime minister in six years. The challenges in this election include a struggling economy, regional tensions, and debate over what role Japan ought to play in Asia (strikingly similar to some of the issues in this year's American elections). It is forecasted that Japan's center-right Liberal Democratic Party will win the vote, placing Shinzo Abe in power as prime minister. Before the Democratic Party of Japan gained power for three years beginning in 2009, the LDP enjoyed more that 50 years in power.
You can read more about this here, here, and here
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6 comments:
I don't think it's unnatural that the news has not really addressed this issue because we are all still shocked by the massacre that just occurred. However, I think that we should not ignore the reality that Japan may be facing a change in leadership in the near future.
I feel it understandable that Japan would be facing similar issues like the United States' current problems. Both have struggling economies and a nation's role in the world is always an important topic. With the rise of the Chinese economy, Japan is going to have to take some serious measures if they do not want to be left behind in the dust.
I noticed you did not mention in the article who from the Liberal Democratic Party was going to probably be replaced by Shinzo Abe as prime minister. Regardless, now he is assured of becoming prime minister as this article says.
Hopefully, Shinzo Abe will work to promote good relations between Japan and Asia and will help Japan's economy strive again. He might see this election as a mandate and will try a "first hundred days" legislative surge like FDR did after his election. However, he has vowed to take a firm stance against China, so tension could still potentially rise up.
As the terrible massacre in Newtown was one of the worst in our nation's history, I don't find it surprising that it has dominated our news. To address the question of whether we should be focusing on other news instead of this tragedy, I think that it is imperative that we reflect on the Newtown tragedy and that it rightfully should be the main national news, however, this does not take away from the importance of other international events, such as Japan's upcoming election. As Matthew said, it will be interesting to see how effective Shinzo Abe's "legislative surge" and proposals on how to fix Japan's struggling economy will be.
There is nothing wrong with temporarily redirecting the nation's focus on the tragedy in Connecticut. While international affairs still continue, at no slower pace, we must still allocate the time to remember and commemorate those who had passed due to the shooting. To pay any less heed would not provide the due respect, for lack of a better word, to those who have fallen. Despite this, international affairs cannot be neglected, and definitely should be continuously monitored. Excitement sure is surging forth with the rise of the Democratic Party of Japan.
I think this post calls into question where our, and the media's, true interests should lie. What poses a greater threat? Isolated domestic mass murders or global incidents? Rory and Kurtis correctly determine that the magnitude of the Connecticut shooting warrants significant media attention but Matthew's post displays the long-term and global consequences that the Japanese election could have. Assuming it is natural for us to focus on events like the shooting, does this focus coincide with our national priorities? Personally I think sensationalism detracts from efforts to truly inspire change and that we, as a nation, should stay focused on the issues that matter, wherever those may lie.
I agree with what everyone has said--it is truly unsurprising that the focus of the media has been the tragedy of the Connecticut shooting. I do feel that the victims need to be acknowledged and mourned, and I wish that the news would focus more on those killed rather than the killer. He does not deserve the attention.
As for the elections--perhaps Japan's next leader will be able to improve the country's economy and smooth over some unresolved tension.
Although this is a cynical viewpoint, I feel that as a Japanese citizen, it is my duty to bring into light the general opinion of the Japanese public when it comes to politics. Although I am not trying to say that elections in Japan are unimportant, the leadership changes so often (they've had 6 different prime ministers in the last 6 years) that the public begins to wonder if different leaders really makes much of a difference in Japanese politics. The election that occurred today is no exception.
Another public concern is that Shinzo Abe served as Japan's prime minister from 2006-2007, and he is notorious in the media for having stepped down from his position because it was "too overwhelming of a job for him."
Therefore, although elections are inherently important events in a country's politics, I don't blame the U.S. media for focusing on the Connecticut massacre instead of an annual change-of-leadership in Japan.
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