Friday, February 23, 2007

'Tis the Season to Be Sorry

In quick succession:

Feb. 22: At LDP headquarters, Secretary-General Hidenao "Big" Nakagawa apologizes to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, saying, "I overstated my case a little". Mr. Abe is magnanimous, replying with a smile, "Don't worry, [my cabinet] is doing fine."

Feb. 22: Answering questions at the Lower House National Security Committee, Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma apologizes to noone in particular about his criticism of the Bush administration, saying, "… I lacked consideration. I regret [my words]."

Feb. 22: At the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, Shintaro Ishihara apologizes to the assembled LDP assemblypersons, saying, " My bad. I don't know what got into me."

Kidding. Mr. Ishihara only apologizes when the Sun rises from the west. But he was clearly contrite, and asked for LDP support, stating, "I want to receive the help of the LDP, my greatest friend among political parties, and fight on together." The LDP assemblypersons were willing to kiss and make up, since they "couldn't kick away someone who came with his head bowed." And that's as good as it gets from Mr. Ishihara.

Speaking of the Sun rising from the west, Naoto Kan, once and hoping to be future king of the national DPJ, said he would not run even if the Sun did rise from the west. It would have been a good fight, though, what with Mr. Ishihara beginning to show his age (he's 74) and the toll that two full terms in a high-profile job has taken on him.



Feb. 22: On a more somber note, across the pond, in Washington, Yoshihisa Komori reports on his blog that on Feb. 15, at the House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Chairman Eni Faleomavaega (Dem., Samoa) and Mike Honda (Dem., California) argued forcefully that Japan should apologize to the "comfort women"; and Dana Rohrabacher (Rep., California) argued just as strongly that Japan had apologized repeatedly. (If anyone who can read Japanese wants to know Mr. Komori's views, make sure to read his responses to comments as well.)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

And pray tell how would he know anything about the hearing, as he was not there. Oh, maybe he could have watched the webcast, but it does not quite capture the moment.

Jun Okumura said...
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Jun Okumura said...
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Jun Okumura said...

You mean the H.R. Subcommittee? I took a little poetic licence when I wrote, "Chairman Eni Faleomavaega (Dem., Samoa) and Mike Honda (Dem., California) argued forcefully..." I conflated "stubbornly go after", which was stated in general terms and not specific to this particular occasion, and "for the most part were the only two representatives attending". So if that's what you're referring to, it's my bad, not Mr. Komori's, if the two failed to make their case, okay? As for Dana Rohrabacher, Mr. Komori links to a strong statement opposing the resolution. I am not aware that he raised his voice doing so. But then, what looks boring visually can be quite powerful in print, and it is the ultimate documentation that determines the power of the words with these little-watched events. (A presidential campaign debate this is definitely not.)

Mr. Komori's comment, incidentally, clearly implies that he was there. That is not difficult for him, since he lives in Washington and does not seem to have the day-to-day responsibilities of an oridinary correspondent or bureau chief.

Anonymous said...

Let's put it this way, I didn't see his sorry face there. And I did look He is indeed a rusted tool.

Also Rep Rohrbacher's statement was an almost complete, near word for word, reading of the Hogan and Hartsen lobbying document for the Japanese Embassy given to him. Only they forgot to tell the idiot how to pronouce the Japanese names. There were indeed giggles in the room each time he said a Japanese word: Abe as in Abe Lincoln. In all, his rant sounded quite silly.

I strongly suggest you read the testimonies of the hearing before you go on further. There are greater implications to this hearing than merely the voices of some women. Japan's whole standing in the international community is at stake.

Washington awaits the arrival of the LDP members who wish to convince American opinion leaders that their effort to revise the Kono Statement is just. I hope they have a public meeting. I personally can't wait--I keep an open mind on these things and they indeed need equal air time.

Jun Okumura said...

Thank you, anonymous. You definitely know what you are doing. Your comment is very much appreciated.