So, I’ve spent a bit of time this afternoon trying to come up with something that would scrape Japanese news sites for the results of approval ratings polls as they are updated, but it proved to be a useless endeavor. I’ll have to update them myself as they’re published, since the data simply isn’t available in any real usable form. For now, I’ve put together something that will make an HTML chart with three sources. I’m hoping to develop this into something with the historical data from each source, but I don’t have much free time these days…it might take a few days. So, for now, this chart will keep track of the most recent poll data on Abe’s approval rating:

Most Recent Poll Results

I’ve created a static page where this will always be available: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approval rating tracker. So, you can check for updates by bookmarking that, and I’ll try to announce any updates here…

When we started Trans-Pacific Radio and Seijigiri, our podcast on Japanese news and politics, we decided to save as many stories as possible to our seijigiri account at del.icio.us - and now that it’s the end of 2006, it’s time to share the results in cloud form. Obviously, we’ve only been saving them since September, so there will be a slant to the keyword frequency. Nonetheless, here it is: the news about Japan in the last third of 2006 as viewed by word clouds:

Which Japan-related news events stood out the most to you?

Of course, the Maritime Self Defense Forces‘ 2004 Recruiting ad that we mentioned in Seijigiri #11 was up at YouTube. We have our own .swf version, but haven’t been able to encode it as Flash Video, which is what we’d really like to do (though, I have managed to extract each frame as a .jpg - some of them will make excellent icons). So, for now, enjoy:

At the end of the commercial, the male voice says:

日本にっぽんが好すきです。平和へいわが好すきです。海上かいじょう自衛隊じえいたい。

We love Japan. We love peace. The Maritime Self-Defense Forces.

The Russians said five to fifteen kilotons, the rest of North Korea’s neighbors and the deeply involved US said more like 550 tons. The general agreement is that the DPRK, in some capacity, tested a nuclear weapon. The general agreement also seems to be that the North Korean - American rivalry and the Kim Family Regime’s strained relations with China are the points to watch, that this means regional tensions are on the rise, that South Korea, the PRC, and Japan will put their differences aside and act largely together, so that TV commentators throughout the English-speaking world can tell their half-interested viewers who’s good, who’s bad, and, if you’re a Fox viewer, who needs to be attacked with overwhelming force and obliterated for not following instructions.

(Read on …)

Sanctions Against North Korea Passed

China hoped for the resolution to focus on North Korea’s nuclear program, while the US sought to include measures that would help to ’starve out’ the Kim regime. In the end, the security council voted unanimously to approve the sanctions, which include the possibility of ship searches for banned weapons, despite Chinese and Russian concerns that such actions could spark naval confrontations with North Korean ships.

(Read on …)

Initial reports started rolling in four to five hours ago: The US and Japan were seeking a Saturday vote on santions against North Korea.

The LA Times reported that radiation gases had been found near North Korea and that the vote would go on. It was starting to look the the sanctions, which had been approved ‘in principle,’ were about to be approved.

Then, in the past hour, US plans have come a bit unwound: China and Russia have apparently rasied objections that may delay the vote.

(Read on …)

Japan’s Sanctions Begin at Midnight Tonight

As of midnight tonight, Japan commences its sanctions against North Korea. All Japanese ports will be closed to North Korean vessels, all imports and exports from North Korea will be banned, and North Korean diplomats will be barred from entering Japan for six months. These are to be undertaken despite North Korea’s threats of reprisal.

Earlier this afternoon, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki announced that the cabinet had approved the sanctions and that they would begin before the United Nations finishes agreeing upon its own method of dealing with North Korea’s October 9th test of a nuclear weapon.

UN Sanctions agreed upon; should be approved on Saturday

(Read on …)

Ken was almost wrong.

In yesterday’s edition of Seijigiri, he surmised that “Sunday will pass without a North Korean nuclear test.” Fortunately, he was right.

Unfortunately, North Korea just waited until the next day.

We are collecting news sources with summaries until a full audio release can be put together. Here’s what’s coming in from various news agencies (Video links are behind the read more link):

Mainichi News: Seismic wave from North Korea’s nuclear test observed in Japan

New York Times: North Korea Reports First Nuclear Arms Test

Guardian Unlimited: Nuclear test sparks international condemnation

Asahi News: North Korea conducts its first underground nuclear test

San Fransico Chronicle: North Korea announces nuclear test - A new balance of power in Asia

Daily Telegraph: Howard Blasts North Korea Nuke Test

The Australian: North Korea may be preparing second test

(Read on …)

Ken and Garrett on Abe’s stonewalling and gaffe, along with his upcoming meetings with Hu Jintao in Beijing and Roh Moo-Hyun in Seoul, which your hosts think will important in setting the tone for foreign affairs in Abe’s administration.  What might happen regarding a North Korean nuclear test?

(Intro: Shamisen and an orchestral version of Kimigayo.)
In the news:

New Prime Minister Abe Shinzo frustrated opposition DPJ and Communist Party Diet members by literally sticking to the script and reading answers written by his aides off of note cards in response to direct, specific questions, especially from DPJ Secretary-General Hatoyama Yukio, during his first session of questioning in the Diet on Monday. The session ended half an hour early due to Abe’s refusal to answer questions or explain his positions.

(Read on …)

“You know, when my forebears killed yours, it really wasn’t that bad. I mean, dude, seriously, who can say what happened? Convicted criminals are, like, not really criminals because they were, like, not clearly breaking the rules of their gang, you know? Anyway, it’s not my place to say anything one way or the other about how it really wasn’t that bad when my forebears protected yours by killing them so they couldn’t be put in a subservient position to Europeans. So, what should I bring when I come over to your place? You guys like gyouza?”

Abe Shinzo is preparing for his first visit to Japan’s neighbors as Prime Minister. He’ll visit the PRC’s Hu Jintao on Sunday and follow that up by meeting with the RoK’s Roh Moo-Hyun on Monday. He prepared well by issuing the following statement in the Diet on Thursday:

(Read on …)