Every other week, Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley get together to record Seijigiri, which takes a hard look at the political issues facing Japan. You can listen to Seijigiri here at Trans-Pacific Radio, or you can subscribe and get each episode automatically, as they're released. It's easy to subscribe to Seijigiri: Just copy and paste the RSS feed link for Seijigiri into iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. Don't forget to come here and comment on the issues!

Last Saturday, March 3, Garrett, Ken and Albrecht Stahmer sat down for a talk with social activist and naturalized Japanese citizen Arudou Debito. The talk actually lasted for hours, and as it stretched on, veered away from the initial interview structure that had been set up.

With this release, we have kept one hour of material in which Debito touches upon how he came to be a social activist, the cultural politics of Japanese identity, acceptance of him as a Japanese and his work in the Japanese and foreign communities, Japan’s educational system, the ‘Japanese Only’ phenomenon, Education Minister Ibuki Bunmei, human rights and butter, the state of the Democratic Party of Japan, what sort of law against discrimination he would like to see in Japan…and his hopes for Japan’s future.

Special thanks to Debito for joining us and talking to us, and to Albrecht for making his fourth appearance as a guest on Sejigiri.

In this edition of Seijigiri, Garrett and Ken go through the agreement reached at the conclusion of the recent Six-Party Talks in Beijing. Starting with the terms of the agreement, they go on to discuss the “Working Groups” that are set to get underway next month, why the supposed rift between the US and Japan is media bunk, and how Japan’s insistence on bringing the abduction issue has been played out in domestic Japanese media.

Perhaps a bit more ironic ‘humor’ than usual is inserted; Rest assured, we don’t actually believe the Asahi Shimbun is the mouthpiece of the North Korean government, and we would most likely trade neither Michael Jordan nor Scottie Pippen to North Korea in exchange for our children’s futures. Or maybe we would…

Articles and links referenced or referred to during this release:

(Read on …)

In this edition of Japan’s (self-declared) favorite political podcast, Ken and Garrett go off on the political system as it is, having been driven to great frustration by the problems in the government underlying the ill-considered remarks of Ministers, xenophobia and racism on the conbini shelf, and the arrogance of officials who tell the citizens of this fine land that they ought to want to crank the pups out.

Although we’ve referred to Yanagisawa, Aso, and Kyuma’s unfortunate remarks as gaffes, we explain why they’re not so much gaffes as symptoms of deeper problems.

We also touch on the latest belle of the blogosphere, 外人がいじん犯罪はんざい裏うらファイル, or The Secret Foreigner Crime File, the falling popularity of spendthrift Tokyo Governor Ishihara (a favorite among foreign criminals), and, BE WARNED, YE OF GOOD BREEDING, use a little more salt than would suit the sensitive palate.

And that’s not all! No, your humble sevants go on to promise a Six-Party Talks special in the near future.

As always, thank you for listening.

Sites referenced in this edition of Seijigiri:

The Foreigner Crime File Situation at JapanProbe
Review of GAIJIN HANZAI Mag: what’s wrong with it? at debito.org
Good Foreigner, Bad Foreigner at Mutant Frog

Shinzo Abe’s new job as Prime Minister of Japan will take a big turn in the upcoming week. The ordinary session of the Diet opens this Thursday, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to lay out his vision in a speech on Friday. Garrett and Ken have singled out seven items that could become the cornerstones of Mr Abe’s first regular session of the Diet as a Prime Minister. The seven items that might form the crux of his program include:

• Education reform
• Constitutional reform
• Pressure on North Korea
• Strengthening security ties with the United States
• Moving toward a bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council
• Proposing ways to tackle the nation’s declining birth rate
• Setting up a US-style national security council

Seijigiri looks at what Mr Abe might and might not prove successful at, as well as makes a few predictions for the upcoming Diet session.

Blogs and sites mentioned in this podcast:

Mutant Frog Travelogue: Amazingly weird DPJ commercial gets party leaders in trouble at annual convention by Adam Richards

Tokyo Calling: Japan’s first podcast by Scott Lockman

From the inside, looking in by Shin Fukushige

Rich Pav’s Herro Flom Japan

Japan Probe

Errata: Unfortunately, I referred to America’s former ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, as “Tom Bolton.” We did not catch the error in time to correct it. Red Sox fans in the audience might recognize Tom Bolton as a former Sox lefthander who pitched for us from 1987-1992, before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Billy Hatcher. Overall a mediocre pitcher, Bolton did go 10-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 1990. Of course, the man he was traded for, Billy Hatcher, had his most famous moment as a Red Sox in 1993, when he stole home at a game I watched from the first base side seats in Fenway Park; thus, there is a connection from TPR to Tom Bolton, tenuous as it may be. We regret the error - Ken.

Seijigiri returns after a long winter break. Garrett and Ken are back and are joined once again by special guest Albrecht Stahmer.

This edition of Seijigiri, a podcast focusing on Japanese politics, brings a special discussion on the issues that promise to shape Japan’s political discourse over the coming year. Garrett, Ken and Albrecht discuss Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s situation, the recent scandals involving three powerful government figures, Japan and the United Nations, regional power, how the economy might affect Abe’s future, Keidanren’s projections for the economy, the upper house diet election coming up in July, and how the DPJ and Ichiro Ozawa figure into the mix.

(Read on …)

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Ken and Garrett take a look at the emergency measures taken by the Education Rebuilding Council designed to address bullying. Why is it worse to suspend a bully than allow a kid to be bullied?

Nakaima was elected Governor of Okinawa. How does this fit into the LDP’s plans?

The town hall meeting scandal is discussed, along with it’s implications and dirty little secrets. It’s a scandal within a scandal. What’s not to love?

George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Aso Taro shows us that remembering the past and letting your thoughts go can produce disturbing results, for which yor hosts dutifully poke fun at him. One can’t imagine that Prime Minister was all that pleased with his Foreign Minister’s talk of an arc disturbingly reminiscent of a certain sphere of yesteryear.

We know you have a choice in Japanese politics podcasts and we appreciate your choosing Seijigiri. If there’s anything we can do to make your time with us more comfortable, please let us know.

Thank you for listening.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Education reform at Japan Probe

Say it with me: “Dentsu” at Mutant Frog Travelogue

Town hall meeting scandal at Japan Considered

Princess Aiko celebrates fifth birthday

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Ken and Garrett discuss the Education Bill (called the “Patriotism Bill” by the Washington Post), Tokyo Governor Ishihara’s unhelpful comments, what people outside the government are doing to address the bullying problem, and why fretting over abductees may be hurting Japan’s ability to deal with North Korea.

Why is MEXT getting it wrong on bullying? Is the kantei pushing for nationalism? Is Japan making a mistake by trying to decrease rice production?

Bonus! Japan’s workers are receiving record high bonuses. Is that a good sign?

These questions and more addressed in everyone’s favorite Japan-based English-language Japanese politics podcast.

Thank you for listening.

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In this special discussion edition of Seijigiri, Garrett and Ken discuss the ‘Japan lobby’ and the role it plays in influencing American politics and foreign policy. In particular, we look at the role played by the Japan lobby in the defeat of US House Resolution 759, which would have called upon Japan to acknowledge, apologize for and make amends for its practice of forcing women into sexual slavery during the second world war.

As always, thank you for listening.

Links to further reading on related issues:

Ken Silverstein’s Cold Comfort: the Japan Lobby Blocks Resolution on WWII Sex Slaves was published by Harper’s on October 5, 2006.

The Boston Globe published a piece on the process that killed House Resolution 759.

(Read on …)

Ken and Garrett are back with a full slate. North Korea’s actions are helping Abe Shinzo get his hoped-for reforms of Japan’s defense posture with the upgrading of the Defense Agency to Ministry status and changes to allow the SDF to operate more extensively overseas. Japan’s schools are plagued with troubles, a test for the newly formed Education Rebuilding Council. To top it all off, the LDP continues to push the DPJ into the shadows with by-election wins in Osaka and Kanagawa.

High school seniors need to study more history, others are being pushed over the edge by bullying. What will Education Minister Ibuki and Special Advisor Yamatani do? Is the SDF going to go overseas more often? Are the DPJ’s losses in the by-elections a sign of continuing decline? Is DPJ chief Ozawa Ichiro ineffective? Should Japan seek to normalize relations with North Korea? If not definitive answers, your hosts can at least give you some food for thought.

Thank you for listening.

Leave us a comment, let us know what you think.

Ken and Garrett keep up with what’s going on in response to the DPRK’s nuclear test and return to domestic issues. Condi Rice visits Japan to talk about North Korea and renews America’s promise to defend Japan against all threats, Abe Shinzo’s education board meets to improve teacher quality and student morality, and Yasukuni pops up again. 84 lawmakers decided to stop by for a visit at the Shrine’s autumn festival. What does it mean for relations with China and South Korea?As promised, here’s an image of the 84 lawmakers and 90 assistants as they head into the Yasukuni Shrine on Wednesday, October 18. Although prime minister Abe Shinzo was not among them, Chinese officials have publicly ‘warned’ the prime minister against making a future visit. Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa, who was meeting with Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist party’s International Liaison Department, said that Abe would be sure to visit the shrine. According to Ozawa, it would be difficult for Abe to honor China’s request as doing so would cause him to lose popular support at home.

The Shiki Theatre Company (劇団四季げきだんしき), which we mentioned during our discussion, is Japan’s largest theatre company.

Thank you for listening.