Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Current Affairs

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Party (on) politics

Politics rarely gets a mention on these pages, but due to intense opposition in some quarters to Prime Minister Koizumi’s postal reform drive, and an upcoming election on September 11, new political parties are springing up on an almost daily basis. In fact not only are there are a plethora of new parties, but some lawmakers are hopping from one to another like gadflies.

Upper house member Kensei Hasegawa has been instrumental in this trend, helping set up Kokumin Shinto (People’s New Party) last week, and then on Wednesday deciding to jump ship and join the even more recent New Party Nippon.

Whilst Hasegawa’s move is said to have been tactical, giving the newer party the necessary number of parliamentarians to make it legal, a few doubters have begged to differ. Some lawmakers saying the move was simply a way for Hasegawa to team up with other disco loving Diet members, enabling him to indulge publicly in his love of the Bee Gees, and in particular the movie Saturday Night Fever. A claim that the picture below of the newly formed New Nippon Party appears to confirm. Hasegawa-san on the right looking especially pleased with himself. (Apologies for the poor image quality).

japanese politicians

Whether this emphasis on party in the world of politics will go down well with the electorate is hard to say, but New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki appears to think it might be worth a few votes. The veteran politician recently caught gamely grooving in front of a crowd of young voters.

japanese politics

Yet try as they might, it looks like the Prime Minister will be very hard to beat, the political pro having already gone a long way in securing the groove vote. Plus along the way cannily attracting the attention of the nation’s, ahem, swing voters too.

gere and koizumi

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Yasukuni yahoos

The controversy surrounding Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine is well documented. The enshrinement of Class A war criminals coupled with Prime Minister Koizumi’s yearly visits make it an issue of extreme tension (to say the least) between Japan and its neighbours.

yasukuni shrine

Meaning Yasukuni is a magnet for right-wing fanatics and revisionists alike. And needles to say the chaps below weren’t singing the latest Hamasaki Ayumi single, or knocking out a rousing rendition of ‘Give Peace A Chance’.

yasukuni nationalists

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More whale whoppers

Amid all the controversy surrounding Japan’s whale hunting programme — which of course is for research purposes only — restaurant chain Lucky Pierrot last week made the mammoth mammal part of its regular menu. A company official stating that the eatery was merely utilizing stock obtained for study purposes.

The hunting of whales is usually defended in Japan by claims that it is traditional, and Lucky Pierrot spokesperson Miku Oh followed a well worn path by saying, “People in other countries may think eating whale is strange, but it is our culture.” However part of the culture or not, the divisive delicacy is presumably not the most scrumptious and sweet smelling of foodstuffs, as Oh-san was quick to point out that it is cooked in such a way that, “it tastes like beef and tuna, and since it is deep fried, it has no odour.”

The latter point especially could lead many opponents of whaling to suggest that simply eating beef or tuna instead would be a whole lot easier — and far less trouble. Yet such a proposition would presumably fall foul of the aforementioned ‘it’s traditional’ argument.

A point clearly emphasised by Lucky Pierrot and its decision to serve whale in that time-honoured Japanese dish — the burger.

whale burger

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Political passion

It’s probably fair to say that a Hyogo Gubernatorial Election doesn’t usually garner much attention outside the region, and posters informing people of the event even less so. Until now that is, as due to the use of popular idol Eriko Sato, the date of the upcoming election is very well known; and the promotional posters have become much sought after commodities.

Young Sato-san you see is pictured sporting a shichisan (7-3) hairdo. A style generally favoured by middle-aged men, and one that gets its name from the position of the parting. Meaning that a centre parting could conceivably be labelled a 5-5, and a comb-over a 9-1 — although sadly they aren’t.

sato eriko

However as you can see from the poster, the shichisan is more than just a hairstyle. The numbers relate to the election date of July 3. Clever eh?

Arguably not so clever though, was the choice of Ms Sato. Her popularity has meant that the posters are being stolen at an alarming rate. Large numbers of them turning up on internet auction sites and selling for around 1,000 yen (5 pound) each. A situation that prompted one official with an unidentified haircut to say, “It’s not appropriate for them to be sold.”

Yet when all is said and done, the 7-3 isn’t the most flattering of hairstyles — regardless of how pretty young Sato is. Especially when you consider what could have been on the posters.

eriko sato

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Book bother

“The Japanese people can be racist when it comes to Koreans living here. But racist against blacks? We have no experience in dealing with black people. Where would we get it from?”

Psychologist Kazuo Mori saying that most Japanese were surprised to learn that “Little Black Sambo” — back on the best-seller list after being withdrawn in 1988 — had racist overtones.

black sambo

Hmm…