Trash Kan

トラッシュ・菅

I had just gotten on the Ginza Subway line in Omotesando on Sunday, when I encountered this guy standing on the train.

I struck up a conversation and learned he was on his way home from a demonstration in Inokashira Park against the administration of the present Democratic Party of Japan prime minister, Naoto Kan.

I asked him what he didn't like about Prime Minister Kan, and was somewhat taken aback to hear that "Kan is not Japanese!" I must have looked a little baffled, because he went on to explain that Kan "paid too much attention to North Korea, China, South Korea, and those other countries."

I asked the guy if his opposition was to Kan's political priorities - but there things got a little baffling and the conversation fizzled out.

I did some research when I got home and found that the demonstration was one organized by the Ganbare Nippon! ("Go For It, Japan!") National Action Committee, which is a conservative body, formed in February 2010, opposed to closer ties with China in particular. The focus of their efforts since September 2010 has been on the rightful ownership of the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands (AKA the Pinnacle Islands), which Japan controlled from 1895 to 1945, and which it still claims sovereignty over. China and Taiwan are united in asserting that they belong to Taiwan, while Japan officially considers them part of Okinawa prefecture.

The Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands were the scene of a collision on 7 September 2010, when a Chinese fishing boat collided with a Japan Coast Guard boat. The captain was arrested, but released after China cut off all ministerial-level contact with Japan.

From photos of past Ganbare Nippon! demonstrations, there seem to be a lot of young people, including lots of young mothers with elementary school age kids or younger, involved - a fact that the youth of today's demonstrator further spoke to. There are lots and lots of Rising Sun flags in the pics, and even some old imperial-style pre-war versions of it, too - a sure sign of something right-wing in Japan.

Japanese politics are as amorphous and fickle as the regularity with which the country's administrations are replaced might suggest. The placard here was fun, but on closer inquiry I didn't manage to extract anything particularly concrete - just a general sense of dissatisfaction.

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Democratic Party of Japan Supporters Unable to Vote in Upcoming Party Election

民主党サポータは党内選挙に投票できず

The Democratic Party of Japan - aka "Minshuto" in Japanese - is not allowing its "supporters" the right to vote in the upcoming Party election.

The Party is the current ruling party, and the election will determine the next prime minister of Japan, once current PM Naoto Kan at long last resigns.

For those who support and want to participate in Party decisions, two options exist: become a "Party Member"（党員）or "Supporter"（サポータ）.

The former costs 6,000 yen a year and allows one the right vote in Party elections and participate in annual Party meetings. The later is 2,000 yen a year and confers the right to vote in Party elections but not attend meetings.

For both, non-Japanese citizens with a permanent residence visa are allowed to join, which allows among others many of Japan's Korean residents to participate. The minimum age requirement is 18.

Following the resignation last July of Yukio Hatoyama, we went to the Kyoto Minshuto office and signed up. A young man explained that supporters and members are not permitted to vote in the first election following registration. In other words, we would have to wait until the second election - which will be sometime this summer after Kan resigns.

However, thanks to a visit from a lackey at the office of our local representative's office, we recently learned that, no, supporters would not be allowed to vote in the upcoming election because the "administrative procedures would not be ready."

Why not, we asked? The election is not for several months.

"The situation is a bit difficult," replied the grim-faced young man in his politician-to-be suit, shoes, and hair cut.

Difficult is Japan almost always means "impossible," and in effect ends a conversation.

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