Corrupted family business?

I have been shocked reading the news these days. I knew these two issues are common in Japanese politics, but I did not know how common.

TOKYO (AFP) March 6 — A political scandal in Japan widened Thursday when government figures, including an influential former premier, said they had taken money linked to a firm whose murky donations have shaken the opposition.

Former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, a heavyweight of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as well as an advisor to Prime Minister Taro Aso and a deputy cabinet minister said they would return funds to political groups linked with the scandal-tainted construction company.

On Tuesday, prosecutors arrested an aide to opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), alleging the aide took illegal donations from Nishimatsu Construction Co. through apparent front groups.

Under Japanese law, companies can donate money only to political parties, not to individual politicians, and donors must be clearly identified.

The scandal has been a blow for the DPJ and Ozawa, who has been seen likely to replace unpopular Aso as premier in elections that must be held before September and could end half a century of almost uninterrupted LDP rule.

But on Thursday the scandal widened to affect the government and LDP.



And who knows how long these connections might have existed?

TOKYO (IHT) March 5 - Since Koizumi left the top job in September 2006, Japan has had three prime ministers, none of them up to the task. Stress did in Shinzo Abe (September 2006-September 2007), political gridlock sank Yasuo Fukuda (September 2007-September 2008) and widespread voter dissatisfaction will soon nudge Taro Aso from power.

Abe, Fukuda and Aso have something important in common: they are part of family dynasties.

It's a key characteristic of Japanese history, from the emperor's 1,400-year lineage to the father-son inheritance of Kabuki theater roles. The cabinet chosen by Aso, the grandson of one former prime minister and the son-in-law of another, fits a similar pattern.

Among Aso's original lineup, descendents of former lawmakers took up 11 of the 17 positions. That beat Fukuda's eight such appointments. Even Koizumi, who in 2005 used outsider candidates to win 68 percent of the seats in the lower house, turned around and gave nine cabinet posts to legislators' relatives.

The penchant for recycling family members is holding Japan back at a time when it needs to be planning for the future. Nothing short of a political earthquake will alter this dynamic.



This was not enough for the prime minister to step down earlier

TOKYO (NYT) December 19, 2008 — The Japanese government has acknowledged for the first time that Allied prisoners during World War II were made to work at a coal mine owned by the family of Prime Minister Taro Aso, contradicting his longstanding denials.



Maybe "a political earthquake" has now started.

Auran ikebana = Ikebana by Aura

Eilen Aura halusi ostaa kukkia.

Hän sai itse valita kukat ja teki niistä hienon ikebana-asetelman.


Yesterday Aura wanted to by some flowers.

She selected the flowers and made a beatiful ikebana arrangement of them.

Tokyo Olympics 2016?

Before predicting the future Olympic games


the Japanese should study a bit more history and geography.


Nothing to say about the recent history,


but...


Disneyland is in Anaheim, not in Los Angeles - why did they not choose Yokohama Landmark Tower as the symbol of 2016 games?


I do not thing there were any snowmen in Montreal in the middle of the summer. And Brandenburger Gate was still in Berlin, not in Munich.


I do not know about kangaroos in Melbourne...


but there definately are no wolves in Helsinki!


And there was no Disneyland even near Los Angeles in 1932, it was built starting 1954.


And I bet no moose walked the streets of Stockholm in 1912. But in 1908 some buses in London were still horse-drawn and the double decker looked quite different!


And actually 1906 summer games were also held (though they are not recognized).

I have to say I was upset about the wolves in Helsinki, but never thought I would find so many mistakes on the timeline. Graphical design must have been the main aim.

Ensi lumi satoi Tokioon

Kaksi viikkoa sitten Tokiossa oli 23'C lämpöaalto (täysin poikkeuksellinen).

Tänään satoi talven ensilumi Tokiossa. Ainakin meidän havaintojemme mukaan. Tarkemmin sanottuna satoi räntää, tai märkiä tiskirättejä, jotka sulivat pois maahan osuessaan.

Odawara Castle

We went day tripping to Odawara, 80 km outside Tokyo to see the "old" Odawara Castle. It was well worth it. We actually planned to go yesterday, but as it rained we went today and were caught in the traffic.
Children were playing at the main gate.
Each castle in Japan apparently has a fish decoration on the roof, and each of them is slightly different from the other castles.
Wide angle - my family on a bench and the castle on a hill top.
The view from the castle is amazing, and has been even more amazing when there has been far less houses around it. The Hojo clan controlled for hundrets of kilometers, all the way trough Edo (Tokyo).
Signs of spring, plum bloossom and a small bird (unknown to us).
The colour of the setting sun paints the catsle nicely yellow.

Avannossa Kuusijärvellä

Kävimme Jonnin kanssa eilen savusaunassa Kuusijärvellä. Minä pulahdin tietysti myös avantoon, mutta Jonni tyytyi kameramiehen osaan rannalla. Ja nappasi aivan loistavan kuvan minusta avannossa!

Savusauna

Avanto

Avantouimari
(klikkaa isoksi ja laske suusta puhaltamani pisarat!)

Olen sanaton

Miksi kukaan edes tekisi tällaisen pelin?

Suomalaisista matkaoppaista saatetaan Japanin tullissa repiä saunakuvat pois, mutta samaan aikaan sarjakuvissa ja näköjään myös tietokonepeissä voi kuvata ihan mitä vain.

Tekijöiden mukaan aivan laillisesti:
"We believe there is no problem with the software, which has cleared the domestic ratings of an ethics watchdog body."

Käsittämätön tulkinta etiikasta.

Ei ihme, että japanilainen naisministeri totesi (päivää aiemmin, eri yhteydessä):
"In Japan, government is by men and for men, with most laws protecting men and keeping women in a lower position economically and socially. My job is to make sure that women and children get the rights they are supposed to have."

Siinä riittää vielä tekemistä.

Samu

Helsinki 6:30 am

After being awake a couple of hours I decedied to go out for a walk with my camera.

Everybody else was still sleeping at the hotel.

The coffee shop was closed, just the cleaner inside.

Full moon over Esplanadi.

Havis Amanda with no protection against the cold.

Lonely stand at the Market Square.

Gas lamp.

The Cathedral.

Not too busy railway station.

My destination - early morning coffee shop.

Kaikki alkoi kahvikekkereistä, muumimukeista ja kuivakakusta

Jos kiinnostaa, niin käykää kurkkaamassa haastattelua, joka tehtiin tammikuussa Riikan käydessä Porissa. Aiheena hänen tekemänsä kirjat täällä Japanissa.
(Linkki on vanhentunut, meillä on pdf, jos haluat lukea jutun)



Satakunnan Kansa, the newspaper of Riikka's home town, published her interview on Wednesday. Again she made it to the front page!

Laundry day

We went for a walk on this sunny Sunday afternoon. The neighbourhood has several coin laundries, like this "USA Coin Laundry", and people hang their laundry to dry on the balconies or outside their windows. It's very typical scenery in Japan.