Bloomberg.com: Japan

Bloomberg.com: Japan: "Koizumi may face calls to resign in case his ruling Liberal Democratic Party fails to hold on to its 51 seats. Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said the party isn't having an easy campaign for the upper house election."

Yen falls and I cannot believe that Koizumi *really* thinks of leaving his position, it has only been 3 years so far (despite of the previous Prime Ministers Obuchi and Mori short terms, but those seemed less ambitious). Elections will be held on next July 11, and will decide 121 lawmakers for the upper house of the Parliament. On LPD's favour, the two years of economic expansion. Against, recent nonconformisms resulting from Irak intervention and basically free time.

Also deserving of a smile is Okada's argument. The Democratic Party of Japan's leader has qualified Koizumi's decision to send Japanese troops to help U.S.-led forces of anti-constitutional; the truth is that this post war document forbids participation in overseas conflicts.

My japanese acquaintances are few in number and thus not representative of how the country sees their leaders. But more than that, and from the point of view of the minority I belong to, I really don't know if there will be any difference for me if either candidate holds the majority at the end.

The more I think about these things the more I don't understand why I am here, and the more I dislike bureaucracy. Oh, how much I miss that feeling of handling the society I had the first time I read Russeau!