Revival of Bureaucratic Maneuvering Under the Noda Cabinet : Who Pulled the Strings on Consumption Tax Hike in 2012?
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Modeling Internet-Based Citizen Activism and Foreign Policy
MODELING INTERNET-BASED CITIZEN ACTIVISM AND FOREIGN POLICY: The Islands Dispute between China and Japan TOMONOBU KUMAHIRA Primary Thesis Advisor: Professor Jordan Branch Department of Political Science Secondary Thesis Advisor: Professor Kerry Smith Department of History Honors Seminar Instructor: Professor Claudia Elliott The Watson Institute for International Studies SENIOR THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors in International Relations BROWN UNIVERSITY PROVIDENCE, RI MAY 2015 © Copyright 2015 by Tomonobu Kumahira ABSTRACT How can citizens utilize the Internet to influence foreign policymaking? Optimists emphasize the Internet’s great potential to empower citizens, while pessimists underscore the persistent dominance of conventional actors in shaping diplomacy. These conceptual debates fail to build analytical models that theorize the mechanisms through which citizen activism impacts foreign policymaking in the Internet era. Focusing on the interactions between “old” institutions and new practices enabled by technology, I argue that Internet-based citizen activists are using multiple and evolving strategies to engage with the conventional media and policymakers. My Hybrid Model provides an analytical framework with which scholars can describe new forms of non-electoral representation by citizen movements, while challenging foreign policy decision making theories established before the social media. My model traces the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan, in which nationalist campaigns online and offline have fueled a series of confrontations since 2005. Presenting practical implications for foreign policymakers and the conventional media to respond to the transformation, this Hybrid Model also helps citizens play a more active role in international relations. In conclusion, I explore the analogy between the Internet and past innovations in communication technologies to shed light on the future of the Internet and politics. -
The History Problem: the Politics of War
History / Sociology SAITO … CONTINUED FROM FRONT FLAP … HIRO SAITO “Hiro Saito offers a timely and well-researched analysis of East Asia’s never-ending cycle of blame and denial, distortion and obfuscation concerning the region’s shared history of violence and destruction during the first half of the twentieth SEVENTY YEARS is practiced as a collective endeavor by both century. In The History Problem Saito smartly introduces the have passed since the end perpetrators and victims, Saito argues, a res- central ‘us-versus-them’ issues and confronts readers with the of the Asia-Pacific War, yet Japan remains olution of the history problem—and eventual multiple layers that bind the East Asian countries involved embroiled in controversy with its neighbors reconciliation—will finally become possible. to show how these problems are mutually constituted across over the war’s commemoration. Among the THE HISTORY PROBLEM THE HISTORY The History Problem examines a vast borders and generations. He argues that the inextricable many points of contention between Japan, knots that constrain these problems could be less like a hang- corpus of historical material in both English China, and South Korea are interpretations man’s noose and more of a supportive web if there were the and Japanese, offering provocative findings political will to determine the virtues of peaceful coexistence. of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, apologies and that challenge orthodox explanations. Written Anything less, he explains, follows an increasingly perilous compensation for foreign victims of Japanese in clear and accessible prose, this uniquely path forward on which nationalist impulses are encouraged aggression, prime ministerial visits to the interdisciplinary book will appeal to sociol- to derail cosmopolitan efforts at engagement. -
Getting the Triangle Straight: China, Japan, and the United States in An
Getting the Triangle Straight: China, Japan, and 1 the United States in an Era of Change Gerald Curtis Compared with South Asia, the Middle East, and other parts of the world plagued by political instability, violence, pervasive poverty, death, and destruction, East Asia offers a stark contrast as a region that is the dynamic center of the world economy and that is at peace, or at least not at war. This reality is rendered all the more remarkable by the fact that this is an area where the interests of three great powers—China, Japan, and the United States—intersect. There are dangers of course. North Korea and Taiwan in particular are potential triggers for armed conflict, which, were it to occur, would in one way or another involve all three of these countries. Perhaps even more worrisome is the fragility of the global financial system, posing as it does the ever-present danger of renewed economic turmoil, increased protectionism, and the weakening of a relatively free trade regime that makes it possible for China, Japan, Korea, and the countries of Southeast Asia to pursue successful export-led growth policies. China, Japan, the United States, and other countries in East Asia face the same essential strategic question of how to keep the region at peace and sustain the economic vitality that not only is raising the living standards of people in East Asia but, in the globalized system in which we live, is con- tributing to improving the lives of people around the world. Successfully responding to this strategic challenge is no easy task, to be sure, but it is far preferable to the alternative faced in other parts of the world where there is still a need to figure out how to bring about political stability, economic growth, and the termination of war. -
Newsletter 4
September 14, 2009 CANADA-ASIA AGENDA www.asiapacific.ca Series Editor Brian Job Issue 2 Japan’s “electoral revolution” – changes at home and abroad By Tsuyoshi Kawasaki The Japanese general election was revolutionary: it brought to power for the first time since the end of World War II a majority government not led by the Liberal Democratic Party and it saw the final transition to a two-party system brought about by the introduction of single- member electorates 15 years ago. Like any revolution, it will be some time before it is clear if the pressures of real power will allow the new government to bring about promised change. The general election of August 30, 2009 in Japan was was not in power, Japan was governed by coalition extraordinary. The Democratic Party (DP) won 308 seats governments as none of the non-LDP parties had a out of 480 in the House of Representatives, ousting the majority.) In other words, it was the first “decisive and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from power. Since its true change of power” in post-World War II Japan. Of inception in 1955, the LDP had always governed Japan, course, this type of situation -- that is, a majority of seats either alone or in a coalition, except for ten months in secured by a former opposition party after an election -- is 1993-1994. This time, it lost almost two thirds of its nothing new to Canadian politics. But for the Japanese, previous seats, down to a mere 119 from 300, which this election has ushered in a new era of politics, as it was nothing short of disaster. -
Neoliberals and the Radical Left Are in the Same Basic Income Boat: Is the Debate in Japan an Exception Or Is There a Universal Rationale Behind It?
INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DE RECHERCHE SUR LE JAPON CONTEMPORAIN FRENCH INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON CONTEMPORARY JAPAN フランス国立フランス国立現代現代現代現代日本研究センター日本研究センター UMIFRE 19 CNRS- MAEE Neoliberals And The Radical Left Are In The Same Basic Income Boat: Is The Debate In Japan An Exception Or Is There A Universal Rationale Behind It? by YAMAMORI Toru (Professor at Doshisha University) Working paper - Série L : Lunch Seminar WP-L-12-IFRJC-Yamamori-09-02.pdf Presentation at the Lunch Seminar on the 15th of October 2010, with Thierry Ribault as a discussant at 日仏会館 for our フランス国立現代日本研究センター .. UMIFRE 19 CNRS-MAEE 〒150-0013 東京都渋谷区恵比寿 3-9-25 日仏会館 3-9-25, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013 Japon TEL +81 (0) 3 5421 7641 / FAX +81 (0) 3 5421 7651 / http://www.mfj.gr.jp/ Lunch Seminar on the Japanese Economy and Society October 15th 2010, at the UMIFRE 19 – CNRS -Maison franco-japonaise Neoliberals And The Radical Left Are In The Same Basic Income Boat: Is The Debate In Japan An Exception Or Is There A Universal Rationale Behind It? Toru Yamamori* (Translated by Brian Small**) Around 2009, the debate over basic income in Japan reached not only academics but also citizens, politicians, activists and the media. In spite of skepticism and opposition from all political spectrum, support of the idea has come from two different political strands: the radical left and the Neoliberals. For a decade I have been researching radical grassroots activism for BI in Europe, and a concise introduction for BI that I published a year ago emphasized these roots for BI. This book was well received among some grassroots activists. -
Eractioncouncil.Org
http://www.interactioncouncil.org A UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RESPONSIBILITIES (Proposed by the InterAction Council)—1 September 1997 Introductory Comment It is time to talk about human responsibilities. Globalization of the world economy is matched by global problems, and global problems demand global solutions on the basis of ideas, values and norms respected by all cultures and societies. Recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all the people requires a foundation of freedom, justice and peace - but this also demands that rights and responsibilities be given equal importance to establish an ethical base so that all men and women can live peacefully together and fulfil their potential. A better social order both nationally and internationally cannot be achieved by laws, prescriptions and conventions alone, but needs a global ethic. Human aspirations for progress can only be realised by agreed values and standards applying to all people and institutions at all times. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations. The anniversary would be an opportune time to adopt a Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities, which would complement the Human Rights Declaration and strengthen it and help lead to a better world. The following draft of human responsibilities seeks to bring freedom and responsibility into balance and to promote a move from the freedom of indifference to the freedom of involvement. If one person or government seeks to maximise freedom but does it at the expense of others, a larger number of people will suffer. If human beings maximise their freedom by plundering the natural resources of the earth, then future generations will suffer. -
Press Conference by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda
Top > Speeches and Statements by Prime Minister Press Conference by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Friday, September 30, 2011 [Provisional Translation] JAPANESE CABINET PUBLIC RELATIONS SECRETARY: We will now begin the press conference by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Prime Minister, your opening statement please. Opening Statement by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda PRIME MINISTER NODA: I am sorry to keep everyone waiting. Today marks one month since I was selected by the Diet to become Prime Minister. I have taken on the great responsibility of this role, giving everything I have to this job. In this time, the Government has come together for rapid responses to the damage caused by heavy rains resulting from Typhoon No.12 and Typhoon No.15. I myself have visited the areas affected by these disasters and worked on various efforts including gaining an accurate understanding of the current situation. I want to express once again my heartfelt condolences to the people harmed by the disasters. There are still 23 people missing due to Typhoon No.12 and Typhoon No.15. We will continue to exert every effort to search for the missing, and additionally, I hope to do everything possible to prevent the occurrence of secondary disasters and support the victims of these typhoons. I have also attended the General Assembly of the United Nations. In addition to expressing the gratitude of Japan for support received from each country in the General Assembly and at the High-level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security, I also explained the initiatives of Japan and our efforts for recovery, reconstruction, and toward the conclusion of the nuclear accident. -
III. Emergency Responses Required and Taken by Governments and Other Bodies 1
III. Emergency Responses Required and Taken by Governments and Other Bodies 1. Emergency Responses Mandated in the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Act, the Basic Plan for Emergency Preparedness, etc. See Chapter III 1 of the Interim Report. 2. Government Response after the Accident (1) General description of the response of the national government1 Right after the earthquake struck at 14:46 on March 11, 2011, METI established the Emergency Response Headquarters for the disaster and began gathering information on the state of the reactors at nuclear power stations in the stricken areas. At the Prime Minister’s Office, at 14:50 the same day, Tetsuro Ito, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management (“Crisis Management Deputy Chief Ito”), established the Emergency Response Office in the Prime Minister’s Office for the earthquake, and summoned members of the Emergency Operations Team, which was made up of the bureau chiefs of relevant ministries, to the Prime Minister’s Office Crisis Management Center located below ground inside the Prime Minister’s Office. At around 15:42 the same day, Masao Yoshida, the site superintendent of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (hereinafter referred to as “Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS) (hereinafter referred to as “Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS Site Superintendent Yoshida”) of Tokyo Electric Power Company (hereinafter referred to as “TEPCO), sent an Article 10 Notification via the TEPCO head office to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (“NISA”) and other competent bodies, having judged that, -
Japan Calling September, 2010
September 2010 A quarterly newsletter from the Embassy of Japan, India Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (left), at a Joint Press Conference with Mr. S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of India, on August 21, 2010, in New Delhi. Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan CONTENTS • Prime Minister Naoto Kan Reshuffles His Cabinet P. 2 • Visit to India by Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan P. 3 • Diplomatic Bluebook 2010 Summary P. 5 • Important Embassy events held in the recent past P. 6 • Lectures by Prof. Toshihiko Kinoshita, Special Researcher, Industrial Mgmt. Institute, Waseda University P. 7 • The SAARC High School Student Exchange Program (June 23 – July 2, 2010) P. 8 • Earth Return of the Hayabusa P. 10 • Painting competition: Quest for Peace P. 11 • Learn Japanese online P. 11 • Anime Fest P. 12 JAPAN CALLING 1 PRIME MINISTER NAOTO KAN RESHUFFLES HIS CABINET Following his re-election as leader of the governing Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Naoto Kan, announced a new Cabinet on 17 September 2010. In the reshuffled Cabinet, Mr. Seiji Maehara has taken over as the new Foreign Minister of Japan. Mr Maehara, former Transport Minister, replaced Mr. Katsuya Okada, who has been appointed as the Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Foreign Minister, Mr. Seiji Maehara Photo courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet LIST OF MINISTERS September 17, 2010 Prime Minister Naoto KAN Minister -
Roster of Winners in Single-Seat Constituencies No
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 | The Japan Times | 3 lower house ele ion ⑳ NAGANO ㉘ OSAKA 38KOCHI No. 1 Takashi Shinohara (I) No. 1 Hiroyuki Onishi (L) No. 1 Gen Nakatani (L) Roster of winners in single-seat constituencies No. 2 Mitsu Shimojo (KI) No. 2 Akira Sato (L) No. 2 Hajime Hirota (I) No. 3 Yosei Ide (KI) No. 3 Shigeki Sato (K) No. 4 Shigeyuki Goto (L) No. 4 Yasuhide Nakayama (L) 39EHIME No. 4 Masaaki Taira (L) ⑮ NIIGATA No. 5 Ichiro Miyashita (L) No. 5 Toru Kunishige (K) No. 1 Yasuhisa Shiozaki (L) ( L ) Liberal Democratic Party; ( KI ) Kibo no To; ( K ) Komeito; No. 5 Kenji Wakamiya (L) No. 6 Shinichi Isa (K) No. 1 Chinami Nishimura (CD) No. 2 Seiichiro Murakami (L) ( JC ) Japanese Communist Party; ( CD ) Constitutional Democratic Party; No. 6 Takayuki Ochiai (CD) No. 7 Naomi Tokashiki (L) No. 2 Eiichiro Washio (I) ㉑ GIFU No. 3 Yoichi Shiraishi (KI) ( NI ) Nippon Ishin no Kai; ( SD ) Social Democratic Party; ( I ) Independent No. 7 Akira Nagatsuma (CD) No. 8 Takashi Otsuka (L) No. 3 Takahiro Kuroiwa (I) No. 1 Seiko Noda (L) No. 4 Koichi Yamamoto (L) No. 8 Nobuteru Ishihara (L) No. 9 Kenji Harada (L) No. 4 Makiko Kikuta (I) No. 2 Yasufumi Tanahashi (L) No. 9 Isshu Sugawara (L) No. 10 Kiyomi Tsujimoto (CD) No. 4 Hiroshi Kajiyama (L) No. 3 Yoji Muto (L) 40FUKUOKA ① HOKKAIDO No. 10 Hayato Suzuki (L) No. 11 Hirofumi Hirano (I) No. 5 Akimasa Ishikawa (L) No. 4 Shunpei Kaneko (L) No. 1 Daiki Michishita (CD) No. 11 Hakubun Shimomura (L) No. -
Napsnet Daily Report 6 January, 2010
NAPSNet Daily Report 6 January, 2010 Recommended Citation "NAPSNet Daily Report 6 January, 2010", NAPSNet Daily Report, January 06, 2010, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-6-january-2010/ NAPSNet Daily Report 6 January, 2010 Contents in this Issue: ● I. NAPSNet ❍ 1. DPRK Uranium Enrichment ❍ 2. US on DPRK Nuclear Talks ❍ 3. PRC on DPRK Nuclear Talks ❍ 4. Sino-DPRK Relations ❍ 5. US on Sino-DPRK Relations ❍ 6. Inter-Korean Relations ❍ 7. Japan-DPRK Relations ❍ 8. DPRK Oil Exploration ❍ 9. DPRK Military ❍ 10. ROK Military Exports ❍ 11. US-ROK Trade Relations ❍ 12. Japan Politics ❍ 13. Japan Climate Change ❍ 14. Japanese Whaling ❍ 15. US and Cross Strait Relations ❍ 16. PRC Tibet Issue 1 ❍ 17. Sino-Indian Territorial Dispute ❍ 18. PRC Development ❍ 19. PRC Internet Control ❍ 20. PRC Environment ❍ 21. PRC Civil Society and Poverty Alleviation ● II. PRC Report ❍ 22. PRC Environment ❍ 23. PRC Energy Supply ❍ 24. PRC Middle East Diplomacy Preceding NAPSNet Report MARKTWO I. NAPSNet 1. DPRK Uranium Enrichment Yonhap (Byun Duk-kun, "FM SAYS N. KOREA'S URANIUM PROGRAM LIKELY BEGAN IN MID- 1990S", Seoul, 2010/01/06) reported that the DPRK likely began its uranium-based nuclear weapons program soon after it signed the 1994 Agreed Framework, ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said Wednesday. Yu said little is still known about the program, including how much uranium they have produced or in what stage of development the program is. "There, of course, may have been times when North Korea used its nuclear issue as leverage for short-term economic gains, but there is a need to look at it as a more serious issue because, more fundamentally, the North Korea nuclear issue has to do with the North's regime," he said. -
Japanische Innenpolitik: Schwerpunkte Und Tendenzen
Japanische Innenpolitik: Schwerpunkte und Tendenzen Japanese Domestic Policy 2008/09: Highlights and Tendencies Manfred Pohl Domestic policy in 2008 and the first half of 2009 was once again characterized by traditional as well as recent shortcomings of political culture in Japan. That is why this chapter has to discuss the desperate fight of the Asô government for political survival under the system. The growing rift in the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Kōmeitō is described as a clear signal of beginning decline of the half-century of nearly unbroken rule by the LDP. Electoral behavior of Kōmeitō (or rather Sōka gakkai) followers and electoral maneuvering of conservative stalwarts is discussed, as are relations between the LDP and the opposition party with the ministe- rial bureaucracy, which was deeply troubled in 2008 by plans both of the LDP and the DPJ to curb its predominant role. Regional and gubernatorial elections in 2008 are outlined as possible early indicators for the disastrous election defeat of both the LDP and the Kōmeitō. The chapter finally seeks to evaluate the guiding role of the imperial family in Japanese society by reflecting upon the golden anniversary of the marriage of the imperial couple. 1 Überblick Die Jahre 2008 und 2009 dürften in die Geschichte der japanischen Innenpolitik als eine Periode eines unaufhaltsamen Niedergangs der machtgewohnten Libe- 24 Innenpolitik raldemokraten verzeichnet werden. Die größte Regierungspartei LDP (Liberal- Demokratische Partei, Jiyū Minshutō) unterlag in diesem Zeitraum weiter einem inneren Zersetzungsprozess, in dem die traditionellen Herrschaftsstrukturen, die der Partei seit 1955 ein nahezu unangefochtenes Machtmonopol sicherten, zerfielen.