Japan entered a new political era last week after Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) head Yukio Hatoyama took over as prime minister. The long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is severely and possibly permanently crippled, and facing a leadership crisis.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20090924a3.html

Commentary: Excellent editorial above that takes an honest look at the challenges facing the new Hatoyama government. Mr. Morrison is absolutely correct in that the DPJ is a badly fractured party that was swept in to power by “Hope and Change,” the sequel! Already factions within the party, bolstered by the historic shift in power are flexing their muscles. The danger for them is if they overreach, they could possibly rip themselves apart and give the LDP a chance at being reborn. Look at the uproar with “Hope and Change” in the U.S.

Here on Okinawa the anti-base rhetoric is well on its way toward reaching fever pitch and will probably only grow stronger in the coming months. Within days of the election, victorious members of the DPJ, feeling their oats, practically stormed into the governor’s office and all but demanded that he sign on with them and call for the immediate halt of all U.S. base construction no later than yesterday, sooner if possible.

By that I’m not saying the anti-base movement doesn’t have legitimate beef’s against the U.S. military presence on Okinawa. They do. The problem with them is their approach which is visceral and acerbic. That is a problem with the political left worldwide. They think with their hearts and not their heads. Most are good intentioned people but we all know that the road to hell is paved with the afore mentioned intentions.

Furthermore, unlike the left whose emotionally based theology tells them that they need to destroy the political right and abolish them from the face of the earth, those on the right do not wish to destroy them. My personal thoughts are that there is a place for them in political discourse. Unfortunately that place is not in positions of leadership.

Why do I say that? Because presently their leadership across the globe is imperiling life as we know it. Discourse between the factions is no longer balanced. In the west, in the press has abandoned their constitutional duties and taken sides. As a result, society is step by step becoming less free and open. As of late, that transition has been happening at breakneck speed.

We haven’t quite reached that point in Japan but already signs are showing of a shift in that direction. The press on Okinawa is decidedly one sided when it comes to reporting on the U.S. military in Japan and revelations of Japan’s First Lady being an outright loon didn’t see the light of day until after the election.

My personal thoughts are that political discourse in the houses of government, no matter the particular topic, needs long in debate and to be slow to action. This is how we best assure the greatest good for the most people, protect the rights of the minority and prevent or at least minimize mistakes that cannot be easily undone. More importantly the press must recommit itself to fair and balanced reporting of the day’s events.

What has been happening in the U.S. regarding the speed of legislation is indeed frightening. The checks and balances installed by the founding fathers are gone as a result of the current one party dominance which is further aided by a compliant media. One great danger in democratic societies is single party dominance by those who do not have the rights of the minority in mind and the silencing of dissent. When this happens, Fascism is surely waiting in the wings for its cue to assert itself.

My sincere hope is that this doesn’t take place in Japan but I’m not silly enough to hold my breath on the matter. While they are not quite to where the U.S. and Europe are now, they are moving in that direction and they also have a history of making quantum shifts in ideology very quickly. Just remember that they made the shift from feudalism to a constitutional monarchy to fascism to democracy all within the last 150 years.