This 2006 video from Japan says about itself:
Survivors angry that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima are being forgotten
Residents feel that many Japanese are beginning to forget the tragedy that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
Many citizens remain angry at former Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma, who said on June 30th this year, that the dropping of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki “Could not be helped” and resulted in ending the war quickly.
The remark sparked fierce anger from residents in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which lead to the defence minister’s resignation. The bombs are said to have killed more than 140,000 people by the end of year one in Hiroshima alone.
Another video from July 03, 2007, used to say about itself:
Japan’s struggling Liberal Democrat government has suffered a new blow with the resignation of the defence minister after comments he made about the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was already reeling after a scandal over mishandled pension records.
By John Chan:
Shinzo Abe: Japan’s new prime minister
26 September 2006
Shinzo Abe is due to be installed today as Japan’s new prime minister, succeeding Junichiro Koizumi, after being elected as the president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on September 20.
He will continue Koizumi’s right-wing agenda of reviving militarism to assert Japanese strategic and economic interests abroad, while continuing a relentless assault on the social position of working people at home.
Abe, just 52, was Koizumi’s favoured heir and chief cabinet secretary.
Unlike Koizumi, who traded on his unconventional, populist image, Abe is a scion of the traditional Japanese political establishment.
As expected, he won the LDP presidency easily with 464 out of 703 votes, but he was not unopposed.
He had two rivals—Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki with 102 votes and Foreign Minister Taro Aso with 136 votes.
“I declare that I will, as the first party president to be born after [World War II], take over the flame of reform,” Abe declared, “I vow to devote myself in working with you all toward creating a new and beautiful nation.”
Abe’s “flame of reform” is full-scale economic deregulation to boost the competitiveness of Japanese capitalism.
His gospel of a “beautiful nation” is the promotion of ugly Japanese patriotism to divert mounting social tensions into reactionary channels.
Abe’s emphasis on his postwar birth was to send a message that his government will no longer be hampered by the legacy of Japan’s militarist past.
He has explicitly ruled out any apology for Japan’s wartime atrocities in Asia.
In fact, Abe has pledged to carry out an “education reform” to promote Japanese patriotism based on “traditional values”—code words for the glorification of the wartime imperial regime, its symbols and record.
He has also promised a major revision in the postwar “pacifist” constitution, which is a legal barrier of Japan’s rearmament and the deployment of Japanese troops overseas.
From Google cache of Dear Kitty ModBlog:
Japan: Prime Minister resigns; defeat on mail Linking: 2 Comments: 9
Date: 8/8/05 at 5:58PM
Mood: Looking
Playing:
Main Title Song
* Narrator: (spoken)Will somebody PLEASE cue that bird?
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats (Oh yeah)
Narrator: Who do you call when you want some pepperoni?
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats (Right on)
Narrator: They’re stampin’ out crime and you know that ain’t baloney.
There’s Speedy Cerviche and he’s the leader of the bunch.
Chorus: That’s right
Narrator: A heck of a fighter (Whoa!)
Makes a heck of a lunch
And little Polly Esther who’s never afraid (That’s me)
Of going into battle when the bad guys invade
There’s Guido Anchovy
A wild romantic lover
The cat gets down, down with a love-hangover
Chorus: Here Come the Pizza Cats
Narrator: They’re so bad
They’ve got more fur than any turtle ever had.
Chorus: Stronger than old cheese (Stronger than old cheese)
Chorus: Stronger than dirt (Stronger than dirt)
Chorus: Step on their tails (Polly meows)
Chorus: Then you’re gonna get hurt (Don’t hurt me, please!)
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats
Narrator: They’re fightin crime
Chorus: All over town
Chorus: 3, 2, 1. Pizza Cats are on the run
Narrator: The Big Cheese is the villan, who’s lower than low
It’s a rotten shame he lives in Little Tokyo
He’s got a nasty temper and some nasty Ninja Crows
As soon as someone finds the script, we might begin the show
Sit right back, pick up a seat and turn the sound up high
And if you want the full effect, go eat a pizza-pie!
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats (narrator laughs as Speedy falls into the sea)
End Title Song
* Narrator: Ladies and Gentleman! The Samurai Pizza Cats Fan Club Oath!
The Big Cheese: The Pizza Cats are Samurais and I’d like to note.
Jerry Atric: Their antics take your breath away!
The Big Cheese: Like furballs in your throat.
Speedy: We kittens are a special breed. We never call retreat
Guido: Whenever Big Cheese knocks us down
Polly: We land upon (blows a kiss) our feet!
Narrator: So hail to thee, O Pizza Cat! Please ring your little bell! (Speedy rings his collar bell)
Although you may be pen and ink, we know you’ll fight like…
All: PIZZA CATS!
(song starts)
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats
Narrator: We hope you liked the show, it’s the best that we could do
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats.
Narrator: If you could do better, then we’d leave it up to you.
Just a reminder that you might like to know
The Cats will be back for another big show! (laughs) Oh gosh!
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats
Narrator: They’re fighting crime. Oh Yes!
Chorus: All over town.
2, 4, 6, 8!
Why do we exaggerate?
Samurai Pizza Cats
Narrator: Read all the credits, so you know who did the work
Chorus: Samurai Pizza Cats (crowd cheers)
In Japan, Prime Minister Koizumi has resigned.
He did this after a defeat in the senate for his proposals to privatize the Japanese mail service.
Now, there will probably be new elections in Japan on 11 September.
Of course, this is significant for Japanese mail workers who for the moment will not suffer worse work conditions as a result of privatization; and consumers now that many mail offices in small towns won’t be closed down.
However, the significance is wider.
For Japan as a whole: there are big tensions in Koizumi’s Liberal Democratic Party, a Rightist pro big business party.
Koizumi’s party may well lose its majority in parliament, basically for the first time since 1945.
That may be healthy, as de facto one party systems have negative consequences.
Koizumi’s fall also has world wide sides. With his Rightist so called “reforms”, Koizumi is an ally of George W. Bush.
We see that in Koizumi’s pro big business policies, including the now defeated mail service plan.
We see it in Koizumi’s militarist undermining of the Japanese constitution, which incorporates the bitter lessons of 1930s-1940s military dictatorships and the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It stipulates that Japan does not have armed forces, and certainly does not send them abroad to occupy other countries.
However, Koizumi sent Japanese soldiers to Iraq to help George W. Bush; contrary to the wishes of the great majority of people in Japan.
Koizumi is also controversial for commemorating World War II war criminals. Also in this, he has a parallel with George W. Bush.
Not only in the crimes being committed in, eg, Abu Ghraib jail. Also in Bush’s relatives during World War II being indicted under the Trading with the Enemy [Hitler] Act.
So if Koizumi loses the elections on 11 September, George W. Bush loses an important ally.
Even more important than Aznar was a Bush ally in Spain, losing the elections over the Iraq war.
After that election, Spanish soldiers got out of Iraq soon. Something similar may happen with Japan soon.
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Japan: Prime Minister resigns; defeat on mail
Posted by:
laughingwolf
Date: 08/08/05 at 6:44 PM (1y1M ago)
a 9/11 election? really?
RE: Japan: Prime Minister resigns; defeat on mail
Posted by:
dearkitty
Spec’s World: Blogging e>
View Profile
Date: 08/08/05 at 6:46 PM
Yes, that is the most probable date
RE: Japan: Prime Minister resigns; defeat on mail
Posted by:
dearkitty
Date: 08/09/05 at 10:07 PM (1y1M ago)
http://wrp.org.uk/news/270 [scroll down]
http://wsws.org/articles/2005/aug2005/japa-a12.shtml
http://wsws.org/articles/2005/sep2005/japa-s15.shtml
http://wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/japa-m07.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4798086.stm
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/fiyouzat140805.html
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