Japan has a new Prime Minister who seems eager to foster nationalism. We look at his policies for furthering the interests of the Japanese capitalism. Koizumi’s five and a half year reign as Prime Minister came to a voluntary end in September. He tossed the keys to the official residence to his protege Shinzo Abe after a summer farewell tour that included a pilgrimage to Graceland and a visit to Yasukuni Shrine to pay his respects to the war criminals and their cannon fodder said to spiritually reside there. On September 20, Abe (‘ah-bay’) was elected President of the...
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Japan has a new Prime Minister who seems eager to foster nationalism. We look at his policies for furthering the interests of the Japanese capitalism. Koizumi’s five and a half year reign as Prime Minister came to a voluntary end in September. He tossed the keys to the official residence to his protege Shinzo Abe after a summer farewell tour that included a pilgrimage to Graceland and a visit to Yasukuni Shrine to pay his respects to the war criminals and their cannon fodder said to spiritually reside there. On September 20, Abe (‘ah-bay’) was elected President of the...
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Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi is an unlikely advocate of women’s rights. But earlier this year the well-coiffed leader was keen to promote gender equality. Not for all women, mind you, or even a few, but rather a four-year-old girl known as Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko. He supported an effort to revise the Imperial House Law that would allow her to “ascend” to the throne one day. Why this concern for the plight of royal women? Well, the fact that no male heir has been born for the past 40 years might just have something to do with it....
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In an Associated Press report earlier today, much of the tsunami aid that Sri Lanka is receiving is for the most part useless. Aid workers on the island report that many boxes contain things like winter coats, high-heeled shoes, and thong underwear. One box from Australia even contained bottles of Viagra. While aid workers and victims are of course grateful for all the assistance that the world has provided, they are hard pressed to find a use for many items in a country where most people wear shorts and sandals. Not being satisfied in our own materialism, the citizens...
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Earlier today, it was announced by the North Korean government that it was in the possession of nuclear weapons. It is thought that this could be a ploy to instill fear in other countries, particularly in the five countries that had been involved in disarmaments talks with N. Korea. One newspaper has been quoted about the situation by calling it “a crisis from hell”. At the same time it is thought that perhaps N. Korea is simply bluffing to gain leverage on the international community. Amidst the announcement, the US continues to reiterate the importance of restarting the 6...
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Socialist Standard, October 1998. Thirty countries covering a quarter of the world’s population are officially in recession. Even defenders of capitalism are now compelled to use the term “world economic crisis”. It had to happen. Given the chronic state of overcapacity and potential overproduction in relation to the market in all the key sectors of global industry-electronics, computers, vehicle production, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, steel-the boom in Asia had to come to an end sooner or later. It already had in Japan, by far the biggest economy in the region and in fact the second biggest in the world after the...
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From the Western Socialist, #1, 1968 From mythological archives comes the legend of the phoenix, a bird of rare and unseemly attainments. After a lengthy and variegated existence, a pervasive act of its own volition caused it to be consumed in fire, and eventually to rise in callow newness from its ashes. Modern Japan has a close affinity with that fabulous bird. Playing a reckless role in the attack on Pearl Harbor, it suffered in consequence the fiery ordeal at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and then, in rapid strides proceeded to rise from apparent disaster to take its place among...
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