#Japan: Prime Minister Kan in Terminal Stage of Mistrust, Coalition Party Leader Suggests "Martial Law"

and the Vice Minister of Economy and Industry says "Only God knows" what will happen with the Fukushima I nuke plant.

Politicians are cracking. It takes a great lot to unhinge a Japanese politician out of their deep-rooted bureaucratic ways, but this nuclear crisis on top of the earthquake/tsunami has been just too much, and they've started to show their true colors, so to speak.

First, Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who seems to be cracking the worst and who seems to be going "Obama" by appointing his personal advisers from outside "experts" in his insecurity and mistrust of information being fed to him; he has already appointed six after the earthquake, bringing the total to 15 (Yomiuri Shinbun 9:28PM JST 3/28/2011; more on this later):

　首相サイドは「地震や原発事故の非常時で、あらゆる知見を活用すべきだ。参与の肩書があれば、官僚にも説明を求めることができる」と意義を強調する。し かし、首相が参与登用にこだわるのは、東京電力や官僚への強い不信感が根底にあるとの見方が強い。首相は最近、知人から「震災復興も原発対応も、良心的な 官僚がいるはずで、彼らを使うべきだ」と助言されたが、「（東京電力や官僚は）情報を隠している」と不満を漏らし、聞く耳を持たなかったという。

The Prime Minister's Office emphasizes the effectiveness [of outside advisers]: "We have to utilize all knowledge available in this crises of the earthquake and the nuclear plant accident. If these experts becomes Prime Minister's advisers they can demand the information from the bureaucrats." But it is no secret that the reason why the prime minister insists on relying on outside advisers is his deep mistrust of Tokyo Electric Power Company and the bureaucrats. The prime minister was recently advised by his acquaintance that he "should be using the conscientious bureaucrats in dealing with the earthquake relief efforts and the nuclear power plant accident," but the prime minister had none of that, complaining that "[TEPCO and the bureaucrats are] hiding information from him."

In turn, Kan hides information from the public. So what's new?

Shizuka Kamei, leader of Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party, a coalition partner of DPJ) and ex-policeman from LDP with black belt in Aikido (Japanese martial art), on the other hand is more used to crisis situation, and says Japan may need a "martial law" (Yomiuri Shinbun 20:59PM JST 3/28/2011):

国民新党の亀井代表は２８日、ＢＳ１１の番組で東日本巨大地震の被災者支援などについて、「誤解があるかもしれず、物騒（な言葉）だが、『軍政を敷く』く らいなことをやった方がいい。一番頼りになるのは自衛隊、警察、消防だ。そうしたことがしっかりした中でボランティアも機能する」と述べ、自衛隊などをよ り前面に出した対策を講じる必要性を訴えた。

Kokumin Shinto leader Kamei, speaking on a program on BS11 [that's a satellite channel, but I can't help laughing at the name at this point... BS....] about the aids to the earthquake/tsunami victims, called for more prominent roles for the SDF and other law enforcements. "People may misunderstand my word, and it is a radical idea, but I think things may work better under some sort of a "martial law". At the time of crisis like this, the institutions that we can rely most on are the Self Defense Force, the Police, and the Firefighters. Volunteers would be more effective."

I kind of like this guy. He is a self-made man, unlike many Japanese politicians who succeeds their fathers and uncles into political life. He put himself through Tokyo University partly by working as a bouncer at a cabaret, and he was the chief of the riot police when the stormed the hostage situations in 1970s.

Lastly, Motohisa Ikeda, Vice Minister of Economy and Industry and an ex-NHK newscaster, asks for guidance from above, far above. When asked about the prospect of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident in the Budget Committee in the Lower House on March 28, answered "[The government is] preparing for the worst possible case. But beyond that, only God knows." The opposition demanded the retraction of the comment. Mr. Ikeda first refused to do so, but later relented, apologized and retracted the comment. (Yomiuri Shinbun 10:41PM JST 3/28/2011)

Why he should retract the comment, I don't quite understand. Political correctness in the time of crisis, is the only thing I can think of; "You sound like you're giving up on efforts to contain the crisis! That's bad!" Something like that.

By the way, Mr. Ikeda is a DPJ politician. A vice minister of any ministry or agency used to be occupied by a competent career bureaucrat who knew how things worked in the particular ministry/agency and how the industry they oversaw worked, so that he could assist his boss, the politician minister who didn't know much of anything beyond the basic. Not any more. The Democratic Party of Japan has had this misguided idea that the Japanese people want to see the leadership in action, and has marginalized the career bureaucrats.

Ikeda's boss, the Minister of Economy and Industry, is Banri Kaieda, a popular author during Japan's "Bubble" days. Count on them to solve a crisis.

Tweet