日曜日, 9月 17, 2006

The Koizumi Administration

What our Prime Minister did to us is more than I can ever describe in words right at this moment and perhaps in the future. He brought down the politics, the real world to us to our dining room, they say, where the TV set is placed. He never had betrayed us in giving out his policies. It was either he was dragging us forward, or us moving on. He told us how it works behind the scene and upfront in his conviction, with his smile.

Our country is not too small to make better roads and cities, now that he made it clear that better planning could be possible only if the bureaucrats stop retiring in the construction associations and companies to manage the government construction planning. It is absurd to build 1 m of road at the cost of 1 million dollars. There certainly has been some progress under Prime Minister Koizumi's administration, most notably, the disintegration of one such association. But there still is the need for kaikaku, or the renovation of the whole system.

What he told us in his campaign has been always more than what words can describe. I would say he trusted us that we stand on his side. And it is fair to say that he has been right. Kitoku-ken, or vested interest -- is our common enemy. In such case as the Postal Privatization -- we fought against what has been regarded as the necessity. What has revealed to us was how the Postal System provided enormous amount of money to ridiculous to absurd public and semi-private organizations and associations what the bureaucrats have created over more than a few decades. This special budget amounts to 240 trillion yen. This is how our government debt was created -- to 827 trillion yen.

Our military budget is as France and England, and is half of what the Chinese communist government is spending on its DF-31 and so forth. South Korea has one-half of what we are spending, according to CIA reports. Things are as they are, it is our urgent task to clean up the corruption among the high officials and politicians, with the Chinese and South Korean government officials. But could it be possible when the media is broadcasting messages as Chinese giant pandas are cute, as they did years ago, and that we do not have rights to say anything to the Chinese government because of what the government did 60 years ago -- without our consent? Some might say the same still, but I would say -- the Chinese government is oppressive and undemocratic, and that it needs to establish electoral systems and free up the media in order to govern its 13 billion people fairly, and I say that out loud as a Japanese citizen.

It is amazing what the Prime Minister can do to expose us to the information that has totally banned by the previous corrupt governmental system and the media. The gap between Giant Pandas and the Chinese selling prisoners' organs brought us some shock to say the least and the shock is among us still in the form of repulsion against nationalistic ancient regime to which we are not going back.

The Prime Minister has brought all the good things to us, and what I strongly feel is that -- he only can say that he wants to stay and that he's got the public support. I believe that this could be shared by many among us. I would like to end this writing with this hope in place of the regular thank you statements.