Posts Tagged ‘DPJ’

Japanese politicians line up outside the Diet building at 3:00AM

The new diet session began today, with Prime Minister Hatoyama taking office. Early morning news shows could not yet report on Hatoyama entering the Diet because the gates to the building did not officially open until 8:00AM. Luckily, a few politicians lined up early and gave the media something to talk about:

The woman shown in the video is Yukiko Miyake, a newly elected representative from Gunma Prefecture and one of the “Ozawa Girls.” She arrived at the Diet building at 2:50AM this morning, eager to show the media how committed she is to her new position. She was carrying the diet lapel pin of her grandfather, who also served in the Diet.

Ten minutes later, another DPJ politician arrived. It was Yuichiro Tamaki of Kagawa Prefecture. In a blog post he wrote on his mobile phone this morning, he expressed regret over having failed to be the first to arrive as well as his desire to fulfill the expectations of the voters who elected him.

The presence of reporters and cameramen at the Diet gates at such an early hour seems to suggest that the media were expecting (or had been notified in advance) of the arrival of both politicians.

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The worst political commercial ever?

Yesterday, I posted examples of commercials Japan’s two major political parties are airing on TV to convince voters to head to the ballot boxes for this weekend’s general election. As an example of an ad from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), I included their longer CM that includes a mini speech from Prime Minister Taro Aso.

At the time I could not find a copy of the 15-second version of the Taro Aso commercial. Now that I’ve found it, I’d like to share it with you all, since it is one of the worst political commercials I have seen in my life:

Most of the commercial consists of Taro Aso silently standing and staring at viewers. It seems like he can’t keep still – it’s almost like he’s wobbling his head around a bit. He isn’t smiling. Those unfamiliar with his natural facial expression might think that he’s scowling.

A narrator asks who they think can protect their lifestyle and this country. Aso keeps standing there, saying nothing. The commercial ends with the LDP logo and slogan (“Protect Japan /a strong sense of responsibility”) appearing in front of Aso.

Even though I don’t particularly like Aso, it’s a painful to watch this commercial. The LDP’s web attack ads are truly skillful examples of political commercials, but this is a train wreck. Aso is not a popular prime minister. A lot of LDP politicans who are trying to hold on to their diet seats have deliberately avoided placing Aso on their campaign posters. Why would they want their national TV ad campaign to put the focus on an uncharismatic and unpopular leader? It’s almost as if they are trying to increase the scale of the defeat they will likely suffer on the 30th.

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Election commercials on Japanese TV: The LDP vs. The DPJ

A few days ago, I introduced some of the YouTube attack ads being used in Japan’s 2009 general election. In this post, I shall share two examples of commercials that the two major parties are airing on TV.

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Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Commercial

Prime Minister Aso is speaking about how his party aims to create a peaceful society. He wants children to realize their dreams, young people to have hopes, and for the elderly to have peace of mind. Taro Aso wants to create a Japan in which people of all age groups can move forward without barriers or worries about the future. Aso and the LDP will pursue this goal with realistic and concrete measures. They have a strong sense of responsibility and can protect Japan. The commercial ends with a message asking viewers to think about Japan when they go to the ballot boxes. (“This summer, think about Japan.”)
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Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Commercial

This commercial is addressed to all of you out there who are angry about your taxes being wasted. Viewers are told that politics much be changed before their way of living can be changed. DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama appears on the screen at the end of the commercial to declare, “first, we need regime change!”
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Did the DPJ desecrate the Japanese flag?

One of the most-viewed videos on YouTube Japan today is this clip, apparently showing that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) doesn’t care much about honoring the Japanese flag:

Hanging over the stage at an August 8th DPJ event in Kagoshima was a banner depicting the party’s official logo. Zooming in on the banner, we can see that it was made by cutting and pasting together two Japanese national flags. The uploader of the video can’t believe that a Japanese person would do such a thing to their flag and asks what athletes representing Japan in international competitions would think of such an act. Near the end of the clip, we can see former party president Ichiro Ozawa speaking with the desecrated flag in the background.

According to the Yomiuri, a photo of Ozawa in front of the cut-up flags was even uploaded to the DPJ’s official homepage. Prime Minister Aso brought up the flag desecration at a debate yesterday, calling it and act that is “sad” and “difficult to forgive.” DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama has admitted that the mark was probably made by cutting up two Japanese flags and has apologized for the incident. He added that his party must be more careful when representing its “sacred” mark.

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General Election 2009 – The Trailer

An intro that TBS evening news has been using for its coverage of 2009 election news:

Sadly, the actual coverage is nowhere near as exciting as the intro would suggest.

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Yukio Hatoyama: Freemason?

Saw some Japanese blog posts today that examined the following screen capture of DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama and determined that the thing he is doing with his hand is a masonic sign:

And, since there appears to be a crazy masonic-looking pyramid on top of a building next to a DPJ office, the whole party must be in on the Freemason’s conspiracy to control Japan! [A conspiracy that apparently dates back to at least the time of his grandfather, Ichiro Hatoyama, who, along with Taro Aso's grandfather, Shigeru Yoshida, was a freemason.]

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