Ben Franklin
September 4th 2005, 10:15 AM
I know this is quite an esoteric topic, and in truth, I'm fishing for Ryokan's opinion specifically, but I like to read everyone's thoughts (if any) on this.
Koizumi calls snap election for Sept 11 after upper house rejects postal bills (http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=9&id=345683&display=all)
Monday, August 8, 2005 at 21:50 JST
TOKYO — Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dissolved the House of Representatives on Monday for a national election as postal privatization bills, the centerpiece of his reform drive, failed to clear the legislature with a revolt by a greater-than-expected number of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers.
Lower house Speaker Yohei Kono read out Emperor Akihito's edict to dissolve the chamber, which was issued under the Constitution upon the approval of the cabinet. Koizumi, who doubles as LDP president, also said he will not approve party members who voted against the bills in the lower chamber as candidates in the upcoming election. The upper house rejected the bills by 125 to 108 votes, as 22 LDP members joined the opposition camp in casting votes against them while eight other LDP members abstained from voting.
I've also heard that (sorry, no source) one of the Japanese government's favorite tactics is to "borrow" the deposits to fund public projects, and if Koizumi gets his way, the privatization will stop that, and it will also cap individual depositor accounts to a maximum of Y500,000. Is this true...?
Koizumi calls snap election for Sept 11 after upper house rejects postal bills (http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=9&id=345683&display=all)
Monday, August 8, 2005 at 21:50 JST
TOKYO — Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dissolved the House of Representatives on Monday for a national election as postal privatization bills, the centerpiece of his reform drive, failed to clear the legislature with a revolt by a greater-than-expected number of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers.
Lower house Speaker Yohei Kono read out Emperor Akihito's edict to dissolve the chamber, which was issued under the Constitution upon the approval of the cabinet. Koizumi, who doubles as LDP president, also said he will not approve party members who voted against the bills in the lower chamber as candidates in the upcoming election. The upper house rejected the bills by 125 to 108 votes, as 22 LDP members joined the opposition camp in casting votes against them while eight other LDP members abstained from voting.
I've also heard that (sorry, no source) one of the Japanese government's favorite tactics is to "borrow" the deposits to fund public projects, and if Koizumi gets his way, the privatization will stop that, and it will also cap individual depositor accounts to a maximum of Y500,000. Is this true...?