SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported in the last half of August 2020 by the Shingetsu News Agency.

Rolling Coverage: Shinzo Abe Resignation

—Lawmaker Akira Amari, close ally of the prime minister, expresses concern in public that Shinzo Abe is physically and mentally exhausted, and he needs to take more days of rest. In Amari’s view, Abe’s “sense of responsibility” has led him to overwork.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been checked in to a Tokyo hospital. His aides say it is for a regular check-up, but doubts about that explanation are rife, especially as there’s been a lot of speculation about his health condition lately.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left the hospital after spending six or seven hours at the facility. There’s been no credible news about his condition, but since he has cleared part of his official schedule, it does seem to be more than just a routine checkup.

—On August 24, Shinzo Abe will gain the record for the all-time longest consecutive tenure for a Japanese prime minister (surpassing his own great uncle). Speculation is growing that once he owns that record, he may be willing to step down as the nation’s leader.

—With his political clout within the ruling party beginning to fall apart, Shinzo Abe apparently has one top objective regarding his successor: Anyone who can block Shigeru Ishiba from becoming prime minister is acceptable. Abe might even back Yoshihide Suga at this point.

—Shinzo Abe now owns the record books for longevity in office as Japanese prime minister. But he’s spending the day going to the hospital as doubts swirl about his health, his public support plummeting, and amidst the worst economic crisis in Japan’s postwar history.

—We are given to believe that Shinzo Abe would celebrate the day he took the all-time record for longevity as prime minister for a routine “follow-up consultation” at the hospital. Appropriate though for a regime that never levels with the people and tells lies reflexively.

—Shinzo Abe’s allies can’t get their message straight about his health condition: Akira Amari insists that Abe is now looking quite healthy and reenergized; Hiroshige Seko says that Abe really needs to take a vacation so that he has energy for the autumn season and beyond.

—The scuttlebutt seems to be that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s medical problem is going to require multiple visits to the hospital in coming weeks and months, but that he does not intend to resign as the nation’s leader.

—Breaking! Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about to announce his resignation, shortly after achieving the longest tenure in the office in Japanese history.

—Despite rumors about Taro Aso becoming a caretaker prime minister, it seems that Shinzo Abe intends to keep his office until his successor is selected.

—Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi makes clear that, despite being the ruling coalition partner, Shinzo Abe’s resignation announcement was as much a surprise to him as anyone else. Komeito has called an emergency meeting of its executives to discuss the situation.

—Fumio Kishida confirms that he intends to run for Liberal Democratic Party president and thus prime minister of Japan.

—Ruling party executives have decided to leave the timing and format of the Liberal Democratic Party presidential elections to the discretion of Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to cite a reemergence of his ulcerative colitis for his decision to resign, but also say that he’s not stepping down immediately so as to avoid the same kind of disruption that occurred when he suddenly resigned in 2007.

—Liberal Democratic Party executives reportedly planning an abbreviated presidential election process that will heavily weight the votes of national lawmakers. This may be an effort to try to ensure that Shigeru Ishiba loses, as he has more support within the party at large.

—Not surprisingly, Shigeru Ishiba is calling for an full, ordinary process for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, understanding that his Shinzo Abe-led enemies are trying to fix abbreviated rules to put him at a disadvantage.

—Seiko Noda says that she intends to join the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race, but as before she is not expected to be a serious contender and may not even qualify to run.

—Fumio Kishida, Seiko Noda, and Shigeru Ishiba have so far indicated that they will be in the running to become the next ruling party president and prime minister of Japan.

—Deeply conservative former Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura unexpectedly becomes the fourth lawmaker to indicate that he will be running for ruling party president and Japanese prime minister.

—Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso makes clear that he will not run in order to return as prime minister for a second time. However, he stands a good chance of being one of the kingmakers for the next prime minister.

—The major Japanese media services are focusing on Yoshihide Suga, Fumio Kishida, and Shigeru Ishiba as the presumed early frontrunners in the race to succeed Shinzo Abe. Suga has yet to declare interest in running, but the other two have said they are going for it.

—Some people, including the widow of the Finance Ministry official who took his own life in connection with the Moritomo Gakuen affair, are vowing to continue to pursue Shinzo Abe over the scandals he has so far taken no responsibility for.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reportedly firms up his intention to run for Liberal Democratic Party president and prime minister. He is expected to be one of the frontrunners, if not the frontrunner.

—Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, as expected, makes clear that he will not be running to become ruling party president and prime minister at this time, but he adds that he will be supporting Defense Minister Taro Kono, should he throw his hat in the ring.

—US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: “The United States deeply values the enduring contributions of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in making the US-Japan relationship the strongest it has ever been. He championed our Alliance as a cornerstone of peace and security.”

—Yoshihide Suga off to a big start with the 47 lawmaker strong Nikai Faction reportedly deciding to back his candidacy for ruling party president and the next prime minister of Japan.

—Kyodo News poll finds that Shigeru Ishiba is the people’s choice as next prime minister with 34.3% supporting him. However, the Japanese people don’t get to vote for the nation’s leader, and the ruling party executives may enact rules that disadvantage his candidacy.

—It seems to have taken only one weekend for the coronation of Yoshihide Suga to begin, complete with his Richard III-esque declarations that he really never wanted to become the nation’s leader… but if it is his duty and is the demand of the people, well…

—It appears that Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso is also likely to throw his support to the candidacy of Yoshihide Suga, which effectively means Suga is already the prohibitive favorite to become the next ruling party president and prime minister.

Rolling Coverage: New Opposition Parties

—Seiji Maehara makes clear that he will not join the new merged opposition party due to his refusal to cooperate in any way with the Japan Communist Party.

—A full meeting of Democratic Party For the People lawmakers approves the motion to dissolve the party, with most of them expected to join the new, merged opposition party early next month.

—57 of the 62 Democratic Party For the People lawmakers supported dissolving their party and merging with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Yuichiro Tamaki, Seiji Maehara, and Shiori Yamao say they won’t be joining the new party due to its left-leaning policies.

—One point about the CDPJ-DPFP merger that most people seem to have missed is that it means Ichiro Ozawa, now 78, will be a member of the leading opposition party for the first time since 2012. During Shinzo Abe’s second premiership he has been languishing in tiny parties.

—A TBS report has set off speculation that Shiori Yamao and perhaps other lawmakers not joining the new, merged opposition party are having talks with Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto.

—Unexpectedly, it appears that Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto does have interest in discussing some kind of federation or merger with Yuichiro Tamaki on a new political party. The consumption tax issue may be their common policy link.

—Some of the prominent independent opposition lawmakers are now deciding whether or not to join the new, merged party. Former Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba has announced that he will be joining, calling it “the last chance to create a politics capable of regime change.”

—Yuichiro Tamaki says that he has been successful in gathering at least five lawmakers to join him in a new political party that will carry on the centrist legacy of the Democratic Party For the People.

Rolling Coverage: Wakashio Disaster

—Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is apparently seizing leadership on the Mauritius oil spill disaster from the do-nothing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Koizumi says that a second, larger team of Japanese officials to be sent to Mauritius to deal with the crisis.

—The MV Wakashio, the Japanese ship grounded off the coast of Mauritius, has now split in two, leaking what remained of its oil into what had been pristine turquoise blue waters. Much of the oil was pumped out before this second wave of the environmental disaster.

—India has sent aid to Mauritius to contain oil from the MV Wakashio, including a specially-trained coast guard team, oil blocking booms, oil absorbing sheets, and other equipment. Not clear why it took them so long, and not clear why the Abe government isn’t doing the same.

—The Japanese government will be sending a second team to Mauritius in connection with the MV Wakashio oil spill. The second team will have seven members, following the first team which had six members. It’s not exactly clear what role they will play in the clean up efforts.

—The government of Mauritius has arrested Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, the Indian national who was the captain of the Japanese ship MV Wakashio. Authorities are also starting operations to remove the two halves of the ship from the seas, as oil cleanup efforts continue.

—Massive demonstrations have broken out in Mauritius over the government’s perceived slow response to the grounding of the Japanese ship MV Wakashio and the resulting oil spill. Many Mauritians depend on the beautiful coastline and seas for their livelihoods.

Rolling Coverage: Covid-19

—Hit by the nation’s most intense Covid-19 crisis, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has asked the national government to have about fifty nurses deploy to his prefecture in order to make up for a local shortage of nurses.

—The central government has agreed to Okinawa’s request to send nurses from the main islands to help it deal with its Covid-19 crisis. Beginning with ten nurses, the total number to be deployed is supposed to reach fifty.

—The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Japan since the beginning of the pandemic has now crossed the 60,000 mark. There have been more than 1,170 deaths attributed to the coronavirus.

—The government reports that 98.6% of households in Japan received the ¥100,000 yen (US$940) Covid-19 relief payment, meaning that almost everyone applied for it in spite of some early efforts by the Finance Ministry to encourage people not to take the money on offer.

—Governor Denny Tamaki is extending Okinawa Prefecture’s own Covid-19 state of emergency until September 5.

Politics

—More than sixty ruling party rightwing lawmakers led by Tomomi Inada and Hiroshi Yamada establish the Association for Research and Development of the Senkaku Islands, aiming to pass legislation obliging the government to restart surveys of the islands suspended in 1979.

—Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura takes time off his schedule dealing with the nation’s Covid-19 pandemic in order to visit Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan’s war dead, including some Class A War Criminals from the Pacific War, are honored.

—Former Senior Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office Tsukasa Akimoto reportedly heading for a second arrest; this time on charges of trying to bribe witnesses to perjure themselves in his upcoming casino bribery trial.

—It seems that the prosecutors have successfully flipped Akihito Awaji, who is ready to testify that his efforts to bribe witnesses was directly ordered by Tsukasa Akimoto.

—Prosecutors leak to the media that lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto’s fingerprints are literally on the bills offered to bribe witnesses in his upcoming trial. But bear in mind that character assassination of suspects via the media is the usual tactic of Japanese prosecutors.

—Former Cabinet Office Senior Vice-Minister Tsukasa Akimoto is sticking with blanket denials, saying he has done nothing wrong. He denies taking bribes from the would-be Chinese casino operator and denies the witness tampering charges for which he is now being detained.

—Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso judges that the Abe government’s “Go To Travel” campaign has been a failure. He says it was too early to launch it in July when the pandemic was not under control, so of course it didn’t produce the hoped for economic results.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga insists that the “Go To Travel” campaign has been a success: “If we hadn’t launched it, I believe the tourism industry would have been in even more jeopardy,” he contended on a television appearance.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says that more than 2 million people have made use of “Go To Travel” subsidies since the program was launched on July 22. He also says that there may have been up to ten Covid-19 cases related to people using the program.

—Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai, a conservative ruling party ally, gives the Abe government cover on the “Go To Travel” initiative: “I’m glad we launched the campaign. I think it was successful.” Neighboring Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso recently called it “a failure.”

—Fascist cosmetic surgeon Katsuya Takasu launches signature drive to recall Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura over the governor’s partial support for the freedom of expression exhibit at the Aichi Triennale. Takasu says using tax money for this art “shakes the roots of democracy.”

—Defense Minister Taro Kono says matrilineal emperors should be considered in order to maintain the Imperial line for future generations. It’s not clear why he chose to speak about an issue for which cultural conservatives prioritize ideology over any sense of practicality.

International

—The coast guards of Japan and South Korea have started engaging in some sort of confrontation west of Nagasaki’s Goto Islands. It would appear to be a dispute regarding the sea boundaries between the two nations.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga urges South Korea to maintain the bilateral General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), saying, “Considering the security environment, it is important to operate it in a stable manner.”

—American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, British Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and European Business Council in Japan issue a new joint statement on Japan blocking return of foreign residents.

—Stung by escalating international criticism, the Japanese government is lifting its despicable ban on permanent and long-term foreign residents from returning to Japan, effective September 1.

—Environment Ministry to use satellite images to make Northern Territories vegetation map. Shinjiro Koizumi: “It’s strange that it is Japan’s inherent territory, but there’s no vegetation map.” Abe ministers usually refrain from using “inherent” to describe the territories.

—Abe’s ambition to turn Japan into an arms exporting nation takes a significant step as Mitsubishi Electric signs contract to deliver an air radar system to the Philippines. This was made possible by legal changes introduced by the Abe government in 2014.

Economy

—The -7.8% (-27.8% annualized) fall in Japan’s GDP in the April-June 2020 quarter wipes out almost all of the modest achievements of seven years of Abenomics.

—Financial Times reports that Hitachi is seeking to revive its participation in the Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power Plant in Wales, which had been suspended in January 2019. Apparently, the recent decline in UK-China relations is a factor.

—Kansai Electric Power Company admits that some of its retired executives were given secret compensation. But it seems that unlike, say, Carlos Ghosn, there will be no arrests, and the prosecutors are unmoved by bribery, secret payments, and anything else at KEPCO.

—No longer just the view of a left-leaning fringe: Tokyo Shoko Research survey finds that 27.8% of Japanese companies now favor cancelling the Tokyo Olympics altogether and just moving on to other things.

—Rakuten’s Hiroshi Mikitani appeals to let foreign residents return to Japan: “Not only will Japan sacrifice new business opportunities and access to knowledge and expertise, we are at risk of being seen as a society that does not welcome foreign nationals within our borders.”

—Suttsu town’s interest in becoming host a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste in exchange for much-needed state subsidies has been quickly opposed by its neighboring municipalities. They are appealing to Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki to block the plan.

—Suttsu Mayor Haruo Kataoka receiving heavy local blowback over his proposal that his municipality become host to a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste in exchange for much-needed state subsidies. He indicates that he will slow down his decision on the issue.

—Japan and the United Kingdom fail to come to terms on post-Brexit trade agreement, denying Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi a notable policy win just as the ruling party leadership battle is getting under way.

GreenTech

—Residents of Shizuoka Prefecture prepare to launch a lawsuit against JR Central in order to stop the construction of the Chuo Shinkansen, citing the same environmental concerns as Governor Heita Kawakatsu.

—Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Prefecture, reaches 41.1 degrees Celsius, equaling the highest temperature ever recorded in Japan, two years ago in Saitama Prefecture.

Society

—Journalist Shiori Ito files lawsuit against extreme rightwing lawmaker Mio Sugita on charges of slander. Ito alleges that Sugita repeatedly “liked” social media posts that slandered her, and thus encouraged her large social media following to support the slanders.

—Okinawa native musician and actor Gackt is campaigning on behalf of the rebuilding of Shuri Castle in Naha, which burned down last year. He has also donated ¥4.7 million (US$44,300) of his own money to finance the reconstruction of the historic structure.

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