The warmongers and gun manufacturers are cheering today as Shinzo Abe Wins Sweeping Victory in Japan Elections.
Shinzo Abe has won a sweeping victory in elections to Japan’s upper house, leaving him within reach of a parliamentary supermajority that would allow the government to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution.
With seven proportional representation seats left to declare on Sunday night, Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic party and its allies had won 72 out of the 78 seats they need for a two-thirds majority.
Toru Takigishi, a 76-year-old chemistry professor in Tokyo and a long-time LDP supporter, said he voted for the Communist party for the first time. “I’m happy with the current constitution and I want peace to be maintained. At least there is a checking mechanism for constitutional change under the Communist party,” Mr Takigishi said.
Japan Election Boosts Shinzo Abe’s Bid to Revise Constitution
The Wall Street Journal reports Japan Election Boosts Shinzo Abe’s Bid to Revise Constitution
With most results in, Mr. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner, Komeito, were on track to win nearly 70 of 121 seats that were up for grabs in the 242-seat upper house. A handful of seats remained undecided early Monday.
The coalition parties plus smaller opposition parties and unaffiliated lawmakers who favor constitutional revision were likely to control two-thirds of Parliament’s upper house after the election, projections by Japanese media showed. Revision requires two-thirds of both houses of Parliament, after which the changes must be approved by a majority of voters in a national referendum. The coalition already controls two-thirds of the lower house, which wasn’t up for election, meaning Mr. Abe has the votes to start the revision process.
Any move to change the constitution is likely to spark a divisive battle. Last year, Mr. Abe’s government enacted a bill allowing Japanese troops to fight overseas along with the country’s allies, following a controversial reinterpretation of one article of the constitution.
The move prompted months of protests, some attracting tens of thousands of people. Though the security bill was passed by both houses of Parliament, experts testified that it was unconstitutional.
With the election over, Mr. Abe will likely focus on passing the stimulus package, a task that has gained urgency since the U.K.’s decision last month to leave the European Union cast further uncertainty over the global economy.
Mr. Abe hasn’t disclosed any details, but the stimulus program is expected to be a multiyear effort to upgrade the nation’s transport infrastructure, expand child care and nursing-care services and create scholarships for students.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan is widely expected to expand its efforts to stoke growth and inflation when its policy board meets July 28-29. Its most likely options are increasing the size of its unprecedented asset-purchase program and pushing a key interest rate on bank reserves further into negative territory.
For further discussion of warmongering possibilities, please see Japan’s Abe Angling for War with China? Could the US be Drawn In?
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Well… so much for Japanese pols. Maybe George Soros was counting the votes like he did for Clinton.
If Japan has a military, does that make war more, or less likely? What if the US were to stop defending Japan? Myself I’d rather see the US pull back it’s presence around the globe, but for that to happen, countries like Japan would need to step up their own military. I’d like to see the same thing happen in Europe.
The problem with Japan having a strong military to the point where they get adventurous and stumble into a conflict with China is this:
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_and_Security_between_the_United_States_and_Japan
Winston — there are also laws about US officials sending classified documents around to insecure servers. There are laws about perjuring yourself before Congress, there are laws about a lot of things.
If, hypothetically, Japan sends 250,000 soldiers and 5000 armored vehicles and 20,000 missiles into North Korea and/or China — then James Comey will just hold a press conference and say it wasn’t intentional.
Oh, and read my lips, no new taxes, I did not have sex with that woman, WMD are a slam dunk, mission accomplished, if your like your doctor you can keep your doctor….
Who is naive enough to still believe any of this?
Touche Frank touche.
ANOTHER STOLEN ELECTION?
I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT THAT A “SUPER MAJORITY” OF JAPANESE WANT TO GO TO WAR AGAINST CHINA. I ALSO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT THAT THE JAPANESE ARE SATISFIED WITH THEIR ECONOMY AND WANT TO GIVE “ALL” OF THEIR PENSION SAVINGS TO KEEP THE FEDERAL RESERVE AFLOAT.
ALL I CAN SAY, IS ALL THESE STOLEN ELECTIONS RAISE THE QUESTION ABOUT THE VIABILITY OF A DEMOCRATIC GOVT WHEN THE VOTERS REFUSE TO ASSERT THEIR RIGHTS.
The voters are morons. I think that’s been shown repeatedly. I hope they get the government they deserve, good and hard.
Not a bad idea. Let the Japanese launch a ground war against the North Koreans before Kim Jong-Un builds an ICBM that could take out Los Angeles. We’ve supported the Japanese economy long enough with our lopsided trade agreements. Now they can pay us back by doing some of the dirty work.
Besides, Abe will destroy the Japanese economy long before he could build a formidable military, especially if he continues to enlist Paul Krugman’s help.
Why shouldn’t Japan be allowed to have their own military? Because they lost WW2? We let the Germans build another military. Some people might call that racial discrimination. Let the Japanese defend their own country. Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of American boys spilling their blood in foreign lands.
See my post above.
Winston, treaties are made to be broken. Have many times have we violated the Geneva Convention in the last 10 years?
There’s no honor amongst thieves, sir.
Loyalty goes to the highest bidder.
The gentleman’s handshake died about a half-century ago if you haven’t noticed.
I’m sick and tired of the US government spilling the blood of Americans and foreigners in foreign lands. Let alone wasting trillions of dollars of wealth.
As for Japan, let them continue destroying themselves. Apparently having a high average IQ doesn’t preclude general stupidity.
But if they can’t kill all the males in the USA then they can’t have all the women to themselves. That’s why Mish keeps posting all this Mush.
Japan isn’t invading anyone anytime soon.
China might start something…North Korea maybe…but it’s the USA that can’t wait for Round Three in an East Asian War that’s doing the “mongering” not Japan.
Just start adding the number of ships the US Navy, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps and Navy Seals now have. Once you start including RHIB’s you’re up to 600 plus vessels for the USA alone.
I don’t see the Marines, Coast Guard, Navy or the President doing much hiring either.
Shall we throw in Ukraine? ISIS? Yemen? Libya? Sudan? Somalia? Ethiopia and Honduras? Why not.
The whole thing is just a computer game with humans thinking they’re in charge anyways.
Yeah, Iko….but the great equalizer is the nuclear warhead. And all it takes is one smallfry nuke-equipped nation with a psycho head of state to put an end to it all and knock the planet off it’s axis. One nuke neutralizes 600 tanks and thousands of aircraft just like paper covers rock. This is not 1950 anymore. We’re in a game with much higher stakes in 2016. And there are many nutcases today running countries that are nuclear armed. God help the human race. I’m damn glad I’m as old as I am. If I could rid the planet of all nuclear weapons I’d make it happen tonight. We’re passing off a very dangerous world to the young folks. They have every right to be resentful for the lously job we’ve done.
Bring on the 80 year cycle!
Will the young Japanese men be allowed to bring their anime body pillows to war?
If we continue on our current path, we may willfully stumble into a major war with China and/or Russia and wind up LOSING badly.
And that would be the best possible outcome.
We had a war with China and the USSR. It happened in Vietnam. We lost badly. Same in Korea. No victory. Iraq – no victory. Afghanistan -no victory. Get the picture? The country won’t support winning a war.
America no longer enters wars to win wars. We enter wars to turn over weapon inventory to benefit the defense industry. We turn wars that should be won in a 2 years into a perpetual conflict that drags on for decades to pump the economy short term – but that will bankrupt the nation long term.
This should be an obvious conclusion by any rational observer.
Queue the video with Michael Dukakis “driving” a tank … just super-impose Abe’s head under the helmet.
Toru Takigishi, a 76-year-old chemistry professor in Tokyo and a long-time LDP supporter, said he voted for the Communist party for the first time. “I’m happy with the current constitution and I want peace to be maintained. At least there is a checking mechanism for constitutional change under the Communist party,” Mr Takigishi said.
The older guy remembers what war brings. The mid-career Japanese professional class has experienced 25 plus years of deflation and likely couldn’t properly manage an economy that was actually growing. Much like war itself, they’ve simply never experienced it.
The level headed chemistry professor? He prefers the communists, for the peace they bring to the table.
Seriously….I can lever a long Yen short dollar trade 100 to one. So what do I buy with all that Yen? Not treasuries. Not gold. Not oil. Not platinum.
I buy silver, silver and more silver…and then try and keep up with Made in China.
I’m sure Psycho-fant USA will be happy to throw in a dozen F-22’s just to keep up the appearance of a recovery.
Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines need to nuke up and fast. Communist China is a hammer. It is their nature to control like in restrict movement and charge fees for just sailing in the ocean a thousand miles from their shore.
Although Mish’s tone of anti military rings from his blog, O am all for Japan arming their own military and they have a right to defend their homeland. Why should we shoulder this burden? Otherwise pay the USA to maintain the area but I am all for bringing our troops home and letting the Navy have access to their ports.
We shouldn’t. I am all in favor of the US not being the world’s policeman. I am just suspicious of Japan’s motives.
Mish