|
Magazines
Chaos in TokyoPosted by Banyue on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 5:00 PM
 China Newsweek September 24, 2007 The cover story of the latest issue of China Newsweek concerns political upheaval in Japan caused by the resignation of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The magazine presents the full story of the causes and effects of Abe's resignation and portrays the current political chaos in Tokyo. It also has an analytical article written by Wang Ping, an expert with the CASS Institute for Japanese Studies. Other stories on the cover: • "A generation that chases shows" - Super Girls and Super Boys have achieved considerable attention. Countless young people have thronged onto this stage, hoping that their lives can be changed through "Shows." • "The awkwardness of aid in a post-detention era" - Four years ago, the policy of detaining and then repatriating urban vagrants was superseded by "aid and voluntary help"; how to deal with vagabonds and beggars still residing in cities remains a difficult problem. • "Do housing funds benefit the rich instead of the poor?" - It is said that urban housing funds have indeed helped some citizens to pay their home loans. But most informally employed and unemployed people - those who need money the most - are currently unable to join the fund. • "The influence of Yao Ming's charity match" - Superstar basketballer Yao Ming organized a charity match in Beijing recently, and received contributions worth more than 20 million yuan. This has people thinking about how to better develop charity activities. |
Partner Links
Jobs in China
Recent Comments
Henry on
The Eurasian Face
Caroline W on
Big in China
Michael on
Julia Lovell on translating Lu Xun's complete fiction: "His is an angry, searing vision of China"
Brandon K. on
Clueless academic takes on popular fantasy novels
Media Partners
Visit these sites for the latest China news
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Danwei Model Workers
The latest recommended blogs and new media
 From 2008
Books on China
 The Eurasian Face : Blacksmith Books, a publishing house in Hong Kong, is behind The Eurasian Face, a collection of photographs by Kirsteen Zimmern. Below is an excerpt from the series:
Big in China: An adapted excerpt from Big In China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising A Family, Playing The Blues and Becoming A Star in China, just published this month. Author Alan Paul tells the story of arriving in Beijing as a trailing spouse, starting a blues band, raising kids and trying to make sense of China.
Pallavi Aiyar's Chinese Whiskers: Pallavi Aiyar's first novel, Chinese Whiskers, a modern fable set in contemporary Beijing, will be published in January 2011. Aiyar currently lives in Brussels where she writes about Europe for the Business Standard. Below she gives permissions for an excerpt.
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ Korean history doesn't fly on Chinese TV screens (2007.09): SARFT puts the kibbosh on Korean historical dramas. + Religion and government in an uneasy mix (2008.03): Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊) article from October, 2007, on government influence on religious practice in Tibet. + David Moser on Mao impersonators (2004.10): I first became aware of this phenomenon in 1992 when I turned on a Beijing TV variety show and was jolted by the sight of "Mao Zedong" and "Zhou Enlai" playing a game of ping pong. They both gave short, rousing speeches, and then were reverently interviewed by the emcee, who thanked them profusely for taking time off from their governmental duties to appear on the show.
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky
 (on the mainland)or Feedburner  (blocked in China) Main feed: Main posts (FB has top links) Top Links: Links from the top bar Danwei Jobs: Want ads Danwei Digest: Updated daily, 19:30 |
 |
Chinese media, advertising, and urban life. |
|
tweet
facebook
bookmark
HaoHao
digg
Comments on Chaos in Tokyo
yet another example of democracy's failure.
Japan had a democracy? That's news to me!
>Japan had a democracy? That's news to me!
That means you are awfully ignorant.
X.P. Deng,
What's happened in Japan is not a sign of democracy's failure, but rather, its success. When leaders make mistakes, appoint corrupt bureaucrats in the name of political patronage and mismanage funds, they SHOULD be replaced.
It's called accountability.
That Abe had to be "replaced" is a "sign of democracy's failure". But he wasn't replaced, he resigned.
xxx; Chinese people, at least until the LDP's recent mishaps, had a good ground to doubt Japanese democracy. Until recently, Japan was a 1.5 party state; unlike Singapore, opposition party members had significant say in government, but like Singapore, they couldn't really control the government on a national level. However, I'm told, the LDP has what is effectively intra-government controls, with various factions jostling for influence and leadership.
If the LDP keeps screwing up, then this will be the first time that the LDP has been kicked out of power on the national level.
The fact of the matter is that Japan has democracy and having a democracy means that they are not a failure.
A nation without a democracy is a nation failing its people.
Democracy is a process of trying to find the greatest good for all. Surely mistakes are made but like LUKE indicated above countries with democracy have accountability. Abe is right to have admitted wrongdoing and resigned or else the people would have eventually ousted him as most democracies set up with a system of checks and balances require.
Abe was a good man and he is human and thus is flawed. Japan has come a long way since WWII and before.
As we say in Pennsylvania, "Until your sh*t don't stink, don't talk about other's sh*t".
"If the LDP keeps screwing up, then this will be the first time that the LDP has been kicked out of power on the national level."
Actually,LDP has been kicked out of power on the national level from 1993 to 1994.
The Socialist was in power in 1947,but that was before LDP was established(in 1955).
"Chinese people, at least until the LDP's recent mishaps, had a good ground to doubt Japanese democracy."
So they know what democracy is.Huh?