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[Fuji TV] CHANGE - Kimura Takuya,Fukatsu Eri (Spring 2008)
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Fukuda's Low-Key Style Frustrates Japanese
BY SEBASTIAN MOFFETT AND HIROKO TABUCHI

In the hot new Japanese TV drama "Change," Prime Minister Keita Asakura
is a dynamic 35-year-old with charisma. He nixes pork-barrel construction
projects in favor of more money for child care. After a deadly storm hits,
Mr. Asakura rushes to the scene, barking orders to bungling bureaucrats.
And he stands up to the U.S. in agriculture trade talks. "I have the
responsibility to protect the Japanese people," Mr. Asakura tells
enthralled voters. "I am one of you."
Meanwhile, Yasuo Fukuda -- Japan's actual prime minister -- has described
himself as "a shadow." When he hosts the Group of Eight in Japan next week,
he will be the oldest of the group's leaders, turning 72 this month. Since
he took office in September, he has been thwarted or held up in almost
everything he's tried to do -- from renewing a mission to help counter-
terrorism operations in Afghanistan to appointing a central bank governor.
"I don't feel that he has any leadership whatsoever," says Tomoyuki
Matsumoto, 42, who works for an insurance company in Tokyo.
Mr. Fukuda's passive tenure is increasingly frustrating the Japanese, as
the world's second largest economy struggles with a falling population. To
avoid this leading to declining living standards, economists say Japan
needs bold measures including more deregulation to promote faster growth,
as well as an overhaul of its social security system. But with a divided
parliament and a leader who isn't inclined to take action, Japan could
continue its drift until parliamentary elections well into next year.
Mr. Fukuda's struggle stems largely from the split parliament which he
inherited. The main opposition Democratic Party, or DPJ, dominates the
Upper House which has significant delaying and veto powers. But Mr. Fukuda
hasn't come up with imaginative solutions to the bind, and the public
mostly blames him and his low-key style: His approval ratings were just 26%
in a poll published Monday in the Nikkei newspaper ... ...
That may be why Mr. Asakura's fantasy government is so popular. The weekly
show, which starts with an image of dawn rising over Japan's parliament
building, has attracted about 20% of TV households in the Tokyo area since
it began in May. In an episode before Mr. Asakura's elevation, a young
lawmaker talks excitedly of the rise of Sen. Obama, 46, and U.K.
Conservative Party leader David Cameron, 41. Japan's stodgy politicians, by
contrast, are steeped in backroom politics and out of touch with the
nation, he says. "World leaders are getting younger and younger, but look
at Japan!" he says. Some Japanese politicians are taking notice. Defense
Minister Shigeru Ishiba - at 51, the youngest cabinet minister in a major
post - said he was a fan of the show. "There are honestly some parts I
empathize with," he told reporters last month. "Politicians need to rethink
what they stand for."
Source: The Wall Street Journal
credits to jade_frost at www.d-addicts.com |
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Reply #347 forum_aje's post
rating ep9 naik smpi 22.3%, mentang2 la next week dah nak final episode  |
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Reply #349 whitedove's post
wah....tinggi tu...
aku bengang betullah ngan kanbayashi tuh..
hakikatnya berlambak2 menteri or ahli politik yg macam tu kan...
yg dah ilang hala tuju dan pentingkan kepentingan sendiri berbanding rakyat..... |
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Reply #350 forum_aje's post
mcm politik negara kita gak... mane2pun camtuh... byk sgt leaders gile kuasa.... |
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Reply #349 whitedove's post
ep.9 ep. fighting.. mmg patut naik pun... xsbr nk tgk final... |
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Reply #352 Kittie's post
hehe.. sub dh kuar ke? lom lagi kan...
cam suspen je scene last tu
agak2 kanbayashi tobat tak nnt |
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Reply #353 timeoutzone's post
tak tahu la tobat ke tak... org yg kena penyakit giler koser nih payah ckit nk ubat...
ep.9 kite tgk raw dulu... xsbr... hehe |
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citer ni berapa episod ? sebelas ke?
hero cam dah nak mati je episod sembilan ni .. tengok gezet episod 10 siap nangis nangis nak jinin dah .. memang kanbayashi jadi hitori bocchi seifu ka  |
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Reply #355 stretcher's post
semua skali 10 episode...next week dah last! huhu Asakura Keita yg best! |
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