1) This guy basically said he was going to do everything short of cold fusion and bringing John Lennon back from the dead in his policy speech. He needs to start backing it up and tying it into what he was talking about.

2) Japan needs a leader who can act. The ‘Koizumi Bounce’ (yeah, I coined it) showed that recovery took take root and traction if a leader could at least get people interested in something. Abe’s putting them back to sleep and making little secret that he’s pulling marionette strings in the background.

As for Abe, I think it might be better if he didn’t get everything he was pushing for. Sometimes it’s a good thing if politicians don’t do too much.

OK, I think Abe will get his reforms to the tax code that will allow the government to use road-tax revenues to shore up general funds and reduce unnecessary road construction. He’ll get the NSC up, although it will look very little like the US one. He’s already made the Defense Agency a Ministry and the education bill, while I disagree with it, is going to have an impact.

His expanded use of special advisors has changed and will change the way the kantei does business. He has also managed to get at least partially out from under Yasukuni in dealing with China and South Korea.

I don’t know if this is a direct attack, or just a hint, but the meaning is clear: someone in the government has to do something. Stop tossing around vague intentions and do something.

No…?