In this edition of Japan’s (self-declared) favorite political podcast, Ken and Garrett engage in a bit of speculation and use other people’s misfortune to get back to what they love best: talking about politics in Japan, of course.

A North Korean family landed in Aomori after getting lost on their way to Niigata. Why Niigata? Will they ultimately accept the South Korean government’s offer of asylum? Are they the harbinger of a coming exodus?

Prime Minister Abe has left for Germany and the annual G-8 summit, already drawing violent protests, where he plans to present a proposal to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Will his proposal lead to an actual concrete plan? Will it be the first step toward the post-Kyoto framework he hopes to see drawn up at next year’s summit in Toyako, Hokkaido? Or is it just political posturing, greenness being this year’s theme and greenness being a way to get votes ahead of July’s Upper House elections?

And, of course, the suicide of Minister of Agriculture, Forests, and Fisheries Yoshikatsu Matsuoka. Is disgraced former LDP member and current Diet member Muneo Suzuki telling the truth when he says Matsuoka wanted to tell the truth and resign, but was ordered to keep mum? What will Matsuoka’s suicide mean for the LDP? What effect will it have on the upcoming elections? Why did Shinzo Abe come off as such a disingenuous political hack?

Your faithful hosts answer these questions and raise more in this week-early release, which stays a bit more conversational than usual (Editor’s note: What is Ken frequently babbling incoherently about in the background?). There was just too much good stuff going on to wait.

Enjoy.

For background on the news stories referred to, check out recent editions of TPR News.

And if you like Seijigiri, you might also like the lively discussions of the business and economy of Japan in BizCast Japan.

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