Subscribe to Seijigiri by RSS
Subscribe to all TPR releases by RSS
Grab an mp3 of this release only

The 56th edition of Seijigiri opens with a discussion of North Korea’s recent nuclear weapon test. Co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley consider what steps Japan might take in reaction to the test, and discuss recent rabble that Japan should declare itself a nuclear power - and why that won’t happen.

After that, new US ambassador to Japan John Roos is discussed. While Joseph Nye was the presumptive choice for this post, it seems as though the Obama administration has gone down the path of rewarding a major campaign fundraiser with a plum position. Some of the predictable knee-jerk reactions to this decision are discussed along with the issues facing Mr Roos going forward.

Next on the agenda is a discussion of last week’s Diet debate between Prime Minister Aso Taro and new Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama. After that, the discussion turns to a look at the extra budget, which the ruling party is hoping to pass through the Diet in the coming weeks. Just what is taxpayer money going to be spent on?

Finally, we would like to encourage everyone to come to the Pink Cow in Shibuya on Thursday, June 4 at 7:30pm for the first ever live edition of Seijigiri. More details can be found here.

Listen Now:

 Seijigiri #56: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We think the Pink Cow in Shibuya is near the Budokan. You could walk it if you wanted to.

But seriously, we are very excited to announce that the first live edition of Seijigiri will take place at the Pink Cow in Shibuya on Thursday, June 4 from about 7:30pm. This is part of the Pink Cow’s ongoing Pink Cow Connections, a series of networking events organized by Anthony Blick.

The event will open with a presentation on Trans-Pacific Radio, followed by the live Seijigiri. After that, there will be a special announcement and demonstration of TPR’s most recent project.

The live show itself will involve Garrett, Ken and the audience. The essential concept is that Seijigiri and the audience will have no barrier between them, and the show will be an interactive event.

We hope to see all of our listeners on Thursday June 4 and look forward to doing the show with you!

Please follow the cut for venue and show information. (Read on …)

Subscribe to Seijigiri by RSS
Subscribe to all TPR releases by RSS
Grab an mp3 of this release only

It has been some time since the last Seijigiri release, and co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley pick things up by diving straight into current events. First, last Saturday’s election of Yukio Hatoyama as DPJ Party President is analyzed. After that, talk turns to the Lower House election which must be held by October 19, as the term of the Lower House will expire on September 11. The discussion first centers on when the election might happen, then moves on to consider what issues will come up during the election, and finally turns to how recent events have affected election outcome predictions.

This edition of Seijigiri concludes with a special rant.

As always, thank you for listening.

Listen Now:

 Seijigiri #55: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Japanese media is reporting that Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa is set to resign at a press conference scheduled for 5:00 this afternoon.

Although details are still sketchy, Ozawa must be feeling the pressure of public opinion, which has indicated that his party’s chances will be hurt with him at the helm in the upcoming Lower House election.

More to come on this breaking story.

Post-Press Conference Update: (Read on …)

Right on the heels of our Central League Status Report for April, we present to you our first monthly review for the Pacific League.

Things are very tight in the Pacific League right now with Tohoku (Rakuten) leading the way, and Chiba (Lotte)’s starting pitching keeping them in sixth. That said, the difference between first and sixth on the day that this podcast was recorded was negligible, and the Pacific League seems to be shaping up to be as exciting as it usually is.

Things that surprised us: the Orix Butchers (the 2009 Pacific League Preview podcast might help shed some light on where that moniker came from) are picking up right where they left off last season, and Fukuoka is right in the thick of the playoff hunt. This should be an exciting league to watch in 2009!
For additional information and discussion related to the 2009 baseball season, check out Tsubamegun.

Many thanks to everyone who continues to listen!

Quick tip: keep the volume down low. We’re still finding our way around the ’studio’, and the result is that there’s some background noise involved at higher volume levels. We’ll get that sorted out soon, but in the meantime, please accept our apologies for the lack of production skills on our part.

Listen Now:

 April 2009 Pacific League Review: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’re already through with the first month of the baseball season, so here’s our review of how things currently stand in the Central League.

As of the time of this recording, things were largely shaping up as we had predicted in our Central League Preview podcast which was published last month. In other words, Yomiuri is at the top of the league, and Yokohama is at the bottom.

However, things are quite a bit tighter from first through sixth than we had anticipated. That means that there’s a significant amount of competition for the three Climax Series playoff spots at this point, and while it’s still early, all six clubs are currently in with a shot.

For additional information and discussion related to the 2009 baseball season, check out Tsubamegun.

Many thanks to everyone who continues to listen!

Quick tip: keep the volume down low. We’re still finding our way around the ’studio’, and the result is that there’s some background noise involved at higher volume levels. We’ll get that sorted out soon, but in the meantime, please accept our apologies for the lack of production skills on our part.

Listen Now:

 April 2009 Central League Review: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download