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As April comes to a close, it’s time for another edition of Seijigiri. This week, co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley start by talking about Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s approval ratings, which had dropped to about 24% at the time of recording (and have since fallen to 20% in one poll). The disappearance of his wife Miyuki from the public eye is discussed and the role of Ichiro Ozawa once again rears its head.

Talk then swings back to Futenma, as Hatoyama has staked his job on finding a solution to the base issue by his self-appointed deadline at the end of May. Finally, our co-hosts discuss yet another vanity party emerging from the ashes of the LDP, as former Health, Welfare and Labor Minister Yoichi Masuzoe has founded the Shinto Kaikaku. Will he be looking to join forces with other newly established parties such as Yoshimi Watanabe’s Your Party (Minna no To) and the Sunrise Party of Japan (Tachiagare Nippon) headed by Takeo Hiranuma and Kaoru Yosano?

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Subscribe to Seijigiri by RSS
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Welcome back, Seijigiri listeners! In this edition of the show, co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley begin by taking a look at the LDP’s campaign manifesto, which was recently leaked to Kyodo. That leads to a discussion of the upcoming Upper House election, the challenges facing Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the Futenma issue and the perception that cracks are forming in the US-Japan alliance.

Talk then turns to the formation of the Tachiagare Nippon party, which translates as “Stand Up, Japan” and is being called the “Sunrise Party” in English language media. The final issue discussed is the inability of the DPJ cabinet to get through a bill allowing married couples to keep separate family names after marriage.

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