Japan's Worst Political Corruption Scandal

[@ericwebster6911]

Putting bribe money in a box of chocolates is like comic book villain level crime.

[@gordonfreeman9965]

In Brazil they put it on their underwear. It´s honestly funny to see a japanese corruption scandal living in place like this lmao

[@gp-1542]

Like it sounds way too stupid to be true and yet it is

[@LadyHeathen82]

Or Shawshank

[@aznthy]

that is much dumb it was that they didn't care how stupid or blatant it was because they were truly that corrupt

[@Elenrai]

says you, you dont belive those lies, you partake in r4pe and corruption, mister "engineer" @@aznthy

[@caneprints]

What is really tragic is that the majority of people in Japan and South Korea work so hard, putting in crazy hours, giving up social life and trying to help themselves and their kids get through a competitive education system, only to have these already wealthy people getting ahead through malfeasance. the idea that hard work alone will lead to prosperity is here by debunked once and for all.

[@alt_zaq1_esc]

In the 1980's, when this scandal took place, things weren't that bad for Japanese workers. Overtimes were crazy but fully paid which literally doubled your income, bonuses were generous, all banks were offering 6% AER to everybody and income tax was far far lower. A substantial portion of the populace built good wealth through this decade. What you are mentioning applies to Japan after 1993 when the hardworking culture gradually turned to an unrewarding treadmill, which is years later than time of Recruit affairs.

[@aznthy]

it's always been that way, for the lowly fools who believes that lie is a reason why they are low on the pole.

[@ちゃーちゃー-l5u]

日本の大学進学率は48%で、国民の大多数は勉強せずに高校か中学だけで社会に出るのに、「狂った競争」ですか、、、

[@Elenrai]

But what happens when you realize I am the one holding the pole that is going up your ass? Dw, your still on top, it is just that I am holding the pole upright in the first place, but those spikes, man i walked on em my entire life, you however? You will be begging to be killed by someone like me, you aint the first that would be doing so, irony being that subhumans like you always kick down until the knee gives out and you need care.....that care staff.....is us....and we look forward to forcing you to eat your own expulsions while your heart is about to rip itself in half from a cancer ;) @@aznthy

[@Elenrai]

How tall are you btw? Just wondering so I can ensure your glorious ubermensch pole is long enough, seeing as you enjoy exploiting little girls "down the pole" as they are "lowly fools" :) @@aznthy

[@ph11p3540]

I don't blame the Japanese middle class and working class to be outraged by this crime. It's as bad as the Enron and City Bank fiasco.

[@alastor8091]

The Japanese can get outraged? I thought they were all "shoganai", rough translation, "Thats just how it is". C'est la vie seems like their motto.

[@arthas640]

​@@alastor8091 people put too much faith in stereotypes. Japanese people can get just as pissed as anyone, they just have a reputation for being stoic workhorses who follow whatever their boss commands. their work culture actually isnt that different then other east asian cultures and if anything are more willing to speak up then fellow east asian countries like in China.

[@sirfer6969]

@@hoangle2483 Yeah. then they go kamikaze...Japan is a bipolar nation

[@Bob-jn8gt]

Citi

[@渡海-q2w]

Japanese hold the world's largest crime rate of klling 400-500k people during ww2 and u call them peaceful? Yeah right.

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

"Cleaner than water for the 7nm process node" I love the retro pics of Japan. Plus how scandals unravel is always instructive!

[@frankchan4272]

It is interesting how get this cross subject quote into this😄

[@jeffbenton6183]

That quote has to be the most Asianometry thing that Asianometry has ever said.

[@craig4android]

I love this reference.

[@tt-ew7rx]

"... until his mistress spoke up" reflects badly on the water for the 7nm process node.

[@NYCZ31]

Goes to show that real estate bubbles don’t just happen. You can have all the regulations in the world but when the regulators themselves are compromised, the oversight system becomes useless. Greed is one hell of a motivator

[@owenemerson5183]

That’s why more of our regulatory systems need checks and balances within the system itself not just a one way oversight

[@forloop7713]

@@owenemerson5183 we need more transparency

[@thebestcentaur]

"Japanese law back then forbade companies from directly recruiting students..." Times HAVE changed.

[@m_sedziwoj]

Maybe it wasn't bad law, looking at current situation.

[@Jin88866]

That was the case in most developed countries at the time, especially Europe. Things have changed after the collapse of the USSR when communism was no longer a threat.

[@James-un8io]

@@m_sedziwoj what's wrong with it?

[@RiversJ]

You essentially get the leading student's from a research project poached by the wealthiest companies in the field, month or two passes and what would've been public domain knowledge is now suddenly patented for decades

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@RiversJ Such is life. Gotta get paid.

[@prestonjones1653]

As an American, the most surprising part was that politicians were actually punished for being corrupt.

[@Elenrai]

Yea that 2nd amendment and the US citizens are reallly living up to the spirit of the tax evaders that put their names on the fancy documents, totally without any purpose other than facilitating greed.....seriously be ashamed you cunts were supposed to be able to take the lead on this shit

[@forroldo2334]

As a Venezuelan, the most surprising fact is that CORRUPTION EXISTS in Japan and they were punished for a child corruption level compared to Venezuela's $1trillion Plunder corruption

[@seneca983]

About the earlier Lockheed scandal, there is a satire game made of it called "I'm Sorry". The name is a pun as "sorry" sounds similar to the Japanese word for prime minister. In the game you play as PM Tanaka and collect stacks of cash.

[@casparcoaster1936]

i was teaching ESL in Tokyo in '89, and lived down in Kanagawa ken, near Mizonokuchi Station... always made it home on the last train from Shibuya... and often folks puked their guts out on the platform on Friday nights, and I remember a dude making a point of folding a newspaper w/ Nakasone on the front page... and saying "Otskure Samadeshta" as he put that page flat in a pile of it, and stepped on it....

[@Sanutep]

13:12 "He was very competent and cleaner than the ultrapure water rated for the 7nm process node" Lmao, very nice. 😆

[@ErulianADRaghath]

"...cleaner than ultra-pure water rated for the 7nm process node" 🤣🤣🤣

[@cornerseeker9167]

Similarities between this scandal and “Tangentopoli” in Italy are staggering and they happened roughly in the same years

[@miroslavhoudek7085]

Look at all the hard work and lucky breaks that were necessary for this scandal to break wide open. It's so clear that there are tens or hundreds of these schemes running in every government right now, isn't it?

[@richardarriaga6271]

Communists did something good! LOL

[@stevendebettencourt7651]

@@richardarriaga6271 For being a “Western” nation, the Japanese Communist Party is actually surprisingly strong and robust. It helped that the JCP were able to paint itself as the only force in the country to try resisting Japan’s militaristic march before and during WW2. Also helpful was that, with brief exceptions, the party basically ignored the Soviet demands for violent revolution and has largely been a party pushing a peaceful, democratic transition to its ideals, a big plus in Japan. This meant that there was no link to the USSR when it fell, and thus no stain of loss, along with other smart political moves. While the JCP will likely never be in power in Japan, it’s importance cannot be understated. It has never been co-opted by conservatives, so it serves as a kind of political watchdog (as seen in this video). Also, more women are elected to political positions in Japan under the JCP than by any other party.

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

No it isn't clear. People nned to stop thinking one scandal is evidence of some huge collection of wrongdoing worldwide.

[@miroslavhoudek7085]

@@EuropeanQoheleth if you reach into a closed bag and you take out 3 red balls - you can safely conclude that there are more red balls.

[@面堂終太郎]

At 13m38s, you spelled Kiichi Miyazawa's (宮澤喜一) name as "Kimchi Miyazawa". Perhaps you wrote that just after lunch at a Korean restaurant?

[@asandax6]

If you pay close attention to all the videos there's a lot of these funny mistakes.

[@Anolaana]

Excellent video, Yuusuke Yoshinaga sounds like an interesting character. 10:50 minor correction, given the slide that says GDP and the script says GNP; GDP and GNP are not exactly identical, but it's usually only like 1% difference anyway. GNP includes the surplus or deficit from trading, exports, overseas remittances, and the like. And this is reflected in the N in GNP, which stands for national (instead of domestic). It seems like GDP is much more common these days anyway.

[@timmyturner327]

Well, this man was pretty effective at recruit-ing politicians to serve his company's cause.

[@AllocatorsAsia]

Another banger, and a good related video could be around Kisha clubs? "There is criticism that press rooms set up for kisha clubs by government agencies, local public bodies and the police are paid for with taxes, but can only be used by the member companies, leading to corruption."

[@willabyuberton818]

I like the conclusions like we're having a weekly meeting that's already 30 minutes over.

[@kamolhengkiatisak1527]

Your video recalled the long gone memory of mine about PM Tanaka who rose to power through sheer hard work from the ground up, working in construction industry to become millionaire before going into politics.

[@XSpImmaLion]

Good to see coverage like this... I'm always saying that Japanese government, despite word of mouth around, can be as corrupt as the government of any other nation - but you rarely ever see explainers on specific cases. Suggestion - the corruption around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant disaster. That's one I'm always mentioning but never seen a video specifically dedicated to that potion of the event. Thanks for creating and sharing!

[@JoshuaC923]

I would like a video on that nuclear scandal too

[@richardarriaga6271]

This seems tame compared to Russian corruption. Even DeSantis corruption in having migrants dumped in Martha's Vineyard with immigration appointments across the country and official addresses scattered around the country sounds worse.

[@greekieshion4501]

@@JoshuaC923 Check out Kyle Hill, he did a detailed essay video on the disaster and how it could've been avoided but didn't due to laziness.

[@ceresbane]

I quote that often too. Them lying to the UN volunteers that it was safe to handle the nuclear waste was so bad. They clearly didn't care about the people cleaning up. They just wanted to be rid of the whole situation so they can later shove it all under the rug and downplay the sheer scale of their incompetence. Its all an act of selfish self preservation at the cost of whoever needed to used to bail them out. Thats kind of why I often downplay people's desire to move to Japan. You'll merely be used and thrown away as scapegoat for their self inflicted troubles. As a filipino. Lots of Showa era people still blame the immigrant workers as the cause of the crash of the bubble. So you'll get random salarymen talking mad shit about you about it. All issues in Japan start at the top consolidating power for the short term and blames someone else when the long term issues start coming into play. Japan has a real bad habit of trying to avoid blame at all costs while consistently being the guilty party.

[@Tsukiyomi001]

Would you do a video on the Unification Church? Abe Shinzo's assassination brought out a ton of messy tendrils, stretching across Korea, Japan, and the US. It might need 2, or even 3 videos to give a satisfactory report.

[@PacificNatureTV]

yes! this!

[@Nestoras_Zogopoulos]

@@ar-cn5en its not about the assasination, its about the political ties of many LDP MPs with the unification church, seems as important as what was discussed in this video.

[@ΔΓςΗΞΜΨώθΓκζ]

Yessss

[@cjewe1z]

That's some 'The Manchurian Candidate' shit (on a much larger scale), and I'm seeing more and more of it in recent times.

[@54032Zepol]

Dude I was just talking about this with my brother and sister!!

[@iXPilot]

8:41 "They correctly smelled real trouble and who wants that, right?" - Wow, it's so great! 🤣

[@234dB]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me be in touch with asian history. Best wishes from europe

[@justincllee99]

As a Malaysian the share gain of corruption money 21.3 million dollar are so small, yet share among so many people. not even enough for former first lady rosmah's pink diamand. What a clean country japan is.

[@bunyu6237]

1MDB for the win

[@makatogonzo]

Nah it's Jho Lo that make these corruption pale in comparison.

[@midorimashintaro2092]

@@makatogonzo none of them compare to former dictator of Philippines

[@richardarriaga6271]

@@midorimashintaro2092 How do they stack against Lebanon? Their banking system was set up as a Ponzi scheme and the money disappeared abroad during the 2019 crisis. A guy who tried to warn people.about the ammonium nitrate shipment before it exploded died under mysterious circumstances years before it exploded.

[@wildannurm3739]

@@midorimashintaro2092 oh boy, wait until you see Indonesian former dictator Soeharto

[@JonathanBergman2Go]

I love telling people to watch Asianometry! Truly some of the best content on KZbin!

[@ShannonWare]

I directly quote things I have learned from Asianometry videos to my colleagues and it makes me sound really smart.

[@firstlast9504]

Interesting video, as always. Learning about something I knew nothing.

[@peterdore2572]

Love those hidden querky jokes!! I really laughed at the Dead Woodchuck under the porch comment 😂😂😂

[@eleinaedelweiss6215]

Yoshinaga, he is cleaner than ultrapure water rated for 7nm processor process node. This must be the best compliment i have ever heard.

[@bish5196]

Im not trying to sound morally superior or more intellectually sound then the next person but this isnt a surprise to me. South Korean is currently at gripes with similar situations of collusion. A simple dissection and case study will show you alot of how in the 50s the business that where subsidized have gone on to be engrained with no struggle. The richest families in S.K and Japan have very seldom change ownership or the wealth changing hands. Its not hard to put 2 and 2 together. Yes having a successful business is 1 thing, but its a bit naive to think they dont get by without a little “assistance” from time to time.

[@Mizerka_]

Actually worked for recruit subsidiary, they make you watch like 90mimite video of the founding history, now I get why, not a mention of this.

[@ZAR556]

at least they own it and resign. most Politician still laughing during arrest,, bought entire jail room renovate to luxury room and bought lower Jailtime especially Politician from developing and underdeveloped nations

[@uku4171]

Considering the quality of your content, you sure do upload often.

[@r.deeblanche6939]

‘Like the stench of a dead woodchuck under the porch’ 😂😂😂

[@stevengill1736]

I remember this scandal for some reason....was surprised because I think of Japan as less prone to scandals (silly me) Definitely liked the name of that one business park - so steampunk: Kawasaki Techtopia

[@izzatfauzimustafa6535]

The Japanese politicians and companies are good in maintaining the façade and illusion of corruption-free society. Plus, they are making sure locals and foreigners are distracted from the dirty money practices by spending millions in speedy modernization projects with utmost efficiency.

[@irjiiu1041]

@@izzatfauzimustafa6535 yeah, the japanese politicians are really good at hiding their 'behavior'. And now most people always see Japan as a perfect country, when in reality it's just like any other countries

[@That_One_Guy...]

They loved abusing the law system against people that slander their name, fortunately it seems like the law in Japan favor them because slander is equivalent to spitting in samurais face in warring era.

[@skeptiwolf5654]

That is nice I enjoyed that. Learned new things.

[@aleksandrb8678]

Damn the Joke about a Yusuke Yoshinaga, Clean man that is purer than water that is used for 7mm chips Just killed me!) Bravo! Keep it up!)

[@ivokiller2000intel]

At least they faced consecuences, in my country they just keep on going in some form of political position to avoid prosecution till they die or are too old for jail, such is the case of Menem and the "Rio Tercero explosion" (could be a great video) or other scandals

[@ashleighcrichton8096]

8:29 "The senior editors of the Asahi Shimbun - which actually holds a reputation for being relatively critical of the government- killed the story."

[@leyasep5919]

I love your allegories !

[@JHZech]

Once every ten years is obviously not good still compared to Scandinavia, but is miles ahead of the US and Korea. Only one scandal a year for those countries would be a good year.

[@kitsuneneko2567]

Heck, here in the US right now we have about ten going on simultaneously right now. That we know about.

[@alastor8091]

They have scandals going on constantly just like everywhere else. The difference between the Japanese and the US is that their society is very passive. People don't speak up. Women are groped on trains and don't speak out to keep the peace. I forgot the name they have for it, but they don't like to disturb the vibe of the people they're around. This is especially true in the work place. You take what you're given with a smile. If your boss makes you work overtime, you work overtime. You can even see this in their media. Anime, manga, soap operas, movies. Its been explained to me that the stifling life style is why isekai, being taken to another world, is so popular in their fiction.

[@kitsuneneko2567]

@@alastor8091 shikataganai

[@alastor8091]

@@kitsuneneko2567 and then they say "shouganai" right?

[@JHZech]

@@alastor8091 It's a mixed bag, because if people do raise a fuss in Japan or Korea, those responsible will go to jail. In the US, people raise a fuss all the time, but those in power just openly shrug.

[@Hammerhead547]

And around the time this was going on Fuji Bank was also cooking the books which led too the discovery that one of japan's "most successful" property development companies Leyton House was basically a shell company that didn't actually do anything

[@meco]

“he was cleaner than ultra pure water” haha

[@1122slickliverpool]

This channel is becoming more and more interesting everyday.....

[@ahtheh]

"Ultra clean water rated for the 7 nm process." Had to watch a lot of videos to get that joke

[@brucewilliams6292]

"Stench of a dead woodchuck" lol very well described. Good video.

[@hurricanemeridian8712]

Gotta point out how essentially nothing ever changes after scandals

[@Junglelove20mm]

"Cleaner then ultra pure water for the 7nm production" 🤣🤣🤣

[@godwinemerald2289]

😂 😂 😂

[@nexusyang4832]

Emotional damage!!! 🤪🤪🤪

[@masterspark9880]

I dont get it

[@jej_x]

Good vid. Needs some background ambient tunes though

[@benjaminduval6054]

Great info, thanks for the video!

[@ntabile]

Is this the same Recruit job placement magazines that we were able to freely pick up at HK MRT stations during the 1990s? If I recall , it's called Recruit Asia.

[@jaichind]

You should mention that LDP did lose the 1989 Upper House elections which is the first time it lost a general election since it was formed in 1955. LDP did bounce back and won the more critial 1990 Lower House election though once the voters got their anger out of their system in 1989.

[@blitzznvlls]

13:13 "cleaner than ultrapure water rated for the 7 nm process node" caight me off guard lol

[@AdityaChaudhary-oo7pr]

"He was very competent and cleaner than ultrapure water rated for 7 nm node" 😂

[@nexusyang4832]

13:13 - you know you're on another level when you make self referential memes from your previous videos. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 #ultracleanwater vs #ultraman

[@thomalemann1148]

great video! seems like it's been really well researched😁 it was really helpful for some insight I needed on the topic!

[@lingSpeed]

It just hit me that your "advertisement" of newsletter or patreon always comes as a "surprise" . Something about the way its done (length? tone? timing?) does not make it feel like normal sponsor or "like and subscribe" messages we get used to on often watched channels. Which after a while is expected and skipped over both on video slider and in the brain. Might be only me, but just wanted to make a point here since this kind of feedback is very hard to get. Idk if its effective numbers wise, but it definitely feels right. Cheers :).

[@Swyre]

Yeah, I hate all of these pleas on KZbin and even use Sponsor Block to avoid them but this doesn't bother me either for some reason. Maybe cause it's genuine and the quality is consistent.

[@czarkusa2018]

Tune your senses, I heard three words and skipped two minutes ahead.

[@stickymoney]

You make investigative reporting look easy.

[@youszef]

"He was cleaner that than ultrapure water rated for the 7 nanometer process node." LOL!

[@jaad9848]

Similar thing happened in the US with the Singer college admissions bribery scandal and it was barely a scandal. Good on Japan for at least being outraged.

[@MrKenichi22]

This is a very good video, adding more context to this time period

[@demgreens]

I couldn't finish the whole thing in time, but does the video mention how Recruit owns Indeed?

[@fivestar6015]

I'm getting old. I was living in Japan when this all went down.

[@yogawan3805]

How old are u? Let me guess, atleast 60?

[@PainterVierax]

@@yogawan3805 This occured in 89 so fivestar could just be a child at that time and just mid-30 now.

[@Arukania]

Living around Kawasaki station, I was so surprised to see the place I am doing grocery shopping in your video ahah. Nice video as always !

[@cherubin7th]

In the USA bribing politicians is a human right according to the Supreme court. Also make a video explaining the Unification Church scandal. I don't get it, why politicians get harassed for their private religious affiliations.

[@1Hsuanwei1]

Great Video but there is naming mistake! Kiichi Miyazawa not kimchi Miyazawa

[@patrickscottwalsh]

no talk about yoshio kodama????

[@paullevine844]

excellent presentation

[@GermanMythbuster]

3% VAT (Consumption Tax) 😄 I know it's a long time ago but still Germany: 19% VAT ☹😥

[@wesleynishi6081]

In Japan, it is now 10%

[@seneca983]

Some European countries, e.g. Denmark, have a 25% VAT.

[@kopiboy7675]

As always, a great video!

[@michaelplotkin7383]

Thank you for the great job.

[@archie4oz]

13:34 was that an intentional misspelling? 🤣

[@mhockey23]

13:13 I appreciate you bringing this back to microchips:D

[@noneofyourbizness]

thanks. a thoroughly researched story.

[@PLee-vu6mp]

when they have zaibatsu-style conglomerates running most aspects of the country's economy... corruption is something to be expected, i guess. unless the politician is a populist in an opportune moment. and even then... money can and will find a way, i guess.

[@cow_tools_]

Would you ever do a video about the Plaza Accords?

[@kaijudirector5336]

When’s the one on the Lockheed scandal?

[@benterrell9139]

It would have been nice to comment on the scale of the property bubble and it's collapse

[@accessiblenow]

Great as always

[@Sondergarden]

Great video! Would love to hear your take on the moonies

[@Theoryofcatsndogs]

Jon, Please make a video compare the corruption in CHina, Japan, and Korean.

[@arklu8341]

13:35 Kimchi??

[@niranjpan]

Interesting video. But can you talk about the company ACM Research and its wafer cleaning equipment in the semiconductor market? There is confusion if it's a Chinese company or a US one, a video on it would be interesting.

[@p07a]

Huh! I didn’t know they own Indeed and Glassdoor 🤯

[@steingrenadier]

Can you do more videos on Philippine politics?

[@petehall1900]

He was as clean as pure Fuji San spring water

[@blainelanders2361]

We all wish every politician was as clean as ultra pure water, but since most politics is rooted in the cesspool that is a difficult condition to obtain.

[@vanesslifeygo]

"torrents of borrowed money" Well, if that isn't Japan being Japan, prior to their lost decade that is

[@Nicolas-uu3jr]

thought you'd mention the yakuza...

[@RenegadeRanga]

This is how politics works world wide, that's just the fact of the matter. The best politicians dont get caught and have their shit in trusts and offshore accounts.

[@icraftcrafts8685]

10 years for a scandal, is a long time by world standards

[@lamchunting856]

We’ve gotten better at hiding it

[@Nobe_Oddy]

I loved this! Not that it was super scandalous, or that had all kinds of twists and turn... it was actually quite 'tun of the mill' as far as political scandals go. no, I found it really interesting because I have a picture in my head as Japan being a law abiding, squeaky clean, do as your told kind of society. And to me this would NEVER happen LOL I don't know why I feel this way about Japan, but its always fun to hear the dirty laundry of those that do their hardest to appear spotless.... I hope you can focus more on Japan... and not necessarily on the scandals... just anything Japan LOL I want to get to know the 'REAL' Japan for some reason No matter, I'm still gonna watch all your vids.. I love intellectual lectures...and you cover a lot of my interests :)

[@죽은_시민의_사회]

Yeah Japan isn't as great as the media make it out to be, it has its own sets of problems just under the facade

[@czarkusa2018]

Exactly, it was only millions and millions of dollars.

[@napoleonfeanor]

I would have expected the bribes to be higher

[@cyrilio]

Reminds me of what Billie the cat says: MAD 12x

[@J_X999]

I believe an ageing population's negative effect on innovation is largely overstated. Having more youth does not necessarily mean more technological and economic innovation, however a well educated youth will almost certainly be a huge source of innovation. Decent education is better for innovation than just a young population. Also, as a population ages, there's more room for technological innovations that can help the elderly and the country. Young demographics is a huge boost and is necessary for strong, consistent growth, however when it comes to innovation strong education for the youth matter more.

[@lamchunting856]

A modern society functions by “moving” more people of different ages = more movement Having too much of single part isn’t good thing anywhere

[@alphar9539]

History doesn't repeat, but it sure rhymes. America is going through a similar self-destruction

[@stefanc4520]

Someone please name a "rags to riches" entity that didn't ascend by exploitation/corruption/law breaking

[@badrinair]

Thank you

[@patrick247two]

Thank you.

[@lakrids-pibe]

He's not mr. Clean, he's a very naughty boy!

[@hughmungusbungusfungus4618]

Why are we pretending that Japan is unique in this? Edit: even now, this doesn't seem very bad compared to the sorts of scandals we see in the US or UK, not to mention the third world.

[@thelakeman2538]

But those countries minus authoritarian regimes don't see the same party rule almost continuously from 1955 despite so many scandals.

[@nominatorchris5591]

its unique since they actually faced consquences

[@hughmungusbungusfungus4618]

@@nominatorchris5591 did they though? I know he mentioned that one of them committed suicide: very Bushido. However, all the others appeared to have resigned and that was it. No jail time for the politicians?

[@hughmungusbungusfungus4618]

@@thelakeman2538 The Japanese are an apolitical people. I think the only time the LDP got ousted was when they voted in Komeitou after the asset bubble burst. That, and all Japanese parties are a weird mixture of neo-liberalism and there's basically no political philosophy or civic awareness in the country.

[@nominatorchris5591]

@@hughmungusbungusfungus4618 Lol, your right, but one of the consequences was that the Japanese people cared enough to not vote for their party.