Finance minister's public intoxication signals need for change

The biggest news in Japan right now is finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa's impressive drunken performance at the G7 meeting in Rome. Of course, the guy claims that he wasn't drunk—just drowsy from too much cold medicine—but the global shame he amassed led him to resign yesterday, just a week before he was supposed to publicize his proposed budget plan. Here's a video.

In my opinion, it doesn't really matter if he was drunk on alcohol or high on cold meds. The fact is, he was clearly unfit to be representing Japan in such a public way that day, and he should have stayed in his hotel room. It's embarrassing that he thought it would be okay to have his Finance Minister face on in such a stupefied state.

On the other hand, it's a good thing that these silly old politician dudes are making a fool of themselves. Real change often and only comes after a series of grave errors made by the guys in charge—we know that from looking at the US. Now that the prime minister has proven that he can't read kanji (he also has a near-record low approval rating of 9%) and the finance minister can't stay sober, it's more likely that something good will happen soon. It has to.

Comments

[Dragonfang18]

Well Things must get worse before they get better... As referred from the Dark Knight... "Its always darkest before the dawn." (At least thats what I think I heard him say... Havent seen it in a while.)

[miyagawa]

I agree that we need a change, but I can't be that optimistic about the good things to happen: actually it would get worse when DPJ wins the next election. But I'm now thinking that needs to happen before the bigger and brighter change.

[facetus]

The current media agitation around Taro Aso is mounted by the "Koizumi-Kabuki" because the Prime Minister dared question the sacrosanct Postal privatisation process.
As in Kabuki, Koizumi is an actor, an entertainer very skilled to manipulate the crowds.
Koizumi with the help of Heizo Takenaka and Hidenao Nakagawa brought change for the worst.
Koizumi raised income inequality and split the large middle-class that made Japan a harmonious contry.
Koizumi sacked the public service and we can notice it in the level of health care services, crowded hospitals, underpaid doctors who work 300h/month...
Koizumi axed all green energy policies.
The Japan Post privatisation is an aberration that does not serve Japanese people. The goal is to divert Japanese Government funding to foreign and risky assets. It will deeply impair the savings of the Japanese people, resources and ability of the Japanese Government, the JGB market and the stability of the Japanese financial system as a whole.
In foreign policy, Koizumi was a genuine neo-con and a disciple of Bush and Cheney.
Now, for the next elections, will Koizumi's children succeed to repeat the 2005 Show of a purposely new LDP?
If change is needed, the DPJ may well be the best alternative of the moment...

[facetus]

Actually, the savior of the LDP (and Japan?) may well be Seiko Noda as first woman Prime Minister in Japan...