While the December 2014 House of Representatives elections has been demoralizing on most fronts -- "Political system designed to deliver a victory for the Liberal Democratic Party against an organized, impassioned and popular opposition delivers a landslide LDP victory against a disorganized, lackluster and infuriating opposition: Surprise!" -- the election has stimulated Japan observers to produce some of the best writing we have seen on Japanese elections in recent memory -- perhaps ever.
Just the last few days, we have been privileged with:
- Sheila Smith's magisterial overview of the issues and ideas going into the campaign
"Electoral Landslide With an Ambiguous Mandate"
- Tobias Harris' typically polite and sympathetic look at the limits of Abe Shinzo, the political animal
"The Reactionary Visionary"
- Colin P. Jones's angry, and at times inaccurate, but nevertheless inspired rant against the election's being held
"Electoral dysfunction leaves Japan’s voters feeling impotent"
which stimulated a readable crib from the usually enervating William Pesek illustrating, in more modern but still not contemporary terms the seeming pointless of voting (Link)
- the mysterious plotted//grundriss' black, black, black assessment of Abe's dissolution as stroke of genius
"genius electioneering"
The post ends curiously with the optimist belief that this election will liberate Abe Shinzo, the reformer.
T'is is a hopeful view that I do not share.
What have I missed? Please let me know.
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