SNA (Tokyo) — In 1931, Reijiro Wakatsuki again took over the post of prime minister from a stronger predecessor, but this time the deck was in any case stacked against any prospect for political success. The nation was sinking into the depths of the Great Depression, and the government lost control of young officers in the Imperial Army, who launched a conquest of Manchuria which had never been authorized by Tokyo. Transcript On April 14, 1931, Reijiro Wakatsuki returned to office as prime minister of Japan. As had been the case five years earlier when he had become prime minister for the fir ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1929-1931, the Lion Prime Minister Osachi Hamaguchi brought strength and determination to the more liberal forces in Japan, effectively staring down a challenge from radical officers in the Imperial Navy. His economic policy regarding the Great Depression was equally strong and decisive, but unfortunately quite mistaken. Before his error had become entirely clear, however, he was wounded and ultimately killed by an assassin’s bullet. Transcript On July 2, 1929, Osachi Hamaguchi became prime minister of Japan. He was sometimes called the Lion Prime Minister for his dignity ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — I teach Political Science at the university level. In my first lecture every semester, I try to convince skeptical students why they should bother studying Political Science at all. I argue that understanding how power flows through political structures will help students enfranchise themselves in a democratic system. If they don’t, other people who understand the system better will use it to their advantage instead. But this assumes one major fundamental: that they can participate in the democratic system at all. Fortunately, most of my students are citizens, so they can vote ..read more

  SNA (Tokyo) — From 1927-1929, Imperial Army-officer-turned-politician Giichi Tanaka attempted to guide Japan with a firm hand, aiming to crush radicalism at home and to use the iron fist in China. This hardline turn was resisted on many fronts, but the biggest problem emerged from the Army itself, which was slipping away from political control. Transcript On April 20, 1927, Giichi Tanaka became prime minister of Japan. Tanaka was the fourth and final direct protege of the late Genro Aritomo Yamagata to rise to the highest office, and while he shared the conservative outlook of his pred ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1926-1927, Reijiro Wakatsuki led Japan’s ruling party, but his tendency to shy away from confrontations helped put him in a weaker position than his predecessor. As the new Emperor Hirohito began his reign, a careless comment by the finance minister triggered a run on banks. Transcript On January 30, 1926, Reijiro Wakatsuki became prime minister of Japan. He possessed a long and distinguished career as a law scholar, bureaucrat, and minister, and upon Takaaki Kato’s death he had little difficulty becoming his successor as leader of the Constitutional Politics Association an ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1924-1926, Takaaki Kato led an administration which marked the pinnacle of the period of “Taisho Democracy.” Its crowning achievement was the passage of a law granting voting rights to all male Japanese age 25 or older, regardless of economic status. Transcript On June 11, 1924, Takaaki Kato became prime minister of Japan. His arrival marked the return of political party government after two years of non-party Cabinets, and it was more broadly a victory for democracy within the Japanese political system. Since Kato’s party did not have its own majority in the House of Repre ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — In early 1924, bureaucrat Keigo Kiyoura reluctantly agreed to become premier, but the frustration of the political parties about once again being passed over created a challenge which Kiyoura was not able to tame. Transcript On January 7, 1924, Keigo Kiyoura became prime minister of Japan. He had been considered for the office several times before, and he came particularly close a decade earlier in 1914, before the Genro eventually turned to Shigenobu Okuma instead. Kiyoura was the third protege of the late Genro Aritomo Yamagata to become prime minister, but unlike the previous ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — You might have heard the big news last month about Karolina Shiino, a Ukrainian-born Japanese citizen who won the title of Miss Japan. You have also heard earlier this month that she lost her crown due to allegations of her having an affair with a married man. Yappari! I thought that might happen. How convenient. Let’s put this event in perspective. This is not the first time a Japanese beauty contest has chosen a person who is not “pure-blooded” to represent Japan. In 2015, African-American-Japanese Ariana Miyamoto was chosen as Miss Japan. This was big news back then too, for ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1923-1924, Admiral Gonnohyoe Yamamoto made a return as prime minister. He was brought in to provide leadership in the wake of the cataclysmic Great Kanto Earthquake. Yamamoto made some progress in providing relief services, but was unable to bring political stability. Transcript When Prime Minister Tomosaburo Kato died on August 24, 1923, it was not immediately clear who should be his successor, and a week went by without a decision. Then, on September 1, just before noon, a massive earthquake hit the capital region. Within seconds, stone buildings collapsed in Tokyo, Yokoh ..read more

SNA (Galesburg) — North Korea has been clearly signaling an interest in improving relations with Japan, although there remain far more questions than answers. Pyongyang’s intention to reach out to Tokyo at this time is unmistakable. The first public signal came in early January when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivered a sympathy message over its New Year’s Day earthquake along the Sea of Japan coast. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi responded graciously as speculation began to rise that the exchange might prove more significant. Much of the ambiguity was stripped away on Februa ..read more