Japan denies endorsing Bush in US election

[DuctapeFatwa]

Japan’s government on Friday denied declaring its support for US President George W. Bush in his coming election, despite the prime minister’s comments that he hoped Bush would “do well” in the vote.


Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has forged a close relationship with Bush and has been a steadfast supporter of the US .-led invasion of Iraq. His government has deployed some 550 troops to southern Iraq on a humanitarian mission.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda denied on Friday that Koizumi meant to voice an opinion about which way the US election next month should go.

“It’s not that the prime minister is saying who should win,” Hosoda told reporters...

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2004/October/theworld_October415.xml§ion=theworld

[w4rma]

1. Sounds like he was being polite and honorable, but poorly chose his words.

Maybe.

[UdoKier]

2. I watched it live on NHK News. It was an endorsement.

My wife's Japanese, I'm fluent and a translator. Verbatim, Koizumi said " Gaikoku no senkyo ni susume ha shitakunai desuga, Bush daitouryou no hou ga sitasii desune. Ganbatte hoshii desu."

IE: "I don't want to make endorsements for foreign elections, but I'm more familiar/comfortable with Bush. I hope he perseveres"

In the Japanese culture where vagueness is the norm, this is as close to an enfdorsement as he could've come. My wife was furious.

The vast majority of Japanese were against this war, but Kozumi didn't care, he sent troops and has consistently supported Bush's decision. This in a country with a paciffist constitution, a country that know the agony of civilian population centers being indiscriminately bombed and firebombed.

It's no surprise that Koizumi's LDP party lost BIG in the last election. I had hoped he would be better than this but he has turned out to be exactly like Hashimoto in all the worst ways.

[sweetheart]

5. Wow, koizumi is an asshole

What a fucking prick. European prime ministers have come nowehre
close to doing such things.

All i can figure is that koizumi is actually deeply anti-american,
and that he is speaking from a long and deeply hidden hatred for
the american people.

Clearly, it is in the strategic interests of japan to weaken the
USA that it is no longer capable of affording to project military
force across the pacific. The best way to weaken the USA is to keep
people like bush in power, and to keep your currency at an artificial
parity, so that yen/dollar keeps up the old "export-based economic
model that japan has used to become wealthy at teh cost of USA
jobs and infrastructure". So, basically, the american people are
seen as trash losers, and bush is the preferred rotter.

Wow, i can't believe that japan's PM said that. I'm livid.

Mr. Koizumi-san,
"Enjoy this high point on your downward spiral. Death will be
the beginning of a million year cycle of suffering for you."

[Voice_of_Europe]

7. Actually you're partly right...

From a certain point of view there could have been no better thing for Europe than the Bush presidency.

In the last 4 years Europe has found an own voice and a "personality".
Bush showed Europe that "Europe is NOT like the US" where in the last 50 years everything coming from the US was cool, hip, new, and Europe tried to imitate no matter if it was a good or a bad thing.
Finally European countries start focusing on themselves and their neighbouring countries instead.

And this can also be true for Japan.
They start making friends in the region again instead totally relying on the US.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Your Wife Was Probably Not the Only One Who Was Furious

> It was an endorsement

from which he is now backtracking. Interesting.

[bpilgrim]

13. Ganbatte hoshii desu - he is CHEERING him on

:puke:

thanks for sharing :toast:
peace

[Art_from_Ark]

19. The semantics of "ganbatte HOSHII"

"Ganbatte" by itself is certainly used as a term of encouragement, like what parents will say to their kids at the "undokai", or school sports competitions. It can be translated in many ways, including "Hang in there!", "Go for it!" or even "Do your best!" The "-te hoshii" form of a verb is usually translated as "want (someone) to (do), so "ganbatte hoshii" can be translated as (I) want (him) to "persevere", or to "hang in there", or to "do his best". So of the Japanese I've talked to didn't seem to think this was such a big deal, but one of the top men in the main opposition party criticized Koizumi by likening this remark to "interfering in another country's internal affairs".

Anyway, as another poster said, Koizumi is scared. While the pictures posted here seem to show bu$h and Koizumi as buddy-buddy, the first pictures that appeared of them together, when bu$h came to Japan for the first time, showed bu$h and Koizumi at a joint press conference at Koizumi's residence. bu$h was hovering over Koizumi like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, apparently motioning for him to go to the other podium. For his part, Koizumi looked like he was coiling back.

At any rate, I believe that by making this remark, Koizumi is trying to hedge his bets. He knows what bu$h is capable of doing, so he wants to stay on bu$h's good side if somehow bu$h remains in the White House. But he also knows that if Kerry is elected, he (Kerry) won't hold the remark against him (Koizumi), and they can start with a clean, and less tense, slate.

[lovuian]

3. Japaneese Altsheimers HA HA HA!!!

Oops did I say that Nah!!!

[NVMojo]

4. friends in Japan

say that it was an endorsement. That guy is lying.

[onehandle]

8. Hopefully President Kerry will tax the f*ck out of their imports.

This is one economy that truly needs us much more than we need them.

Unlike France, which depends very little on us.

[UdoKier]

11. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Japan is paying a huge share of the expense of keeping our military in the West Pacific.

They also own a huge share our our foreign debt.

What do you think might happen if Japan decided to cash in its chips and invest elsewhere?

[Judi Lynn]

9. Bush just boasted this week to an audience that Koizumi

was born just after the Second World War, yet he and _Bush have become close partners, dribble, yap, howl. Who can really listen to him more than a moment?

He seems to imagine his astounding charm and sense of suave have seduced almost every damned person in the universe, and that he has captured Koizumi's heart!

Would you not agree _Bush is putting too much of HIMSELF into US relations with other countries? He is not acting as the principle representative of a country. He is acting as if these world leaders are visiting him in the U.S. simply because they want to see HIM, _{George W. Bush,} Mom and Dad's little sweetie!

Dumb bustard looks as if he's at Disneyland in these photos. A little more maturity, a better sense of perspective would help.

If you don't horse around with _Dubya, he'll get ya. He'll get ya good!

[smirkymonkey]

17. Your photos look like a montage from a romantic comedy.

or should I say, tragedy.

[malachi]

10. How much influence does an endorsment from the Japanese

PM carry, anyway? Who in the USA really gives a shit about what he has to say? 90% of the in this country have no idea who he is and what country he represents.

[UdoKier]

12. I'm in the discussion because I'm married to Japan in many ways.

I'm not really concerned w/the impact on the US election because there will be none.

However, thisi is just one more signe that Koizumi is a pathetic lapdog to Bush, even worse than Tony Blair. It shakes Japan's confidence in what was once a very promising Prime Minister. That's why the LDP's coalition is falling apart. It could signal the LDPs slide out of the position of permanent domination they have held for almost 50 years. Which party will ffill the void? Which way will Japan go in the future? More militaristic? More socialistic? They've been following the US's advice for a while now with very poor results....

[Art_from_Ark]

20. I wouldn't say that the LDP's coalition is falling apart

After all, the only other member of their coalition is the Komei-to, and the Komei-to is even further to the right than Koizumi's Jimin-to (LDP). And the way that the House of Representatives districts are set up virtually assures that the Jimin-to will continue to hold the reins of power. As they say, All politics is local, and as long as the Jimin-to continues to provide favors for their constituency, they don't have to worry about falling from grace.

[Zak]

21. Americans.....

They don't seem to know or care what the rest of the world thinks, hell 90% of Americans don't even know where Japan is. If Americans had a little more respect and tolerance of others, perhaps dictators like Butcher Bush can be stopped before he even gets his first nomination.This can be fixed, dump the lizzard bastard with a resounding majority for Kerry, and start to repair the damage being caused by this administration before the "war on terrorism", hahahahah I like that one, comes closer to your homes.

[LibertyLover]

14. Japanese PM endorsement of Bush

I checked with a friend of mine who is also fluent in Japanese and whose wife is Japanese. He agreed that the language used by the PM effectively endorsed Bush's re-election. He was furious and his wife appalled.

[Chovexani]

15. Lying sack of shit

I've never liked Koizumi. He's always struck me as just another * ass-kisser, kinda like John Howard only without the bluster. Chimpy's the schoolyard bully, Howard's the kid that only talks shit when his big bad buddy's around, and Blair and Koizumi are the kids that suck up because they're scared.

I'm far from fluent in Japanese (what little I know is self-taught), but that does sound close to a ringing endorsement to me. I'll have to catch NWI a little later on.

Edit: I was just thinking, how does Koizumi feel about the fact Chimpy has basically blown off Lil' Kim and North Korea? His crazy ass is running around with nukes and * couldn't care less if he tried. Japan can't be thrilled about that.

[fshrink]

16. He'd "do well" with 10% of the votes! (nt)

[AntiFascist]

18. Time for regime change in Japan....

We should start a letter-writing campaign!

(You didn't here this from me) :grr: