[Sangetsu]

The election results aren't as "ground-shaking" as the world media is making them out to be. It must be a slow week for news, so something has to be made of it.

It's no surprise that the current government got voted out. With unemployment as high as it is, and with those who are still employed facing cuts in hours and pay, it was bound to happen. The national debt for last year came out to $64 billion (minuscule in comparison to American debt, but big trouble in Japan). The new party's plan to "improve" the economy and erase this deficit is to spend $150+ billion on various programs... it sounds a lot like America's plan in a way.

Anyway, the more things "change", the more they stay the same. The new government will not be able to make good on the majority of it's promises, Japan's export-driven economy depends on the well-being of foreign trade partners. Unless America and Europe staring buying Toyotas, televisions, and Playstations, there is not really much that can be done. After the new government shows that it can't really do any better of a job than the former one did, the LDP will win many of their seats back.

The only good thing to come of all of this is that the election proved to many politicians that their positions are controlled by the people, and that they are answerable to them. America should do the same thing with it's current crop of senators and congressmen.

Japan's negative birthrate is little different from that of Europe. A lot of Europe has a negative birthrate, except for minority populations, which are, as always, exploding. Japan values their culture and their national identity, I don't see them doing anything to change or ease up immigration in the near future. If anything, they will enact measures to encourage more Japanese to have children.