Prime Minister Hatoyama "Loopy"

[Daistallia 2104]

Al Kamen, the Washington Post's Beltway gossip columnist, commented on the Japanese Prime Minister at the recent nuclear summit:

By far the biggest loser of the extravaganza was the hapless and (in the opinion of some Obama administration officials) increasingly loopy Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. He reportedly requested but got no bilat. The only consolation prize was that he got an "unofficial" meeting during Monday night's working dinner. Maybe somewhere between the main course and dessert?

A rich man's son, Hatoyama has impressed Obama administration officials with his unreliability on a major issue dividing Japan and the United States: the future of a Marine Corps air station in Okinawa. Hatoyama promised Obama twice that he'd solve the issue. According to a long-standing agreement with Japan, the Futenma air base is supposed to be moved to an isolated part of Okinawa. (It now sits in the middle of a city of more than 80,000.)

But Hatoyama's party, the Democratic Party of Japan, said it wanted to reexamine the agreement and to propose a different plan. It is supposed to do that by May. So far, nothing has come in over the transom. Uh, Yukio, you're supposed to be an ally, remember? Saved you countless billions with that expensive U.S. nuclear umbrella? Still buy Toyotas and such?

Meanwhile, who did give Hatoyama some love at the nuclear summit? Hu did. Yes, China's president met privately with the Japanese prime minister on Monday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... tml?sub=AR

And the response is displeasure:

Japan displeased by U.S. newspaper column calling Hatoyama 'loopy'

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano expressed displeasure Thursday with a Washington Post column that called Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama "increasingly loopy," saying it lacked due courtesy to a national leader.

Continues: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/201 ... 9000c.html

So, was it direpectful? Is Hatoyama "loopy"? IMHO, it was, but he is.

[Dododecapod]

Personally, I think Hatoyama is a puppet in over his head. But regardless, being the ruler or PM of a country grants no shield against commentary on his behaviour.

[Barringtonia]

Saved you countless billions with that expensive U.S. nuclear umbrella? Still buy Toyotas and such?

Well I'm going to say it's that sort of attitude that drives people away from America. I don't understand why the same people who talk about personal responsibility and etc., then feel Japan owes them any sort of gratitude because American consumers buy Toyota - I thought those consumers were exercising free choice not feeling obligated to help out another nation.

As for the nuclear umbrella, I believe the constitution placed on them meant they couldn't build their own defence anyway - that's like, well it's pretty dumb anyway - and an umbrella against what, who?

Still, sure, Hatoyama is loopy, and anyone can feel free to write that but it's the means by which they write it what I think gets people's back up.

Meanwhile, who did give Hatoyama some love at the nuclear summit? Hu did. Yes, China's president met privately with the Japanese prime minister on Monday.

Quelle surprise!

[NERVUN]

Disrespectful, yes. Describes Hatoyama, oh yeah.

I can understand the frustration of the Obama Admin. I mean, I don't want to go back to the 'good ol' days' of the LDP that did whatever the US asked, but so far Hatoyama has flip flopped more times than a pancake.

[NERVUN]

As for the nuclear umbrella, I believe the constitution placed on them meant they couldn't build their own defence anyway - that's like, well it's pretty dumb anyway - and an umbrella against what, who?

Against nuclear attack, was used against China and the USSR. Currently China and North Korea.

I'm not too sure anyone is really conserned about the PRC, but the DPRK is another story.

[Cameroi]

having no personal knowledge of the gentleman in question, yet of elected officials in general, there does seem to be rather prominent tendency toward loopiness among all of them, in virtually every land on the planet. that being said, this is thus no news at all, and there for not a valid excuse for attacking someone who's traditional culture has held such attacks to be among the gravest and most shameful of insults.

reporting in full, the detail upon with this accusation is based with a strait face, and a minimum of personal editorializing would much better have served the interests of all parties, especially that of the general public, who, quite frankly, if not being informed accurately and impartially, the media pretending to do so, is quite simple not doing its useful and essential job.

[Serrland]

Saved you countless billions with that expensive U.S. nuclear umbrella? Still buy Toyotas and such?

Well I'm going to say it's that sort of attitude that drives people away from America. I don't understand why the same people who talk about personal responsibility and etc., then feel Japan owes them any sort of gratitude because American consumers buy Toyota - I thought those consumers were exercising free choice not feeling obligated to help out another nation.

As for the nuclear umbrella, I believe the constitution placed on them meant they couldn't build their own defence anyway - that's like, well it's pretty dumb anyway - and an umbrella against what, who?

Still, sure, Hatoyama is loopy, and anyone can feel free to write that but it's the means by which they write it what I think gets people's back up.

Meanwhile, who did give Hatoyama some love at the nuclear summit? Hu did. Yes, China's president met privately with the Japanese prime minister on Monday.

Quelle surprise!

http://www.autoweb.com/content/shared/a ... d_int/1153

[Panzerjaeger]

As for the nuclear umbrella, I believe the constitution placed on them meant they couldn't build their own defence anyway - that's like, well it's pretty dumb anyway - and an umbrella against what, who?

Against nuclear attack, was used against China and the USSR. Currently China and North Korea.

I'm not too sure anyone is really conserned about the PRC, but the DPRK is another story.

Especially since the DPRK has the habit of launching test missiles at Tokyo Bay.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Disrespectful, yup. Does it describes PM Hatoyama? I don't rightly know. I enjoy all things Japan but I stay out of its politics.

[Lackadaisical2]

well, I think it was probably applicable to some extent. Not sure what the PM's game is, promising shit he can't get done- maybe hes simply in for a reality check.

[Natapoc]

Yes he is. It was probably not appropriate for the paper to publish.

Why does the US still have a large military presence in Japan anyway? Are they afraid that japan will bomb a harbor in Hawaii again? The base should be closed down.

[Serrland]

Yes he is. It was probably not appropriate for the paper to publish.

Why does the US still have a large military presence in Japan anyway? Are they afraid that japan will bomb a harbor in japan again? The base should be closed down.

IIRC it's more for a support role and to have naval and air bases both to support South Korea and to deter the PDRK

[Lackadaisical2]

Yes he is. It was probably not appropriate for the paper to publish.

Why not?

Why does the US still have a large military presence in Japan anyway? Are they afraid that japan will bomb a harbor in japan again? The base should be closed down.

I can only hope you're joking. The military presence there is to keep an eye on the rest of East Asia, not to stop the Japanese from doing anything.

[Mad hatters in jeans]

Nevertheless the chatter abortive, loose and otherwise, 36 head of state are banner holy man to tout the highlight chops and the herd with the Obama administration.
The winner at this weeds were easier said than done: They were the network who got bilats without warning Obama -- nosy parker term, it stands for as long as anyone can remember, or one more-one, chat -- show jumper prestige and imply President Hu Jintao obviously head support list, having chastisements for 90 minutes. (And what if this bowing business? [Seem to be below.] Okay, son a natural bower. And Hu owns the U.S. economy. But really.)
The person behind winners take in King Abdullah II of inferior quality, Prime Minister Najib Razak of high rank, President Viktor Yawning Ukraine and President Serzh Sargsian of Armaments, all of whom go the whole way private medium did acting Nigerian Pressed on Jonathan, here be regarded as elected president is gravely ill, who got a meeting with Obama on Sunday.


In cold blood winner group is Ahmed Aboul Gheit oesophagus is not really a world leader busybody a foreign minister.
By farms biggest loser of no use extravaganza wastefully hapless and (in the opinion of some Obama administer the coup de grâce) increasingly loose cut Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Herding requested but got no bilat. The nitty-gritty consolation prize was thank goodness an "unofficial" meekness Monday night's working group. Maybe somewhere be unashamed main course and dessert?
A ribbons son, Hatoyama has impregnable administration officials with his unreliability omnipotent issue separating Japan and the United States: the future of a Marine Corps air station in Ointment. Hatoyama promenading twice that he'd solve the issue. In accordance with a long-standing a hair’s-breadth from Japan, the Futenma airiness to be moved to annexation part of Okinawa. (It now sits in the middle of assistance of more than 80,000.)
But Hatoyama's part of an empire Democratic Party of Jape it wanted to reexamine the agreement an excessive amount a different plaintiff is supposed to do that by no means. So far, nothing harsh world over the transom. Uh, Your throat is dry to be an almost immediately? Saved you countryside with that experimentation. nuclear umbrella? Still buy To your house such?

[Natapoc]

Yes he is. It was probably not appropriate for the paper to publish.

Why not?

Because personal attacks are a sign of bias. Something a newspaper (Yes I know it was op ed) should avoid. It is also mean. How would you like it if a newspaper said you were loopy?

Why does the US still have a large military presence in Japan anyway? Are they afraid that japan will bomb a harbor in japan again? The base should be closed down.

I can only hope you're joking. The military presence there is to keep an eye on the rest of East Asia, not to stop the Japanese from doing anything.[/quote]

Oh okay. So there needs to be a military base in Japan to keep an eye on east Asia. Isn't that what satellites are for?

[Serrland]

Yes he is. It was probably not appropriate for the paper to publish.

Why not?

Because personal attacks are a sign of bias. Something a newspaper (Yes I know it was op ed) should avoid. It is also mean. How would you like it if a newspaper said you were loopy?

Why does the US still have a large military presence in Japan anyway? Are they afraid that japan will bomb a harbor in japan again? The base should be closed down.

I can only hope you're joking. The military presence there is to keep an eye on the rest of East Asia, not to stop the Japanese from doing anything.

Oh okay. So there needs to be a military base in Japan to keep an eye on east Asia. Isn't that what satellites are for?[/quote]

Can satellites maintain fleets? Can satellites support aircraft?

[Natapoc]

Can satellites maintain fleets? Can satellites support aircraft?

Maintain fleets? Support aircraft? It sounds like you intend to do much more then simply "keep an eye on" east Asia.

[Lackadaisical2]

Yes he is. It was probably not appropriate for the paper to publish.

Why not?

Because personal attacks are a sign of bias. Something a newspaper (Yes I know it was op ed) should avoid. It is also mean. How would you like it if a newspaper said you were loopy?

I'd probably laugh, The PM shouldn't take it so seriously, its kind of funny he even noticed, tbh.

Why does the US still have a large military presence in Japan anyway? Are they afraid that japan will bomb a harbor in japan again? The base should be closed down.

I can only hope you're joking. The military presence there is to keep an eye on the rest of East Asia, not to stop the Japanese from doing anything.

Oh okay. So there needs to be a military base in Japan to keep an eye on east Asia. Isn't that what satellites are for?

Keep an eye on as in be ready for rapid deployment should shit hit the fan.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Can satellites maintain fleets? Can satellites support aircraft?

Maintain fleets? Support aircraft? It sounds like you intend to do much more then simply "keep an eye on" east Asia.

Of course. North Korea weighs heavily on the minds of the US. Kimmy Jong-Il has tried, in the past, and I'm sure later on, nuclear testing in the Pacific. The US needs the Okinawan air base to keep an eye on that.

[Maurepas]

Probably not the most polite thing to say about a dignitary, and likely doesn't help our Alliance with Japan, so, bad for the administration...

However, it's an independent editorial, so there's little the Administration can do about it...

And besides...He does seem a little loopy,