Asia Policy and Nuclear Stance | Tokyo on Fire

Tokyo on Fire!

This week on Tokyo on Fire: The Moritomo Scandal is - surprise-surprise! - back to haunt Prime Minister Abe! Someone in the Ministry of Finance has been leaking documents to the Communist Party who won't let the scandal die down. Will this gather enough steam to take down the Government? Anti-U.S. base Nago City Mayor Susumu Inamine has been voted out-of-office. So now the Henoko base can be built without hassle... or will Okinawans manage to keep the status quo longer, or even rid their island of the bases entirely? With saber-rattling fanfair, the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review has been updated... and Japan is on the sidelines rah-rahing the U.S. to enhance her posture? We delve into this enigma given the fervent anti-nuclear stance of the Japanese people. We welcome back Glen S. Fukushima to the show: in today's episode, we discuss President Trump's Asia policy as we enter his second year: is TPP back on the table; is nuclear war on the horizon; will US unilateralism trigger trade issues in the region? Understanding Japanese politics is incomplete without appreciating the famous Liberal Democratic Party. What is the background, when was it founded (and how)? What is the scope of "power" it weilds? Why has it been THE leading party for the grand majority of post-war Japan? Join host Timothy Langley and Michael Cucek in this discussion!