While the Nishimatsu scandal continues to ripple through both the LDP and the DPJ and while all wonder whether next week will see Ozawa Ichiro's resignation as DPJ president, LDP members of all stripe

It took a while, but Japan’s economic plight has hit the yen.

Two Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF) destroyers, the Sazanami, last mentioned on this blog when she paid a visit to China last year, and the Samidare, have departed from Kure naval base in Hiroshima prefecture...

The headline economic figures on trade, production and consumer confidence appear to leave little room for doubt. Japan, despite avoiding the excesses that sparked the near collapse of the global financial system, has fallen victim to the resulting global economic downturn.