Raw Japan
Slices of Japanese business, politics and life
Name That Dissolution – A game everyone can play
Finally, we have a date for Japan’s general election. After months of speculation, unpopular Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Monday he plans to call a national election on Aug. 30 after dissolving parliament next week.
All we need now – in Japan, at least - is a cool name for the dissolution.
Japanese media commentators and lawmakers usually label dissolutions to reflect the political sentiment of the time. In view of the chances of Aso leading the pro-business Liberal Democratic Party to a thumping defeat at the polls, the names put forward so far are bleak as can be.
“Death Throes Dissolution”, “Edge of the Cliff Dissolution” “Life-Threatening Dissolution” and “Suicide Bombing Dissolution” are some monikers already offered in the media.
Grooming a prime minister
What does it take to be a leader in Japan?
Luck and charm, according to the late founder of a school near Tokyo that has tried to groom political leaders for the past 30 years.
I visited the Matsushita institute of Government and Management recently, curious to see what it was doing to fix Japan’s shortage of strong leaders. 
