Japan PM Ishiba vows to take responsibility for election loss, to stay in office to deal with US tariff talks

[Hol]

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in office on July 21 after his ruling coalition suffered a bruising defeat in Upper House elections, prompting some of his own party to deliberate his future as the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion.

The embattled Premier told a news conference he would remain in office to oversee tariff talks with the US and other pressing matters such as rising consumer prices that are straining the world’s fourth-largest economy.

“I will stay in office and do everything in my power to chart a path toward resolving these challenges,” Mr Ishiba said, adding that he intended to speak directly to US President Donald Trump as soon as possible and deliver tangible results.

The 68-year-old veteran Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker also acknowledged his “heavy responsibility” for the election outcome, but said: “I will fulfil my responsibility for the people” who made the LDP the largest force in Parliament.

Japan PM Ishiba vows to take responsibility for election loss, to stay in office to deal with US tariff talks

The defeat prompted some of his own party to deliberate his future as the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

 

[Margery]

I wish Straitstimes would remember that a Prime Minister is NOT a Premier. A Prime Minister is equivalent to a President of the USA. They managed it correctly in the first sentence, then promptly demoted him to a Premier.

That gripe out of the way, otherwise a good article on the situation.

A coalition govt is inherently weak. It relies on the "coalition" agreements made with opposition parties to support the PM and his party in whatever legislation has to pass. Should the coalition fail, and enough votes are lost, the govt is toppled. This is how it works in Parliamentary systems including Israel and Canada.

That usually means that special interest groups have more sway and say than they should, and some fringe things can be brought in regardless of the wish of the majority of the voters.

It ALSO showcases movement towards the edges of the political spectrum as seen in this bit I thought was exceptionally interesting:

"The far-right Sanseito party clocked the biggest gains of the night, adding 14 seats to one elected previously.

Launched on YouTube during the pandemic by spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party found wider appeal with its “Japanese First” campaign and warnings about a “silent invasion” of foreigners.

Dragging once-fringe rhetoric into the mainstream, its success could mark the arrival of populist politics in Japan, which until now has failed to take root as it has in the US and western Europe.

Sanseito’s party leader Sohei Kamiya, a former supermarket manager and English teacher, has previously pointed to Germany’s AfD and Reform UK as a possible blueprint for future success."

THAT sounds like whatever comes when this coalition falls (and they don't usually remain stable for long) will shift to a Japan First sentiment, echoed by many other countries.

I strongly doubt it's "far right" except in the mind of the journalist writing the article.

But it DOES have economic and political implications.

 

[Margery]

Launched on YouTube during the pandemic by spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party found wider appeal with its “Japanese First” campaign and warnings about a “silent invasion” of foreigners.

This little bit shows exactly where Straitstimes reporter sits, and by continuing to demonize voters concerned by vaccinations for Covid, and global elites- they are really out of touch.

Good for the Sanseito party- thinking for themselves, and putting Japan and it's own interests first.

That is the BEST step towards any trade negotiations and it's one that a lot of countries are beginning to do.

We are no longer in the post WW2 era, Japan has defence and military needs that may not fit the post WW2 model, they are facing Chinese and North Korean attempts to takeover the area, they are coping with tariff threats and a severe debt to GDP ratio on top of an aging work force.

They still rely on the US for their defence, the treaty that rose out of Japan's militaristic isolationist past that led to Pearl Harbour, forced Japan to relay on US military for protection but Japan and the States are not the same. That was an inherently unstable partnership. Just as NATO is now.

Nothing is working right anymore.

Not for the US, not for Japan, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the EU. Old ways are changing. Trump as a change agent tossed a grenade into the world system on April 2 and things are changing rapidly around the world as a result.

But long before Trump 2.0 landed we had Covid. And that was as a result of a lot of factors, but not the least of which was the Peace and Prosperity plan launched by Trump in his FIRST term using the design of Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law.

As we all recall, the day that was announced, late Jan of 2020, Covid hadn't really hit. The day after Covid cases began to spike within the States, and around the globe. By March the world shut down. By summer most govts were printing money faster than ever to cope with the changes in "supply chains" and to provide stimulus to their failing economies. Dividing the land, that Peace and Prosperity Plan was a disaster. It was quickly shelved in favour of the Abraham Accords which didn't divide Israel and didn't give any land away.

Right after Trump "lost" his re election bid, Russia invaded Ukraine. And NATO Europe took notice. Trump had been warning them but as long as the US was paying for NATO, nobody saw any need to get all militaristic again. The shadows of Germany past and the horrors of WW2 were still bothering politicians around Europe. Macron wanted an army but then Macron is very like a mini Napoleon. Visions of France dominating the world seem to dance in his head.

Suddenly Europe started making noises about rearming themselves to protect against Russia (all while doing things guaranteed to make Putin feel more nervous). Biden helped things along by making weird statements to US troops in Poland about when you go into Ukraine and funding the Ukrainian defence efforts.

Trump 2.0 lands, Nato is handed a bill to pay- 5% of GDP or else, and suddenly Europe is rearming. April 2 arrives and the US declares independence for themselves from world issues, and tariffs for all. Nations begin scrambling to adjust to the new normal.

So what is the upshot?
Russia and her allies are tighter together than before, both in Ukraine but also in the SCO (Shanghai Cooperative Org) a counterpoint to NATO, and BRICS gains strength as a counter to US sanctions and the dominant US Petrodollar.

So we see Ezek 38 coming together.

Europe and her allies are tighter together than before. The RE Arm Europe program is announced, it will fit the 5% spend of NATO that the US asked for. A new trade organization is forming between Europe, Britain, and the former Trans Pacific Trade group that will fundamentally change the dominance of the World Trade Organization- bypassing it in favour of a free trade agreement between the members. That was the BIG news that few noticed at the G7 and the NATO meetings in Canada in June this year.

What Japan is expressing- the need for a Japan First policy is actually the final stage towards a globalization driven by pragmatic concerns. The need to put Japan first, will pull Japan towards a trade agreement with like minded nations, all putting their interests first and negotiating a deal that is good for all concerned. It's not being ordered by the WTO or the WEF or some cabal in Europe meeting in Davos.

This is the knee jerk reaction against that form of globalism, that is setting up the FRAMEWORK FOR THE NEW globalism. Trump's tariffs were the trigger, but it was inevitable. The way things were was just not sustainable. It was inherently unstable, a fact that Trump pointed out.

So we see the Europe of the future as predicted in the Bible coming together (Rome 2.0 as I call it) and it's encompassing a huge part of the globe - just as the Bible said.

This Japanese election, and it's issues are showcasing something that really hit during Covid, and we are just feeling the aftershocks now. The earthquake we are feeling the shocks of now, began in Covid and like always that started when Israel was being divided in that Jared Kushner Trump Peace and Prosperity Plan.

Israel is the centre of the storm. The war that began fall of '23 is changing the Middle East, and seems to be preparing the Middle East for Ezek 38. I think we should see a period of prosperity for Israel coming up soon after that war is done.

Whether Trump did tariffs or not is not the issue- the world has changed, the directions of military power and money are changing and Trump is both acknowledging it, and speeding it along. The US is pulling out of the world systems, going back to an isolationist policy that definitely answers the question- why isn't the US in Bible Prophecy? I think the Rapture, not just economic and military isolationism is the final key, but it's all falling into place.

The rest of the world is reacting to Trump, but as they do, they are moving closer and closer to their final places in prophecy just as the Bible foretold.

Japan's election is just another signpost that prophecy is getting closer by the minute.

 

[Hol]

BRICS gains strength as a counter to US sanctions and the dominant US Petrodollar.

From what (little) I understand the move toward the crypto Stable dollar is to counter the weakened petro dollar.

The grand roll out of BRICS flopped.

BRICS without the Big Boys becomes a Buzzkill​

There’s nothing like being an event planner when the big invites that are the “Flagship Speakers” of the event are no shows. Not just no shows, it is known well in advance they will not be there at all. So much lipstick will have to be used as concealment that the pig might go into toxic shock over the generous layers applied. The former heir apparent of counter-U.S. leadership, Xi, sent a minion, Putin suddenly must suddenly organize his sock drawer, Iran is digging out from the rubble, South Africa doesn’t know what to do without guidance from their new colonial master of China, and Brazil is being put on notice for their mistreatment of President Bolsonaro. India was only in attendance at the BRICS Summit, July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to fill the vacuum created by the absence of Xi and Putin.

In event planning, this kind of debacle is known as a “Code B4”, or BRICS without the Big Boys becomes a Buzzkill. BRICS seemed to have momentum during the Biden Years. In the brief interlude of the age of the Autopen, the vapid U.S. leadership was signaling that others were welcome to grapple to be the world’s reserve currency. Trump is back and the world has changed for the better. No one wants to push, shove, or grapple with Trump led America. Otherwise, they might get the standard tariff form letter with the name of the nation handwritten on the blank line.

More Indicators that Xi is under duress​

It appears that finally, Xi’s reign of terror over his military and civilian seniors has reached a tipping point. It was inevitable that the Chinese Generals and Admirals would realize that their shelf life was already past the pull date and they needed to get together and do something before they disappeared themselves. On Fox News, Gordon Chang shared that Xi’s absence, “doesn’t make sense. There are many other countries at the BRICS summit, not just Brazil. To me, it’s extremely significant that Xi Jinping is not going. It suggests turbulence at home — there are signs he’s lost control of the military and that civilian rivals are reasserting power. This is a symptom of that.”

BRICS without the Big Boys becomes a Buzzkill | The Gateway Pundit | by John Mills

Commentary There’s nothing like being an event planner when the big invites that are the “Flagship Speakers” of the event are no shows. Not just no shows, it is known well in advance they will not be there at all. So much lipstick will have to be used as concealment that the pig might go into...

www.thegatewaypundit.com

 

[Hol]

Japan’s PM refuses to step down despite hard-Right surge​

Japan’s prime minister refused to step down despite losing his majority, thanks in part to a surge in hard-Right support.

Shigeru Ishiba was asked if he would stay on after exit polls on Sunday night showed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party losing its grip on power in the upper house of the country’s parliament.

Mr Ishiba said: “We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States... we must never ruin these negotiations.”

…

Sohei Kamiya, the party’s 47-year-old leader, said in an interview with local broadcaster Nippon Television after the election: “The phrase Japanese First was meant to express rebuilding Japanese people’s livelihoods by resisting globalism.

“I am not saying that we should completely ban foreigners or that every foreigner should get out of Japan.”

Other opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and tougher immigration policies look likely to make gains, with rising consumer prices – particularly a jump in the cost of the staple rice – a key issue for voters.

Japan’s PM refuses to step down despite hard-Right surge

Shigeru Ishiba’s governing coalition lost seats to Sanseito, which campaigned on a ‘Japanese first’ policy

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Margery]

More Indicators that Xi is under duress​

It appears that finally, Xi’s reign of terror over his military and civilian seniors has reached a tipping point. It was inevitable that the Chinese Generals and Admirals would realize that their shelf life was already past the pull date and they needed to get together and do something before they disappeared themselves. On Fox News, Gordon Chang shared that Xi’s absence, “doesn’t make sense. There are many other countries at the BRICS summit, not just Brazil. To me, it’s extremely significant that Xi Jinping is not going. It suggests turbulence at home — there are signs he’s lost control of the military and that civilian rivals are reasserting power. This is a symptom of that.”

I SAW that interview yesterday!

Glad that Gordon is reporting on it in the mainstream. I had a thread on it a while back here Power shift in China, Xi may be on the way out back in early June.

Sounds like he's listening to the same sources.

As for the BRICS they are a weak source that I don't think goes anywhere other than to cement the Ezek 38 partners along with the SCO.

Where the real action is at is over in Europe, where I see the beginnings of a future world power that will eventually control commerce and that would be setting the stage for Rome 2.0 and it's gradual takeover once the Rapture happens and Ezek 38 takes place.

It's becoming a multipolar world, but it's very very unstable at the moment. It's fascinating to watch.

I don't see China in Ezek 38 at all- just not in Scripture that might mean that they drop out of power plays before Ezek 38 but sometime between now and the Rapture maybe????

However for the moment they are helping the Russia, Iran and Turkey bloc who will eventually invade Israel in Ezek 38. So that bloc plus China is the BRICS and SCO for now.

I figure they meet their end as a power bloc during Ezek 38 but in China's case, sometime before. Whether that is from internal problems as Chang points out, or as a final push to take Taiwan, and getting taken out by the States it's anyone's guess.

The USA remains the main power in the world at the present- militarily and financially. However they are not mentioned anywhere in Scripture- and the one spot that's a maybe is as a weaker member of the Tarshish group- which remains concerned about financial stuff in the Ezek 38 invasion.

Because I see the formation of the power bloc that I think takes control after both the Rapture (which is what I think does in the States as a power) and then Ezek 38 takes out the Russia Islamic bloc, it gets pretty exciting to watch.

As the US pressures the world in tariffs, trade negotiations and threats of annexation, as well as getting a European army together, this is pushing the reluctant final power group to form it's alliances and get moving towards it's position.

It's a little more hazy as this third and final power bloc won't really be ready till Ezek 38 knocks out the competition (and after the Rapture which takes out the States). But it's beginning to form. Both financially and militarily. It won't be ready till after we are out of here, and really not till after Ezek 38 but sometime around then they will be the remaining power bloc on the planet.

Amazing to watch!!!