Asia Centre

CLOSE UP ON THE NEWS 1. An unprecedented defeat at the House of Councillors 2. A succession of scandals had tarnished the Premier minister’s image 3. Mr Abe preferred to quit than to face the opposition 4. Abe’s final months in office saw the return of practices which Koizumi had often ignored 5. Abe re-established some balance in the diplomatic legacy of his predecessor 6. How and why the LDP picked Mr Fukuda POINTS OF NEWS l Takayasu Kensuke, « Is Abe’s government that of a leader? », Sekai, july 2007, p.119-127. l Takenaka Heizô, « The Minshutô’s manifest: imprecisions due to the lack of a macro-economic vision », Voice, october 2007, p. 66-70. l Kabashima Ikuo, Hayano Tôru, « Prime minister Abe failed over the Constitution », Sekai, october 2007, p.68-79.l Nakanishi Terumasa, « Ozawa Ichirô’s tragedy », Voice, october 2007, p. 52-65. l Kawabata Kiyotaka « The anti-terrorism law and the Security Council resolution », Sekai, october 2007, p.113-118. l Ishihara Masaie, « Standing against the “yasukunistic” attempt to justify the war of Okinawa », Sekai, july 2007, p.67-77.