It is run under a one-party rule, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). No real challenge to the LDP was able to sustain itself despite the decrease in its popularity since the economic inactivity in l990s and corruption scandals.

For decades, Japan has not experience a change in political administration. Japan is a democracy without a competition. One may wonder how this could be possible when democracy is founded on competition. A Tokyo-based political analyst, Minoru Morita said that for a long period of time, the major media have been serving at the LDP’s discretion. And that is one of the secrets of its long-term rule.

The condition of the Japanese press seems to be, at first sight, analog to that established in the West. There are major daily newspapers with huge bulk of people reading at least one newspaper every day. The degree of reporting is adept. Dissemination of news is vigorous not only through newspapers but also the television and the internet.

There are only five national newspaper which accounts for half of the country’s total circulation, Asahi Shim bun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun.

A scrutiny of the contents, however, reveals a uniformity of editorial style among these newspapers. It is hard if not impossible to characterize one or another as representing a specific political attitude as one can find in New York Times’ liberal standpoint and in conservative editorial page of Wall Street Journal.

When compared with the press in other leading industrial countries in the world, Japan is so remarkably different in media. This is primarily due to the deluging control of the Liberal Democratic Party over the mainstream media with the Kisha clubs system as its mouthpiece.

The first three decades of the 20th century, the press was controlled through self-censorship. Obnoxious events, no matter how significant received no attention if they could adversely affect the interest of the ruling party. The development of communist party was also a forbidden subject.

Access to information of Japan’s mainstream media is under the monopoly of the ill-refute Kisha (reporters) club systems. These clubs are attached to the government’s major institutions including the police. Foreign press, freelance journalists and magazines find it difficult to get access to important information. However, there were significant scandals uncovered by journalists working outside the system despite difficulties.

There was a sharp contrast between the reports of the outside press and those of the major newspapers. The major newspapers reported differently from those covered and reported by Japanese magazines. The major papers allowed themselves to be manipulated by the ruling LDP.

Japanese press does not lead but follow. This is one of the most serious issues in Japanese journalism – failure to keep those in power accountable. They cover the scandal only after it has already been uncovered.

Japan’s press system lacks independence. Its manipulation of the press does not only weaken democracy but also subverts press freedom globally.

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It has been now about two months that, to my shocking surprise, we have been bombarded with news about Greece. Every single day, there is one or more stories in the front page of the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers, all analyzing the importance of Greece in the European Union in particular, and the world’s financial health in general. I have spent the last few days in Denmark and Germany and a day does not go by without seeing Greece in the front, middle and back pages of the Financial Times and other newspapers written in languages beyond the four I can personally speak. So the question is, what makes little-tiny Greece, all of a sudden the center of the universe again? Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled that Greece is in the news daily, but the question is why does Greece matter?

Greece is a minor euro zone economy, perhaps 2-3% of GDP, but what matters is the fact that Greece uses the Euro as its currency and the threat alone that Greece may go under sends shockwaves to the financial community, for the fear of one country going down may take other countries with similar problems with it as well.

The issue became critical when Greece announced that its budget deficit as percent of GDP, was way above what was reported by the previous administration, 12 or 13% to be exact, way above the required by the Union 3%. One only had to look at similar countries like Portugal and Spain to see they too had very high budget deficits. The PIGS, as they call them, i.e., Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain make for a very unstable economic group, which, if can not meet its financial obligations to the community, puts unsustainable pressure on the Euro with the now known consequences. In fact, the Euro has gone on a free fall almost overnight, from being the dominant currency with dollar exchange rates around $1.5, to losing more than 5% of its value against the dollar, to an eight month low of $1.3529 as recently as two months ago and some analysts predict it may go down to $1.3, or even less.

So what can the mighty US learn from tiny Greece? Is it possible that the US, by running, or even threatening to run huge deficits, as the proposed social plans by the Obama administration indicate, would face similar disastrous economic situation that would severely and adversively impact the dollar, vis-à-vis the major currencies? Some people argue that this is not possible because unlike the EU where countries are not really legally bound by a single government, the US can legally mobilize financial resources and assist states that are in dire straits, something that the EU is currently challenged with. However, it is not the state budgets that create global havoc, but rather the budget deficits at the US federal level which are currently huge by historical standards that create serious risks and in turn scare away investors – like China, who are looking to expand their recently acquired wealth into more productive capital markets. One can already see that current US deficits, even before Mr. Obama’s proposals are approved, have scared away investors who are already looking for safer havens. China for one thing is building its gold stockpiles rather than investing in US real estate capital.

A country’s budget deficits, its liabilities to its people and foreign investors, put pressure on its ability to borrow in the open markets and eventually run the risk of seeing its bonds down rated. This is exactly what has happened to Greece and what can happen to America, if it doesn’t get its (White) house in order.
America has recently used extreme financial behavior by spending immense internal capital to bail out the auto industry and Wall Street on the premise they were too big to fail. This was the wrong long term strategy which bound to have two effects: 1) these industries have no incentive to put their house in order and, 2) the US citizens at large will be financing this error for ever.

It is interesting to see that Germany, the country that all other economies are compared to in Europe, decided that under no circumstances will it bail out Greece for the above two reasons. In the long run, Greece will have to find its way out of this financial Greek tragedy and be a better EU partner. There is no such thing as “too big” or “too small” for that matter, to fail!

For the US, tough times are ahead. It would be a shame if Greece, where democracy started, could not teach the world a lesson, and America is where democracy ended. For the shake of our children, I need to be proven wrong.

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He succeeded President Kenneth Kaunda and got re-elected in 1996 after a successful first tenure in office, but failed a third tenure bid in 2001. His party rather preferred Levy Mwanawasa who contested on their platform and won the election.

The coming of Mwanawasa into power brought to fore the shoddy deals of President Frederick Chiluba while in office. He was investigated for corruption, arrested in 2003 and charged along with his former intelligence chief, Xavier Chungu, on 168 counts of theft totalling over $40m. His serving ministers and senior officials were also charged. His wife Regina was arrested for receiving stolen goods and for aiding her husband.

On the 4th of May 2007 Chiluba was found guilty of stealing $46m in a civil case by a United Kingdom court presided over by Peter Smith. The stolen money were said to have been transferred to a London bank by the Zambian intelligence service. Later on Mwanawasa recovered nearly $60m purportedly stolen by the man who was supposed to be a good ambassador of his country, who swore on oath to uphold the constitution of his country and do all he could to improve the lot of the Zambia people.

Chiluba was acquitted from the charges on 17th August 2009 after the death of Mwanawasa in 2008. The current President Rupiah Banda did not only ensure that Fred Chiluba was acquitted, he also refused to allow the state to appeal against the verdict of the court. It only reminded one of the usual practice in Africa where leaders cover the sins of one another to keep their subjects perpetually in darkness.

What legacy did Frederick Chiluba leave? He’s said to have initiated a great economic reform for his country and also played the role of a mediator in bringing to an end the protracted war in the Democratic republic of Congo, but all those achievements have been overtaken by the corruption charges pressed against him.

His friend Rupiah Banda was said to have been endorsed for presidency by Chiluba so as to help cover up his corrupt profile and guarantee his personal freedom. It’s truly a case of a corruption-prone leader coming to the timely aid of a corrupt friend to shield him from law and justice.

Joseph Ezie Efoghor is a professional nurse with years of practical experience. He writes on variety of topics which you may find beneficial to you. For more on his write-ups visit http://politicalfield.blogspot.com.

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There was a presidential election in Honduras, to elect a new president to replace the interim president, who was serving after the Honduran supreme court had to oust the former president to save the country from becoming a dictatorship.

Back in August, President Zelaya was attempting to change the constitution and basically appoint himself to third term and stay president. He was supported by Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, and by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and also by the American president, Barack Obama.

The Honduran supreme court found him in violation of the law, and removed him from office and forced him to leave the country. He spent several months trying to create riots and get back into the country. Fortunately the Obama administration changed their public support, and helped calm the situation.

Zelaya and his supporters made many threats to protest the election and cause problems. The election went off with very little protesting due to a large military presence at the polling places. The Honduran people had the opportunity to show that they wanted to remain a democracy. Zelaya’s party lost the election decisively.

Hopefully the Obama administration will work to make sure that Zelaya lives up to the deal he made and stop trying to cause problems. The Honduran people can then go back to a democratic rule and not end up like Venezuela.

Chavez has said he will overthrow the new government. Castro has condemned it, and so has Hillary Clinton. Yesterday Hillary accused Honduras of violating “the precepts of the Inter American Democratic Charter” and said it “should be condemned by all.”

The fight is far from over. There is hope that the American government will support the democracy of Honduras. The Honduran people have the right to be free, and govern their country the way they see fit.

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If all these countries are calling on the United States to quickly put together and maintain a new world order that will be the merging of many countries into a single governed body over which there will be a single leader to call the shots, maybe the people should be told why and to whom they will have to answer to. People of the countries who are a part of this ‘new world order’ seem to be mostly uneducated as to the transparency of this entire plot by these hosting countries. The seemingly opaque walls around the possible emergence of a new world government that will eliminate the sovereignty of the individual countries and form a single governed body, are high and not being given the exposure needed to keep the average citizen informed.

When government acts secretly the people are left to follow the acts of their governments without question and without say. Is this the loss of democracy or the actions of a rouge state that the people are afraid to question? When people are silenced by the actions of their governments, such as the loss of the American right to speak freely and assemble peacefully by the enactment of the permit; requiring all Americans to ask ‘permission’ by obtaining a purchased permit, that is when the people are intimidated into not saying much under the assumption that there is a large watchdog in place.

While these covert government actions are eroding the rights of their citizens in the individual countries the larger picture is coming into focus. The people are being lured into a huge cage where their opinions and their worth have no value. “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” (Edward R Murrow quote). “I believe that liberty is the only genuinely valuable thing that men have invented, at least in the field of government, in a thousand years. I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free, even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air – that progress made under the shadow of the policeman’s club is false progress, and of no permanent value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave.” (H.L. Mencken quote).

People should start to discuss the current events that are unfolding before their eyes. People are in need of a collective untouched media outlet giving only facts and those reporters points of view. A human point of view is a sharply written and well-researched idea where opposing views could only promote discussion and debate on the true issues of the current global crisis all global citizens are faced with. Talk to your friends even if they don’t want to hear it, demand an opinion.

I, Derek Nelson born 1970, have spent the past eight years studying global economics and global politics. I believe that the current global community needs truth and a media outlet that is not built on politics or owned by large corporations. Truth in news can only create a larger and more advanced society built on the reality of what is, rather than built on what corporations what you to buy.

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Derek Nelson