081003JapanConsideredPodcastVol04No27

October 3, 2008; Volume 04, Number 27

Click here for a transcript of today's program

Thanks for dropping by. Today we consider the emergence of Taro Aso as a "Popular" candidate for the LDP presidency. And a victorious one, at that. How Aso transformed himself from a politician very unpopular with Japan's public to one who could campaign for the LDP presidency as the "popular" choice. And win. Including identification of changes in Japan's domestic political environment that inspired that transmogrification. And what all this will mean for Aso's conduct of the premiership.

Next time we'll focus on political reform, or "seiji kaikaku," and what it means for domestic politics in Japan today.