VOX POPULI: DPJ is squandering its hard-earned wealth

Spain had its heyday in the 16th and 17th centuries. Novelist Ryotaro Shiba (1923-1996) said the Spanish economy in those days reminded him of "a thief sitting on a mountain of treasures." He said this was because Spain squandered wealth it had collected from around the world, instead of capitalizing on it to build a strong industrial base.

Shiba wrote in his "Kaido o Yuku: Airurando Kiko" (On the highways: Ireland travelogue): "Spain was back to square one when all that wealth had been wasted by the royalty, the aristocracy and adventurers."

This image of Spain overlaps that of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan. Having won a public mandate, which is what every political party dreams of, the DPJ has been busy squandering it. Popular support is draining out like water from a leaky bucket. The situation was of the party's own making.

The DPJ fired its vice secretary-general, Yukio Ubukata, for criticizing Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa, but later retracted its decision when public opinion turned against it.

Then, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Hiroshi Nakai became embroiled in a scandal involving a woman. Bitter intra-Cabinet accusations and denials over who said what concerning postal reform was mockingly likened to gakkyu hokai (collapse of order in the classroom).

True to the idiom "the devil is in the details," the DPJ-led administration's true personality is revealed through many seemingly inconsequential details.

Among the more glaring details are the unresolved issue of money and politics and the administration's pathetic mismanagement of the plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture. On postal reform, the administration is in effect rolling back the privatization process. The nation's bloating fiscal deficit remains a cause for growing concern.

During Wednesday's Diet debates between Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and opposition leaders, New Komeito Chief Representative Natsuo Yamaguchi, who at one time had appeared to flirt with the DPJ-led administration, denounced the Hatoyama Cabinet as "disappointing." The scene reminded me of a line from Shakespeare, which goes to the effect that a man who is on the decline never realizes it until he senses it from the attitudes of others around him.

Support for a political party can be compared to a company's equity capital. If the DPJ squanders its equity and goes broke, it is easy to imagine the enormity of the disappointment of once-expectant voters.

The Futenma issue will be the crucial, make-or-break test for the administration. Hatoyama emphasized his readiness to "stake his life" on it in Wednesday's debates. I hope he understands what those words mean.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 2

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.