"One of the chief criticisms levelled against Mr Abe – even from within his party – is that his Cabinet was not selected for its competence, but instead was a weak-willed caucus of the Prime Minister’s friends."

"Across the country, electoral upsets revealed a longstanding resentment towards the ruling party. In Okinawa the LDP was punished for its perceived lack of strength on the issue of the realignment of US military bases there. The remote, economically depressed island switched its allegiance to the DPJ in what local voters described as “the only message Tokyo will understand."

Wow, that all sounds really familiar.

I might add, that in my opinion, I
don't find Abe to be a skilled
speaker. I am not Japanese and many
might disagree with me, however when
I have listened to him, he doesn't
seem particularly inspiring. Perhaps
someone might have better insight
here.

--- Jensen