Hillary in Japan

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making her international debut right now, having chosen Japan for her first official visit. She’s been incredibly busy meeting with a wide range of different groups since arriving here, but while everyone is smiling for the cameras, her visit is shaping up to be a rather strange one. First, she was received by the Empress Michiko rather than Crown Princess Masako, who is still suffering from depression and avoids nearly all public appearances. She asked to meet with Ichiro Ozawa, the leader of Japan’s main opposition party, apparently hedging bets that the current ruling coalition might not be in power for much longer. She also met the parents of Megumi Yokota, the poor girl who was kidnapped and spirited away to North Korea, as a gesture of support. Ms. Clinton’s visit came at an especially embarrassing time for current Prime Minister Taro Aso. First, an opinion poll was released showing public support for his administration to be around 9%, the timing of which was no doubt helped along by reporters with whom Aso-san is famous for quarreling. Then in Italy, Japanese Finance Minister Nakagawa announced he would step down after apparently giving a press conference while drunk as the proverbial skunk. I’m sure it was a real Nyoro~n moment for Akihabara’s famous politician.

Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Nakasone; Former Japanese Finance Minister “Shochu” Nakagawa.