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Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi played golf in Karuizawa recently. His competitors included Tsutomu Hata, secretary general of Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan).

Obuchi's first shot veered right. The prime minister reportedly quipped, "Lately, my leaning has been toward the right. Perhaps I need Hata-san to adjust it a bit to the left."

The glib spontaneity with Obuchi made fun of his own recent political direction represented a dramatic departure from his earlier, self-processed clumsiness with words. He has become an expert at cracking jokes at his own expense.

The game ended with Obuchi beating Hata by one stroke. "My score improved in the latter half (of the game) just like my popularity rating," he said smugly. It is true that his Cabinet's support rate has been rising dramatically. In the latest Asahi Shinbun survey, it registered 49 percent.

At the same time, however, the survey found 47 percent of the respondents to be critical of the tripartite coalition partnership of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito. And asked if the recent going-on in the Diet made them feel apprehensive about the future of Japanese politics, a whopping 79 percent replied in the affirmative.

The main players forging this coalition -- Obuchi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka and Liberal Party Leader Ichiro Ozawa -- are all former proteges of the late Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.

And mentor Tanaka was once quoted as saying, "In politics by vote, one can lose an election by just one ballot. A flower is still a flower even if only one blossom blooms. This is the principle of balloting mankind has ultimately arrived at"

His disciples have faithfully lived up to his precept, single-mindedly pursing the philosophy of "politics is power, and power is in numbers."

The LDP members persist that it is essential for them to join with other political parties that share its basic goals and ideals to form a stable framework needed to carry out necessary policy measures quickly.

But it is not always favorable to pass such important bills as will directly influence our own right to survive not through deliberate discussing but through the power of numbers. How many people know about the fact that more than 140 bills have passed latest ordinary Diet session, many of which have much to do with our daily life ?

Especially, as for this tripartite coalition, some people are very concerned that New Komeito's participation in a coalition government could violate the principle of separation of religion and politics. We should remember the huge lay Buddhist organization Soka-Gakkai forms New Komei's biggest support base.

Question 1: Do you agree with the idea of tripartite coalition among the LDP, the LP, and the New Komei Party?

Opinions 1:

• Collecting number is important for the stability of Cabinet. In this sense, coalition itself is not bad thing.
• Partnership should be established item by item (bill by bill). However, because of coalition, those 3 parties may agree with each other on bills inclusively and easily without detail discussion. In this sense, caolition is not good for politics.
• Religion and Politics should be separated. However, one of those 3 parties is strongly supported by a religious group. That may be against the principle of relationship between politics and religion.

Question 2: Why do you think Japanese politics as been said to be the third-rate ?

Question 3: Who do you think is holding the most important key of Japan going ahead ?

Question 4: Anything about this topic

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