Mr. Kato's agenda was crushed in a manner that would have made Machiavelli proud, and reform was kept off the agenda. Japan has repeatedly shown itself capable of extraordinary social mobilization and rapid change. In the 19th century it mounted a furious drive to catch up with the West. But the farcical ending of Mr. Kato's challenge left people here wondering if Japan was still capable of meaningful change. The nation certainly faces challenges.
Unemployment is near record highs.
The pension system is so shaky that people save compulsively, depressing consumption. His attitude bespoke a presumption of arbitrary power that many would say is no surprise. In Japan's faction-driven politics, seniority and survival are everything, and those at the pinnacle use their control of the party's finances and electoral slates, not to mention the spoils of government spending, like a whip to maintain discipline. That is what passes for party politics in our country, and that is why party politics are close to dead in Japan. The scarcity of openness and accountability in such a system mattered little to the Japanese during the long era of ever-rising prosperity.