The postal privatization bills failed. The Lower House has been dissolved, and there will be an election on Sept. 11. The picture is of Diet members cheering “Banzai” for the emperor (?) after their official dissolution.
Mrs. Saru said it best:
I am super disappointed that the bill did not pass. We have a great Foreign Minister right now who is good for Japan and U.S. relations. Great. So much of what is wrong in the Japanese socity and foreign policy is due to narrow-minded politicians and those who vote for them.
I just spent 3 hours watching the coverage on NHK with a Japanese classmate. I asked him about the bonzai wave (which is apparently customary when the house is dissolved) and he was pretty sure that it is not meant to refer to the emperor. His theory is that it’s kind of a rallying cheer to show that they’re all enthusiastic about the upcoming election.
Now, am I the only person who wanted to see this happen just for the drama? Sure, I’m all in favor of the Japan Post banking and insurance divisions being removed from the reach of the finance ministry in their neverending quest for pork-funding, but this way all kinds of crazy stuff is going to happen!