…… Before dawn, Ozawa hurried to the Hatoyama Mansion in Tachikawa

Seven years ago, after the DPJ won the House of Representatives election, it was not Ozawa who took over the Prime Minister's Office, but Hatoyama, who was the party leader at the time

Lacking experience in governance, unable to mediate domestic conflicts, unable to suppress interest groups, and ineffective economic reforms, Hatoyama withdrew from the background to Interior Minister Ozawa in order to protect the ruling position of the DPJ a few months after he took over the Prime Minister's Office

Over the next six years, Ozawa wrote a myth about Japanese politics and became a well-known "puppet prime minister"

It was not Ozawa who held the power of the Japanese government, but Hatoyama

In terms of origin, Ozawa can only be regarded as an unknown junior, and cannot be compared with Hatoyama

Hatoyama was born in a political family, his grandfather was former Japanese Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama, his maternal grandfather was the founder of Puli Company, Shoji Ishibashi, and his father Weiichiro Hatoyama was Minister of Foreign Affairs Hatoyama joined the Liberal Democratic Party in his early years, and was elected as a member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly In the early nineties of the last century, a political crisis broke out in Japan, Hatoyama withdrew from the Liberal Democratic Party and participated in the formation of the pioneer new party; Three years later, he joined the newly formed Democratic Party and became its leader; Two years later, the DPJ merged with three other opposition parties, with Hatoyama acting as secretary-general. Since then, he has served as a representative of the Democratic Party for a time, and since 2005, he has been the secretary general of the Democratic Party

It is worth mentioning that Hatoyama's grandfather, Hatoyama Ichiro, was not only one of the founders of the Liberal Democratic Party, but also the founder of modern Japanese politics, the founder of the Hatoyama political family, and a man of the year in Japanese politics after World War II

Compared with his grandparents and parents, Hatoyama, who studied engineering, is much inferior

The DPJ led by Hatoyama was able to win the general election, not because voters believed that Hatoyama was an excellent leader, and still less because voters believed that the DPJ could lead Japan out of economic difficulties, but because Hatoyama was not former Prime Minister Aso, and the DPJ was not the LDP

Less than a year after taking office, Hatoyama's ability to govern has disappointed Japanese voters

Before leaving office, Hatoyama did not elect Nishino, who was the chief of the Cabinet Service at the time and was more capable of governing, but chose Ozawa, who had little background

This arrangement is a good reflection of Japan's local political landscape

Ozawa was only the "spokesperson" sent by Hatoyama to the Prime Minister's Office, and it was Hatoyama who really made decisions

In addition, Ozawa, whose background is "clean", is more affinity among the people, acting as a "buffer" and providing great help to Hatoyama in carrying out political reforms

Over the past six years, Ozawa has accomplished his mission brilliantly and maintained the Democratic Party's position as the ruling party

Although Japan's economy is still not improving, in other respects, the DPJ's policy of "independence" is becoming a reality step by step

Militarily: By the end of 2015, the number of U.S. troops stationed in Japan will drop to less than 10,000, and according to the agreement signed at the beginning of the year, U.S. troops will withdraw from Okinawa by 2017; The withdrawal of the "supply force" sent to the Indian Ocean during the LDP administration ended the operation of sending troops overseas; The Self-Defense Forces have been expanded by 15 percent, strengthening their "self-defense" capabilities. intensify the research and development of various advanced weapons and reduce dependence on the United States; Through three major cases, the foundation for the establishment of a "regular army" was laid

Diplomatically, the DPJ advocates changing the "unitary diplomacy" based on the "U.S.-Japan alliance" and following the United States, and establishing a "pluralistic diplomacy" that is independent, improves relations with neighboring countries, and adapts to Japan's future development

Politically: Focusing on the eradication of "bureaucratic politics" and "family politics", and establishing a "people-oriented" modern democratic politics

In addition to political reforms, the core idea of many of the reforms led by Hatoyama was to change the basic national policy attached to the United States and build a modern Japan that can independently exercise state power and has its own characteristics in military, diplomatic, political, cultural, and economic aspects

It has to be said that Hatoyama is quite an "idealistic" politician

For a country where "family politics" is prevalent, where interest groups control is pervasive, and where old-fashioned forces are deeply entrenched, it is undoubtedly a fool's dream to change the basic national policy that has been implemented for decades overnight

Hatoyama himself is also a representative of "family politics" and interest groups

All these doomed Hatoyama's reform policies to be fruitful, at least not to make Japan "change its mind" as he imagined

In the words of Kyodo News's commentary: Hatoyama unveiled the dirty side of Japanese politics, but saw his own footprints

Ozawa, who is in the whirlpool, is well aware of the current situation, the DPJ has been in power for seven years, Japan is still the same as before, the economy is sluggish, big business controls the lifeblood of the country, bureaucracy is prevalent, political families are intrigued, the surrounding environment continues to deteriorate, and diplomacy has not made any achievements, and if this continues, the DPJ will inevitably lose next year's general election

What worries Ozawa even more is that the defeat of the DPJ does not mean that the LDP has made a comeback

After losing the general election seven years ago, the LDP suddenly woke up and began to reform its party, which, like the domestic reforms pursued by the DPJ, also faced an insurmountable obstacle to reform: factional disputes

As a major party that has been in power for decades, the LDP is an "intra-party party," with eight major factions alone

During the LDP administration, factional disputes led to the first place

After the change of the opposition, factional disputes made it difficult for the LDP to reform

As a result, the LDP lost the 2013 general election, and the DPJ has remained in power

If the LDP fails to reform, it is likely to "disintegrate" before the 20** election and split into several smaller parties, any of which will be difficult to win the election

At a time when both major political parties are facing enormous challenges, ultranationalism is rapidly on the rise in Japan

Last year, after China vetoed the proposal to expand the Standing Committee of the People's Republic of China in the Security Council, the ultra-right-wing forces under the banner of "nationalism" expanded rapidly in Japan, taking advantage of the weakness of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the difficulty of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in its ability to sustain itself, the ultra-right-wing forces vigorously advocated the "theory of Japan's survival," advocated the restoration of a normal "state system," the establishment of a modern military system, the enhancement of armaments, the pursuit of tough diplomacy, the expansion of the living space of the nation, and the use of "military rejuvenation of the country" to help Japan get out of its predicament

Ozawa does not deny some of these views, but he knows that the far-right forces will only push Japan into the abyss

The far-right forces do not have much of a "market" among the general population, but they have found "buyers" in the Self-Defense Forces

If the ultra-right-wing forces "marry" with the military, Japan will once again embark on the road of "militarism" and repeat the historical tragedy of the last century

Finding a problem is not the same as solving it

As a "puppet prime minister" with limited power, Ozawa can only bring Japan on the right track and eliminate the influence of the far-right forces in major decisions, Ozawa does not have much say in major decisions, and must act according to Hatoyama's wishes

When Hatoyama met, Ozawa first introduced the current situation, and then focused on the content of the phone call with the President of the United States

As usual, Hatoyama did not immediately express his position, but pondered with a melancholy face

This is Hatoyama's "characteristic": when faced with major decisions, he is always indecisive and cannot make decisions on the spot like a true leader

"So, the U.S. supports our tough action?" Hatoyama was also very careful when choosing words

Ozawa observed the expression of the party leader and said: "The intention of the United States is obvious, it wants us to hold China and create an opportunity for them to attack Iran."

Hatoyama nodded, his expression still very melancholy

"If we have a military conflict with China, it will undoubtedly be a blow to the fire for the United States, and it will not be of much benefit to Japan" Ozawa did not miss the opportunity to "influence" the party leader, "Over the years, we have been working hard to promote independent diplomacy and improve relations with neighboring countries, although some unpleasant things have happened, but China's attitude has softened somewhat, and we should take the opportunity to throw an olive branch and improve relations with China. embarking on the path of all-out confrontation with China, the consequences are difficult to imagine"

"It's not that simple," Hatoyama shook his head and said, "China's attitude has changed, and most of it has to do with the United States, and we don't want to fall into the trap of the United States. For most of the past six months, the voices accusing the cabinet of being too weak have come and gone, and we have made a strong response, and if we immediately receive the olive branch handed by China, the voices of accusation and doubt will be even stronger, and the general election will be held next year, and the decisions we make in the past few months are very important."

Ozawa was secretly shocked and found that Hatoyama was much tougher than before

"Can we win when it counts?"

"The Ministry of Defense has submitted an assessment report, and the chances of victory are more than half," Ozawa took a breath and said, "The United States has made it clear that it will not enter the war, and at most it will provide us with assistance.

Ozawa didn't tell the truth, and in the assessment report submitted by the Ministry of Defense, the chance of winning was nearly eighty percent!

Hatoyama glanced at the prime minister, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and said, "Do you think we can compare with India?" ”

"India?" Ozawa hesitated for a moment and said, "Even if war breaks out, China will not strike at our native targets, and it cannot be compared with India at all"

"At least, we are not India"

Seeing that Hatoyama's attitude was becoming more and more resolute, Ozawa simply shut his mouth

Hatoyama did not waste precious time in arranging for the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to give a briefing, saying, "We still have to consider in detail whether or not to do what the United States wants, and we can't make a decision lightly

"I'll arrange it right away, and I'll come over early tomorrow morning."

"No need, arrange it at the Prime Minister's Office, I will arrive on time"

Ozawa nodded, didn't say anything more, and got up to take his leave

On the way back to the Prime Minister's Office, Ozawa contacted the three ministers separately Hatoyama did not make a decision immediately, not because he did not have the ability to make decisions, but because he could not make decisions alone

Thinking of the intricate relationship behind the scenes, Ozawa couldn't help but be secretly worried

The storm had formed, and the battleship "Japan", whose "steering gear" had failed, was staggering towards the center of the storm

Damn it*

Today's 30 more, kill the first place on the update champion list, and beg for a monthly pass! (To be continued)