The Japanese bureaucracy is unique. It is also very powerful, although it is now the object of so much criticism. Many of Japan's brightest made it a pillar of strength and continuity.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The Japanese press likes me a lot, but the problem is the Japanese government. It's very bureaucratic.
The greatest problem in Japanese politics over the last two decades is that we put off what needed to be done. We have to overcome that.
Japan's very interesting. Some people think it copies things. I don't think that anymore. I think what they do is reinvent things. They will get something that's already been invented and study it until they thoroughly understand it. In some cases, they understand it better than the original inventor.
When I came to office, in terms of diplomacy and national security, as well as the economy, Japan was in a very severe situation.
I believe it is important that we Japanese write a constitution for ourselves that would reflect the shape of the country we consider desirable in the 21st century.
A robust economy is a source of national strength for Japan.
It is hard to be an individual in Japan.
There's an awful lot of corruption in Japanese business and politics, corruption of the sort that can make for great setting for a spy story.
Japan is a great nation. It should begin to act like one.
As a bureaucracy becomes more established, it develops its own career structure. It is less dependent, and should be less dependent, on individual personalities. Absolutely no one is indispensable.