Do you perhaps have Karel van Wolferen's email address?

I wand to thank him for some classical CDs which he made for Donald Richie and which the latter kindly geve to me.

Dr. Helmut Morsbach, Tokyo

I lived in Japan for over ten years, where I worked as a translator, writer and teacher. I experienced directly some of the worst Japan has to offer - in the form of fraud, non-payment of wages, etc.

Mr. Van Wolferen's The Enigma of Japanese Power served as my bible on Japan.

His book is a much-needed examination of Japan and I have great respect for his intellect. When will he publish another book for the English-speaking world?

...and do you have his e-mail?

Sincerely,

Don MacLaren

kwolferen@compuserve.com

TO: Mr. Karel Van Wolferen
FROM: Akira Kubota
RE: Two general questions
DATE: 2005/11/01

I wonder if it is possible to obtain some meaningful response from Mr. Karel Van Wolferen on the following two general points: one on his theory that there exists no state in Japan while the other on his recent article in the Assahi Shimbun (September 12, 2005) that the latest Japanese general election was largely meaningless.

My tentative guess is that the Wolferen theory that Japan does not have a state is based on his observation that there until recently existed in Japan a dual power structure: one formal state structure while the other was private party structure or more specifically factionalism and its powerful traditional bosses. Since the president of the ruling party or the Prime Minister of Japan was not fully successful in controlling these factional bosses, one gets the impression that Japan was stateless. How does Mr. Van Wolferen react to this interpretation?

Theoretically it is of course entirely possible to insist that the latest 2005 Japanese general election was a largely meaningless empty mass psychological exercise. .In political analysis or debate, one has a right to look at a different small aspect of the same general phenomenon and to arrive at an entirely different conclusion. I would look at this election in a slightly different way. First, since the traditional factions within the ruling conservative party have now lost most of their power as a consequence of this election, the basic power structure in Japan has now become simpler and easier to understand. It has now become easier to trace accountability in Japanese politics. Second, since it has now become easier to make important decisions in Japan, it has now become easier to carry out important and urgently needed reforms. The postal reform is now complete. Other areas where progress is being made in reform are Diet Members’ pensions, consolidating government-owned financial institutions, local autonomy, road construction and others. Third, since decision-making processes have now become simpler, there now exist fewer opportunities for special interests to intrude into and interfere with the governmental processes and fewer opportunities for corruptions. For a Japanese Cabinet, Koizumi has been proven to be relatively “clean.” It is not completely impossible to insist that the latest general election has led to a set of fairly significant political accomplishments. Koizumi may go down modern Japanese history as one of the most successful statesman, some might suggest.

Is it possible for Mr. Karel Van Wolferen to comment on the above two general points?

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