Grabbing the Wrong End of the Stick

Boy, did they get this one wrong. People voted for Mr. Masusoe because they like his priorities and because they understand the difference between what Tokyo as a local entity can do and what the national government can do. Can you say "spin doctor" at work?

Here is something about the Tokyo election from The Japan Times online:

The defeat of two anti-nuclear candidates, including former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, in Sunday’s Tokyo gubernatorial election has given the central government a boost of confidence as it prepares to move forward with an energy policy supporting the use of atomic power.

“We plan to compile a feasible and balanced Basic Energy Plan (for medium- to long-term energy policy),” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a Diet committee Monday morning.

Nevertheless, Hosokawa’s attempt to focus attention on nuclear policy — a politically sensitive issue since the Fukushima nuclear crisis started in 2011 — appears to have put more pressure on Abe’s government to refrain from rushing toward endorsing a draft energy plan that has been criticized for its strong pro-nuclear tone.