Naoki Inose
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Naoki Inose( 猪瀬直樹 , いのせ なおき *November 20, 1946) is the one singular man-of-letters Japan has today. A biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai, he has intensely examined Japan's modern history from unexpected angles. He has written, among other things, about the little-noticed consequences of U.S. naval officer Matthew Perry's coming to Japan, in 1853, and the exaltation of the Emperor beginning in the Meiji era.
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[edit] Historical researcher
Inose's oddly titled book "Showa 16-nen Natsu no Haisen," which may be translated "Defeated in War in the Summer of 1941," originally published in 1983, describes the "Soryokusen Kenkyujo," or the Total War Research Institute. A name so misleading that during the International Military Tribunal for the Far East it would be accused of being part of part of Japan's conspiracy to conquer the world.
In truth, the institute was what would today be called a think tank, and its purpose was to contemplate what might happen if Japan were to be involved in a total war. Its conclusion was that "there will be no way for Japan to win the war because of its clear material inferiority. The war will be drawn out. The Soviet Union will butt in, and Japan will be defeated. Therefore, going to war with the United States must absolutely be avoided."
[edit] Recent arguments
In recent years, Inose has also been a powerful critic of Japan's inability to reform itself. In that role, he has been part of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's brain trust and served on the commission to examine the effects of "Nihon Doro Kodan." His demand that the public highway corporation stop its wasteful ways was so strong that his appointment to the commission, it is said, prompted some corporate appointees to decline to sit on the board.
Inose, has said that Japan lost World War II because the government at the time ignored data suggesting Japan would be unable to defeat the Allies and forbade access to the information before Tokyo declared war in 1941. He has further argued that this action is being repeated today by bureaucrats with respect to the economy.
He advocates that people share accurate information with respect to Japan's economic situation, that is not necessarily issued by bureaucrats, in efforts to help a debt-ridden Japan. He claims that "any reform can be implemented if people share more accurate and objective data than that (initially) released by authorities."
[edit] Tokyo Metropolitan Government
On June 15, 2007, Governor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Shintaro Ishihara announced that Inose had agreed to serve as a vice governor for the capital stating that "our opinions might differ but I believe it is healthy for us to debate and discuss many of our differences."
The governor is aiming Naoki's excellent assistant and independent public administrations against Japanese National Executive power.
