Japan's Abe raises ghost of glories past

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aspired to Churchillian eloquence during his visit last week to Washington.

According to the LA Times, what came out sounded more like a Terminator/MacArthur mashup: "I am back, and so shall Japan be." Foreign Policy's The Cable blog presented a different, more flattering, but somewhat incorrect version:

"I am back!" Abe declared forcefully to the hundreds of experts, officials, and reporters assembled in the basement of the Center for Strategic Studies on Friday afternoon. "And Japan is back." A look at the video reveals that Prime Minister Abe began his address with the awkward remarks reported by the LA Times and concluded his speech with the sole affirmation "Japan is back", having over the course of his 20-minute speech miraculously accomplished his goal of restoring the Japanese nation to greatness. 

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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