Online abuse in politics

PM Takaichi has run not only the campaign of the LPDJ president last fall shown below but also the House of Representatives election in this February. With online abuse, she and LDPJ have made big wins in both elections.

LPDJ seems to have been contaminated with online abuse for past some time. It is highly suspected to have ordered a company to spread defamatory information against the opposite parties. An account named DAPPI has done it. The company has excused that an employee did it by himself. DAPPI did it in the daytime of week days. LDPJ has spent some money to the company in the name of the other projects than this DAPPI thing.  

It is politically a heinous conduct that the Takaichi administration has run massive volume of the defamation videos against the opposition party candidates in the House of the Representative election. It has occupied more than 2/3 of the seats in the House. They could do whatever they want now. However, it should be questioned if their conduct was legally and ethically right or not. 

Online abuse in politics should be regarded illegal and ethically impermissible. Because it would destroy the ground of democracy. We need to discuss about policy in detail and to make judgement based on right informations in voting behaviour. If online abuse is allowed in politics, politics would be deteriorated by those rich enough to run online abuse.  

PM Takaichi should resign.

Quote;

 Man admits creating videos critical of Japan PM rivals in LDP election　KYODO NEWS- Jun 08, 2026 - 10:05All,Japan

Ken Matsui, the head of an IT firm who says he created videos criticizing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's political opponents for her campaign for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race, speaks in an online interview in Tokyo with Kyodo News on June 1, 2026. (Photo not for sale)(For editorial use only)(Kyodo)

TOKYO - The head of an IT firm has said that he created videos criticizing rivals of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in last year's ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidential race, after being asked by one of her aides to help her win the election.

Ken Matsui, 33, told Kyodo News in a recent online interview that he was consulted by a secretary of Takaichi on how to "reverse" the lead of Shinjiro Koizumi, then a strong contender to win the LDP presidential election in October.

"I proposed that negative videos would be effective," he said.

Matsui was asked about his thoughts during an online meeting on Sept. 25 to discuss social media strategy during the LDP election campaign. The meeting included the secretary who was introduced to him by an acquaintance.

Takaichi won the LDP election on Oct. 4 and became the country's first female prime minister later that month. She appointed Koizumi as defense minister.

Speaking in parliament in May, Takaichi denied reports saying her camp spread videos online via anonymous accounts to smear opponents. "I have been told that my office and campaign team did not in any way disseminate negative information about other candidates or create and distribute such videos," she said.

The reports, which first appeared in the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun in late April, claimed that Takaichi's publicly funded first secretary and others made and posted videos criticizing politicians including Koizumi, in which he was called "incapable" and a "puppet of hereditary politics."

In a written response to Kyodo News, Takaichi's office denied such allegations and said it has no plans to re-investigate the claims.

Matsui, who was also the developer of Sanae Token, a meme coin named after the prime minister, said the videos not only targeted Koizumi but another leadership rival, then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi who was emerging as another leading contender.

Hayashi is now the internal affairs and communications minister in Takaichi's Cabinet.

Matsui said he used some original generative artificial intelligence software to create 1,000 to 1,500 short videos on Koizumi and Hayashi. Around 300 social media accounts were then created on which the videos were shared.

He added he instructed the AI not to use expressions that would be slanderous and produced the content free of charge. He also said he does not think his actions violated the law.

Takaichi's use of social media was regarded as a strong factor in her victory in the party race as well as the LDP's landslide lower house election victory in February this year.

It has previously been revealed that the Koizumi camp had also asked campaign staff to make posts smearing rivals during the LDP leadership race.

Ebola virus epidemic

 Ebola virus infection is a highly contagious as well as fatal illness. It is spreading in Eastern Congo now. There are already patients or suspected cases in Italy and India in addition to the neighboring countries to Congo. The doctors struggling in Congo says it is out of control.

Here.

As this ABC article says the other countries than the US should contribute to this crisis by some means. But the US is responsible for supporting this probable pandemic since it is the country with the biggest GDP in the world.  

The Trump administration has withdrawn from WHO this January. It has imposed burden to this organization which worked for public health in the world. Surprising enough, the White House restricted those with the expertise on this probable pandemic to collaborate with WHO. 

Here.

Quarantine only slows spreading of the infectious illnesses but won't stop epidemic itself. Whether this Ebola virus infection would become another pandemic or not depends partially on the international network like WHO. There is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain causing the present outbreak. It may take a month or two to achieve the vaccine against this strain. Its production process and distributing it to the areas needing it require the network.

Here.

We are getting into an era of deficits of resources which easily elicit war or conflict. In this situation, if a pandemic breaks out anywhere in the world, it could result in total devastation. It is not a question whether we help those needing it but whether we may survive. 

A page has been turned

I had a phone call from FTI , the antenna tower constructor, yesterday and was told they had planned to do the work today, which I ordered them before. 

They, 5 people, have arrived here from Tokyo late in the morning. They have done all the job in a couple of hours. So fast!

Having cold tea we prepared for them, they have left for home early in the afternoon. A too quick process to get sentimental to say farewell to the tower I have used for 40 years. Their boss JF1IST seems to have retired and have his business taken over by his son. He used to build this tower in '80s.   

With the big chestnut tree cut down recently, our garden at the south east corner has become vacant and quiet as it used to be. My father has planted various trees and vegetables there 40 years ago.

We had a couple of visitors, W6IJ Tommy, thosedays WJ6O, and his wife. He has taken some photos while JF1IST and the crew have built the tower, while I was at work. having come home, I found the tower and a tribander stacked with a 2 element beam for 40m set on it. For the next decade or two, I was mad at DX chasing and contesting. In 2000s, I have more absorbed in chatting on CW. This tower and antennas have brightened up my life. Through this hobby, I have known a lot of good friends. Besides old elmers whom I have known since '60s or early '80s, with this tower, I could easily talk to friends in the East Coast or in Europe. I won't name each of those whom I became friends with on tower/antenna but sure am reminded of them. 

I am only grateful to the tower/antenna and the constructors. There used to be a few friends like JP1DJV who helped me to change or modify antennas.  

 Maybe, in some interval, I would come back to it with a tiny set up like I used to when moved here in 1979. When a person of the constructor as leaving here, I have kidded him I would aske them to build a new crank up tower. He was smiling at me.

A page has been turned in my ham radio career. 

Another peaceful day

It is a quiet and a bit hot day today. Still crisp and comfortable. I have spent all day at the garden. A few azaleas were damaged by powderpost beetle and have been cut in the garden. There are more area which we could plant some flowers and trees. Before doing that, I have been eagerly pulling out rhizomatous weeds. It is almost imossible to eradicate them since some rhizom is so deep underground that we could not access to it. Reducing the size and amount of such weeds is important to plant other kinds of plants. i don't feel bored with that garden work.

As already written in previous posts, while sitting on the garden and concentrating the work, I often recall my parents. They were often doing the same thing in this property. Living with my family with grandchildren and without any worry about living, they might be in the most peaceful days in their lives, I believe, even if I am not sure I have done best for them. 

My parents have known each other during WWII at the sanatorium, that is, very same place as we live right now. I have reiterated about that story a few times in this blog. They have married after the war and built their family with 3 children. They got through the hardest time in their lives then. Threatened to death in the war and poverty beyond words for sometime after the war. However, they got it through.

Now we are getting into the hardship in life we have never experienced during our lives. Economically, our country hit the highest nominal GDP while the real GDP remains the same. And the long term national bond is charged with the highest interest rate. These mean our country will suffer from further inflation. Takaichi administration is heading to further military buildup changing the constitution to throw away its pacifism. The social security is being cut and more self pay is being introduced. The gas and food crisis due to the war in the Middle East messes it up further. 

Spending elderly days in this situation is surely a challenge for us. Privately, we have own problems for our age as well. It is equivalent to WWII and the post war era for my parents. i won't complain of that but would live with hope for the future as my parents used to do.

My wife has prepard a gorgeous sushi dinner for my 77th birthday. A rewarding day.

My mother, maybe in her 70s, and my wife. A photo taken about 35 years ago. At a park nearby.

 

A peaceful day

It is getting even 30 deg C in the mid day here. Quite unusual temperature for this time in a year. Weeds won't wait for us tu stop growing. Both I and my wife have been cutting/pulling the weeds in the garden. Half an acre lot is a bit too much for this old couple to care for. My wife is only a part time gardener as well. 

I still sit on a small chair and run  a small sickle with single-minded concentration. Sometimes, a question why I should do this comes up in mind. I tell myself this property has been inherited through ancestors for centuries or at least from my aunt and caring for it is an honorable duty for me. It always goes on without such a self dialogue. Only being absorbed in it. After working too long, I often have some lumbago but taking a nap for an hour or so always alleviates it. 

Another question sometimes occupies my mind. It may sound a ridiculous question. Isn't it correct to get rid of weeds or unwanted plants in order to have certain plant like lawn or a vegetable grow from the ecological point of view. Isn't it an egoism for human being? Natural farming tells us to grow vegetables together with weeds so far as the latter won't disturb the former. It is sometimes surprising the latter is helping the former. On the other hand, we want our garden to have only lawn grown. Our life is disturbing the nature, isn't it? 

Considering of such a thing, I know it gets lunch time.  

Some vegetables are ready to be harvestd soon. Onions are grown. I found their leaf could be cooked and taste good if it is fresh. Dosens of them will be dried and stored to be consumed in the coming months until next spring.

Potatoes are growing as well. There are two other beds with them. Seriously, they are for the possible poverty life in the coming months.

A couple of years ago, I have planted a tree of iyokan orange at a corner of the garden. Sadly, the tree seemed to have withered in the cold weather of winter. I still found "basal shoots" at its base. I told my wife of that. In her calmness, she answered to me that it had been grafted and the rootstock grew the basal shoots. Unluckily, her observation seemed right.

Chating such a thing while pulling the weeds with my wife may be the best part of life so far. If the invasion to Iran by the US and Israel would not be ceasefired, the world, especially Asian countries, may suffer from teribble stagflation. Our administration won't prepare for that catastophic condition. The government put subsidy to the gas, not telling the people to refrain from using it. And, having intervened in the exchange trade, they have wasted the important reserve. They aimed at stopping lowering of JPY. Without improvement in the fundamentals, cheap JPY won't be normalized. So I could not help being pessimistic for the future but may enjoy peaceful days like today.

 

 

Diagnosed as spinal canal stenosis

 Having had neuralgia on lower legs and lumbago for the past few years, I had worst neuralgia this winter. A local doctor recommended me to take an MRI. The result was spinal canal stenosis of high severity. Since I have only neuralgia and backache, no bladder rectal symptom nor palsy/intermittent claudication, I would go on with only conservative treatment. Luckily, Pregabalin medication, a drug specific for neuralgia, turns out to be pretty effective in my case. In addition to this med, I would try to exercise to strengthen the paravertbral muscles and those supporting the vertebrae.

My father used to suffer from ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament in his late years of life. I might have inherited with the same disease or trait. At this age with the same kind of issue, I could fully understand what he has thought about. I should have been more thoughtful and compassionate for him. He used to come to help receptionists at my office during the lunch time when he was at my present age. After a couple of hours of lunch break working at the reception, he came back to his car and headed home. From my own room upstairs, I often saw him walking slowly with a cane across the parking lot toward his car as if dragging his legs. Time has passed. It would be my turn to spend time as he did then.

I am not sure how fast this pathological condition progresses or if it remains stable for me. It won't be fatal to me. However, it seems to be the right time for me to prepare for end of my life now. I should get things ready for my wife and the other family members after I am gone. I would prepare a farewell message or something like that. A lot of things to think about and to determine where items like my important cello etc should go. 

I should spend everyday in even more thoughtful and careful way than ever.

PS; Reading back this post, I have found a lot of typos. It tells me how I have become senile! Always check the sentence before uploading it. I should be more careful!

The 3rd movement of Brahms' 3rd symphony

Brahms is a remarkable melody maker in addition to renovating classical composition technique.

One of his melodies most impressive for me is this 3rd movement of his No 3 ymphony.

It was featured as the main theme of the movie, "Say Goodby Again", after the novel, "Aimez-vous Brahms?" by Francoise Sagan. Building up a simple audio system. 6BM8 single stereo amplifier with a pair of coaxial speakers in homebrew speaker box, I have started listening a lot of music. Yes, I was mostly indulged in movie music at first those days. It has not taken me a long time to start journey into classical music, though. I had not known this music from that movement of Brahms' symphony. I have never seen the movie itself, either. I was in the low teen days.

The university orchestra I joined as a cellist was practising this symphony. At the summer camp I was pratising cello outside as a beginner, I often listened to this music. The melody is started by celli followed by 1st violins. Cello part sings the counter melody to the 1st violin, which is even more impressively beautiful than the front melody. Listners are totally fallen in love with this melody when it is reproduced by Horn and then by strings. 

At the summer camp, the melody was coming on a breeze blown down from the mountain nearby. It has ushered in the early fall.

An unforgettable melody for me. 

A pianist Luke Faulkner has arranged it to solo piano. This rendition is also a memorable one. I am sure Faulkner has been fascinated with this music himself. This must be composed by Brahms with piano in this way.