We're serious, man...

...about working something out about the Anti-Terrorism legislation.

At least that seems to be the message the Liberal Democratic Party is sending the Democratic Party of Japan.

The LDP leadership wants to have the Anti-Terrorism legislation take center stage--it thinks it has a decent chance of winning over public opinion. Considering the alternative options for Japan:

1) complete non-participation, or
2) sending troops to take part in ISAF or civilians to participate in a PRT

the leadership may not be far wrong.

Putting the legislation front and center, however, probably requires a purge of as many potential distractions--i.e., targets for the DPJ to attack and drag into committee meetings--as the leadership can find.

Oddly enough, someone or something has found it expedient to persuade Tamazawa Tokuichirō, a Tōhoku Bloc proportional House of Representatives seat holder (9 elections to the Diet) a former...wait for it...Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with big campaign financial scandal problems (No? Really? C'mon!) that this would be the perfect time for him to resign from the LDP--and furthermore tender his resignation from his position as...wait for it...Chairman of the House of Representatives Political Ethics Committee.

It's like preemptive whack-a-mole...

Later - Ooooh! The heavies have pushed recently-elected House of Councillors member for Kanazawa Prefecture Kobayashi Yutaka out of the Diet entirely--for his accountant's having tried to hide a really minor infraction of an incredibly inane electoral law.

It's getting medieval out there.