Why Should Secretary Clinton Meet Ozawa Ichirō?

Because Ozawa and his allies control the House of Councillors, meaning they can stymie, delay and claw their way through all kinds of legislation and documentation (remember when they asked for the refueling logs of the Indian Ocean oilers, then the courses of all the ships that had received fuel from them? Aiiieah!)

Let us pray the meeting does not descend into farce, as when he met with Ambassador Schieffer.

The Americans, who are in a hell of a hurry on a whole lot of fronts, need Ozawa to stop eating up the clock, waiting for the election. They need Japan to speed things up, and -- as it was nearly two decades ago -- it is Ozawa, among all of Japan's politicians, who can deliver the necessary votes for the United States.

Anyone who does not see this is locked in a pre-July 29, 2007 mindset.

That he also may be in charge of Japan later this year is just sauce on top.