As for all that

I do not have much to add on the political front that Tobias Harris hasn't already said. I would only point out that the elimination of the last of the Special Advisors to the Prime Minister and the transfer of the Abductees portfolio to the Chief Cabinet Secretary indicate that this cabinet will not pursue any grand visions or vast strategic projects.

This is a fox cabinet, not a hedgehog one.

On the economic front, I tend to agree with the opinions found in David Pilling's article of September 23. There is really no money in the kitty for enlarging subsidies or public works.

My only fear for the overall economy is that Fukuda, Nukaga and Tanigaki will pay far too much attention to the eternal paranoiac tales of Finance Ministry bureaucrats about budget deficits...and insufficient attention to the unraveling of the U.S. housing market, a slow train wreck that will mercilessly stomp upon the revenues and profits of the export sector.