The Japanese Upper House Election ... In Depth

Well, at this point it is of course all over with Shinzo Abe admitting his defeat although of course he is staying put due to his (and his party's) remaining majority in the lower house. However, if you did not manage to follow the events as they unfolded in Japan or if you just want to catch up on what actually is going on in Japanese political circles at the moment ... look no further.

Start off with a visit to GEM's in-house political analyst Manuel Alvarez-Rivera's Japan page to get yourself up to speed on the basics of the political and electoral system in Japan. Then, scoot over to his GEM note which serves up the latest on the current result as well as an excellent review of the issues at hand. Still not satisfied? In that case, run on over to my brief post over at Japan Economy Watch which contains a myriad of outgoing links to major news sources on the election. And if you are even more hungry after this set of entrés, Edward cooks up a formidable main course with his live blogging of the Japanese elections as they unfolded today. Needless to say that Edward's entry is a goldmine of information, insight and inquiry on the issues at hand in Japan at the moment regarding both an economic and a political perspective. Edward started off at 8.15 in the morning and finished this evening at 20.30 with his updates. Thank god for those hot days in Barcelona eh?

And for dessert you ask? Trust me, you won't need one!