The first of two elections...

 Another Sunday in April, part 2

This time last week, I was planning to write a little about being a Chair of a Department in a Japanese university...but the election was finally called in Australia today and so that has taken up some of my time. The election will be held on 21 May. That's six weeks of 'official' campaigning, and quite a long time to wait and see what happens. 

The Japanese Upper House election will be held sometime during summer, likely July. As someone whose day job is lecturing about politics, especially elections, it is a very newsworthy time and plenty of material to work with, digest and present to the students. 

In recent years, as I have observed contemporary politics, I note I have changed my 'public voice' in the case of the Australian situation in particular. In line with my role as academic, I have been invited by the media to offer comments on various aspects of the campaigns. Obviously, my own voting intentions are personal and I don't reveal them, the so-called 'neutral observer' status. I do think that is important. But it has also tended towards a non-critical or both sides approach, by many of us in commentary positions, that has partly led to our current political malaise. I think of the Trump years, or aspects of the Abe years, and of course, the situation in Australia where it appears the system is falling apart, rorted beyond repair. I say this about the current Government, not because it is a Liberal (National Coalition) government as such, but the abuses of the system are on a scale I have not seen previously. I would be critical if the Labor Party were doing these things as well. I have tweeted along the way that as undergraduate students when we studied governments in various Asian countries, they were held up as examples of cronyism and levels of corruption 'that we would never see in Australia, but...', indeed, but we have. That is my concern. We, the academic and media commentators, really do need to bring a greater nuance to our critique. 

When I taught Australian politics at uni in Australia, I used to tell the students that no matter how much you might despise the person in the office, we need to respect the office of Prime Minister, quite separate things in some ways. But I have rescinded this advice for the present. The incumbent has diminished the Office considerably, but hopefully not beyond repair. There are very few people on the current government benches who demonstrate the ideal of 'parliamentarian', as one who works for the betterment of all in society. It is ugly and partisan at present. Some say people will do 'whatever it takes' in politics; our politics is now well beyond that. It is dangerous. Others say that politics is a rough game, dirty business, but no, it doesn't have to be like this. 

One of the books I have in mind to write will reflect at length on these problems in our politics. I will watch with interest the progress of the several independents, the 'teal' independents running in this election, appealing to a better state. The votes they can garner, and perhaps even some seats, will give us some indication of how the electorate views our politics. 

These are the things I can think about now I am no longer Chair of a Department. 

More to come.

More occasional musings

A Sunday in April 2022, part 1

Now that the other blog is underway, having almost reached 100 posts in almost 100 days, I think I am ready to return to regular posting here, ideally weekly, perhaps more often as political events dictate, perhaps less as weekend work demands. On the latter, however, there should be less of that now that I am no longer burdened with the 'Chair of Department' role. That finished formally on 31 March although there will be a few minor things to mop up over the next few weeks.

If the purpose of restarting the #project365 blog over the way was to get myself back into writing habits, this blog will have a more specific purpose of honing my writing for all the writing I have in mind when I finally get home. That will be a combination of 'academic' writing, some commentary and maybe trying my hand at writing up life as an academic in Japan for a general audience. 

So the topics will be broad, the style varied as I try to strike a comfortable 'voice' but hopefully a bit interesting. Some have suggested a podcast of sorts, and although I wouldn't rule that our just yet, I'm not sure. I've tried listening to podcasts, some very good ones, but I just can't get into the habit myself. I like to listen live where possible, and somehow, as a radio person, I think I have a 'fear of missing out' on live radio if I'm listening to a podcast. As I said, that may change as life takes its course, so for now, it is writing for me.

I think I will also being using this space to review books as I read them, books in Japanese that I buy for research and recreation purposes, just for the record. Some parts might end up in lit reviews in articles and books. 

Overall, I think it is just time to start recording much more. 

This month, 1 April, the new academic and financial year begins in Japan. All the students who graduated last month took their first steps in their companies and new places of employment (often with rather formalised, organised pomp and ceremony). 

For me, tomorrow, the new first year students are welcomed to the university, with all the promise and excitement that brings them. Within a couple of weeks I'll be back in the classroom, something I expected would end in February 2021 until Covid put a stop to that. One day, there will be a post about the sense of being prevented to return to your own country...that was quite something. 

This year, there will be two elections, one in Australia and one here in Japan due around July. One of the key works I plan to publish in the next year will be some ongoing observations of the political cultures of both countries, a comparison of sorts and perhaps with more in common than people might think. The political is of course my main interest and is what much of my life has revolved around for the last few decades. There will be a few notes made about those events.

In the next few weeks, I suppose I would like to record a bit about holding the position of Chair in a Japanese university, but I guess too, I have to be 'thoughtful' shall we say, about what I might write, what I could write, what I should write... I still have some time to go here. Suffice to say, it has given me some interesting insights into the inner workings of a department that I didn't anticipate when I first arrived for the new academic year in 2016. I still hold a senior exec position at the University, so I have to consider that as well. What I can say, is that the positions couldn't be more contrasting. ...

I will probably be making further reflections on Japan-Australia relations--things I proposed in my PhD dissertation almost 20 years ago--seem to becoming all the rage in current commentary...it is a kind of 'told you so' moment after being essentially ignored for much of those twenty years. Anyway, that's the way to goes sometimes. 

There will be a few random pics too along the way, ones that have stayed with me over the week, or month. This post's pics from a walk I did around the neighbourhood last week...places you find the seasonal sakura blossoming where you least expect them. I like to think there is a bit of a metaphor in there somewhere, that hopefully I can tease out over the next few years of writing, and thinking. 

That you for following along this far. I will be back, soon.