CFR: The September 12 announcement that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will step aside brought cheers from those in Japan who oppose the logistical support Tokyo supplies for the war in Afghanistan. Economists, however, took the news with mixed emotions. During his short and tumultuous tenure, Abe met criticism on many counts—some blamed him for a flurry of scandals (AP) in his cabinet, while others called him overly nationalistic or indecisive. Yet Abe also pressed an ambitious economic reform agenda. In an April 2007 interview with the Washington Post, he described his economic goals, extolling deregulation and free-trade agreements. Until global market turmoil recently stung Asian stocks, the tack seemed to be meeting measured success. Some analysts even predicted the Japanese economy was finally emerging from years of crippling deflation.
However, with former Foreign Minister Taro Aso seen as the replacement, one market has witnessed a short but explosive bit of growth: the manga market:
FP: Following the news of Abe's resignation Wednesday, shares in manga retailers jumped dramatically on speculation that Taro Aso, an avid manga fan, will soon replace Abe as Japan's PM. For instance, Broccoli, a retail chain selling games and comics, saw its share price leap 71 percent, and second-hand bookstore Mandarake closed 13 percent higher. Meanwhile, Japan's main share index fell half a percent.
Aso was apparently instrumental in creating the "Nobel prize" for foreign manga artists. He's "keen" on promoting manga overseas, arguing that the comics are a critical vehicle for enhancing Japanese diplomacy, with "warm feelings" for Japanese manga and anime translating into warm feelings for Japanese foreign policy, especially in the Asian region (not to mention some parts of SoCal and Austin), where manga is already popular.
The new Foreign Minister is expected to be Prince Pickels:
