Empress of Japan

Mr. Hiroyuki Yoshikawa was the meeting chairman.

Turning Over Macarthur
There was a time when people were calling for the head of the late Emperor Showa (Hirohito) of Japan. Of course, that was straight after World War II finished and they were having a war crimes Tribunal in Japan. General Douglas Macarthur had other ideas about ruling Japan, so he let the Japanese keep the Imperial Family because he wanted the peace to be workable.

Many people have discussed the merits of that decision at great length but the fact remains, the occupation of Japan went very peacefully in contrast to what is going on Iraq today, and much of that was due to the fact that the Emperor stayed. Certainly, an Iraq-like outcome would have been disastrous for the allies, considering the outbreak of the Korean War only 5 years after WWII. Instead, Macarthur's GHQ figured that at some point the Imperial Family ought to be consigned to history and so, worked a clause into the New Constitution, a clause that said only a male could become Emperor of Japan.

Sure enough, the current Crown Prince and Princess have a girl and are not looking likely to issue more off-spring, so the Prime Minister has invited legal and history adivisers to review the clause, and surprise surprise, they have unanimously declared that there can indeed be an Empress of Japan.

小泉純一郎首相の私的諮問機関「皇室典範に関する有識者会議」（座長・吉川弘之元東大学長）は２５日、首相官邸で開いた会合で、最大の焦点だった皇位継承資格をめぐり、現行では男系男子に限っている資格を拡大し、女性・女系天皇を容認することを全会一致で決めた。１１月末までにまとめる最終報告に明記する。

　小泉首相は２５日夜、来年の通常国会に皇室典範改正案を提出する準備を進めていることを記者団に明らかにした。改正が実現すれば、皇室の在り方に大きな影響を与えることになる。

　有識者会議は、現行制度のまま安定的な皇位継承が実現できるかどうかを検証。男系男子の後継者が非常に少なくなりつつあることから「将来必ず後継者不足が生じる」との見方で一致し、皇位継承資格を女性や女系皇族にまで広げることにした。

　吉川座長は会合後の記者会見で「女性天皇は国民に受け入れられると思う」と述べた。

　有識者会議は（１）皇位継承順位は直系の長子（第一子）優先とするのか、男子優先とするのか（２）女性皇族が皇族以外の男性と結婚して皇籍を持ち続けるとした場合、増えすぎる皇族の数をどう調整するか−の点も協議し、最終報告に盛り込むことにしている。

　　女性・女系天皇　　女性天皇は文字通り女性皇族が天皇に即位すること。一方、母方からのみ天皇の血統を引き継ぐ皇族が皇位に就くケースが女系天皇で、いずれも皇位継承者を「男系男子」に限る現行の皇室典範では認められていない。

　女性天皇は歴史上十代８人の例があるが、いずれも男系女子で、皇后を経て即位したか生涯独身を通しており、女系天皇は皇室史上例がない。政府の「皇室典範に関する有識者会議」は、皇位継承の安定を図るため、女性・女系天皇を容認することで一致。政府は皇室典範改正案を次期通常国会に提出する方針だ。

Prime Minister Koizumi will be putting forward a bill to amend the Constitution on that clause. So much for GHQ's great plan.

Waiting On Brian Cashman Update
I know it's kind of weird sticking this in here, but I just saw it.

HOUSTON - If you believe the scuttlebutt from the GMs at the World Series, Brian Cashman's prolonged negotiation with Yankees general partner Steve Swindal is directly related to Theo Epstein's holdout in Boston.
"They're pals," said one GM, "and I'm sure they're both holding out as long as they can, if nothing else, to give Theo additional leverage so he gets what he wants from the Red Sox. In any case, Brian's going to get his money."

That's been pretty much a given. Money is not the issue with Cashman and the Yankees; mutual cooperation and understanding with the Tampa faction of the Yankee front office is. It's been generally assumed Cashman will command a raise from his present $1.15 million to a three-year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.7 mil per year, which would put him slightly above the Braves' John Schuerholz as the highest-paid GM in the game. (The Tigers' Dave Dombrowski makes $2 million but he is also the team president.)

Schuerholz's contract is up after '06, at which time he undoubtedly will get a bump to $2million or more. Epstein, meanwhile, is looking for what Cashman is getting, or maybe a tad more. Last week, he rejected a Red Sox offer of three years, $3 million and has vowed to walk if a deal isn't reached by Monday, when his contract (at $400,000 per year) expires.

Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino is trying desperately to hold the line with his third-year GM - and there have been reports that commissioner Bud Selig has been monitoring the process behind the scenes out of concern for an escalation of the GM salary scale. But stuck in Epstein's craw is the five-year, $12.5 million deal Lucchino offered Oakland's Billy Beane three years ago. Lucchino has shrugged that off as "a mistake" - which, indeed, it has come to be if only because of the predicament it has caused the Red Sox. If Epstein walks, the Red Sox will come out looking like cheapskates, unless they up their offer to $1.2 million or so - which they can then justify as "Cashman money."

Meanwhile, it seems clear that Cashman intends to stay, although he is undoubtedly waiting to see what accommodations are made to Gene Michael down in Tampa. Michael, who had all of his scouting duties and player personnel input diminished this year, is seeking to either have them restored or be given the okay to talk to other teams.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in particular, are interested in talking to him about being a VP of Player Personnel and mentor to 28-year old Andrew Friedman, a baseball neophyte who is expected to assume the GM duties for new owner Stuart Sternberg. In addition, Phillies CEO Dave Montgomery is holding off on interviewing anyone for his GM job until Cashman makes his decision to stay with the Yankees official.

Well that would explain the lo-o-o-ong delay.