I thought this discussion was very interesting, especially that concerning the division between theory and practice in the Constitution. In regards to the "salami-slicing" of Article 9:1-2, I wonder if this has something to do with the rise of China as an economic powerhouse? My own guess is that this section in the Constitution will not be ammended, unless some major defensive action has been taken, and this also is deemed to require another preventative reaction. For instance, if a rogue nations missile caused devestation, some reaction being taken that would prevent this from happening again. In which case, the Constitution would immediately be altered, retroactively. I'm also wondering how history is taught in Japan, especially regarding atrocities done in World War II? There must be some difference in the high school curriculum, when compared with what is taught in college. If so, what does this portend for the future (especially in regards to the Constitution)? The Koenkai seems to be a very interesting institution. I am guessing it serves as a lobby, collecting local voices, and then consolidating them. This, then, allows the local "big-man" to negotiate with the local politician that serves in the Diet. If I am correct then these local institutions might be a sort of nexus, with the local "big-man" being a patron (for thosew who belong to his institution). This would also explain why power, encapsulated by a list of local names, is passed on to the next of kin. This reminds me of the way villages have preserved some level of local autonomy, within the context of a larger kingdom (in ancient history). However, I might be completely wrong in my analysis. I am just speculating by way of analogies (I have studied much more European Ancient, and Medieval History). The discussion over moving certain ministries to less populated regions, also interested me. While this will not stop the decline in birth-rate, it might slow down the depopulation of rural regions. In turn, this would maintain a circulation of capital around the nation for a longer time. Nevertheless, I think there might be a better way to do this. Japan is already known for having the most productive workforce in the world. In addition to this, many homes are abandoned in less populated regions. I am wondering if one solution would be to have certain workers move between different regions, depending on the season. This would make life more interesting, and also infuse different areas with much needed capital. Nonetheless, this will not reverse the decline in population. Because of this, my expectation is that Japan must adapt by becoming the world's leader in the development of automation and artificial intellegence, which will be specially formulated for manual labor (i.e. agriculture), then the service sector. In the meantime, they will also deploy a stipend in order to maintain rural workers who are out of a job (while allowing for retraining). Ryan M.C.