Answer:

Sure. I believe Obama is changing. I think he is finally turning into a real U.S. President. In the beginning, he was weak as a president, but this is changing. I believe Obama’s and Romney’s ideas will become more and more similar, and in the end, there will be no major difference between them.

Thinking about the future, of course, being a Democrat, Obama tends to want a big government, to help the poor, and to suppress the wealthy. That’s his democratic nature. Romney, being a Republican would most likely project a strong image as a U.S. President. On the other hand, he doesn’t have a strong disposition, and he likes to choose the middle way.

That’s why the two are really not so different. Also, Obama has shown us recently his ability to kill his enemy’s general at a low cost. He is good at taking out important figures without using much money even more so and better than the former U.S. President Bush Junior. It is surprising to see this, but I believe it comes from his past life. It probably does. He is great at pinpoint assaults. So, if Obama continues in his position as U.S. President for another four year term, I think he will successfully attack the North Korean leader. Getting rid of important figures is his specialty. And because this would be an extremely cost efficient war, it would help the U.S. economy and the U.S. tax system.

Romney needs a good military adviser. Then he might get serious and fight an extremely expensive war. So for the economy, for the budget, the result would be the same. The U.S. government’s vast debt will remain. Obama could fight a cost efficient war, yet redistribute the tax revenue to the poor. Romney could spend large amounts of money on actual military activity. Given these two candidates’ standpoints on the economy and military activity, whoever wins the election, I think what will happen for the U.S. economy will be the same.

At the moment, the world economy is plummeting rapidly towards hell. But whether something like the Great Depression of 1929 is going to occur again depends on the European Union. U.S. aid, Japanese aid, and Chinese aid will be necessary. If these three countries do not support the EU, another Great Depression is on its way. That’s what I believe.

The economic situation in Japan and the U.S. is not great, and neither is it in China where things now are becoming worse than in Japan. From a global economic viewpoint, this is an extremely dangerous situation. We don’t have any good economists in Japan. The Bank of Japan’s Governer Shirakawa is a bureaucrat in the truest sense of the word – he has no brain. Prime Minister Noda is pushing us further towards an economic hell with his tax system, raising consumption tax first from 5% to 8%, then from 8% to 10%. His economic policies are suicidal. This is why Japan’s economy is going to fade in the near future. Our economy needs a savior, but nobody exists in the world today who could take on this role.

The main point of contention, the task, is to choose between giving approval to financial reforms, and giving approval to rebuilding the economy. It is essentially a question of which one of these ends up being chosen. Noda would like to stress tax policies right now, and the LDP should probably back him up. If Noda makes up his mind, and puts his political life span on the line in order to pass his bill in parliament, this is a possibility. At the same time, the DPJ could lose political power, and splinter into several smaller parties. This is my prediction, so I think Japan’s political situation will be cloudy in the near future.

Let me return to the U.S. presidential election. If U.S. citizens put the economy first, rather than equality and world peace, the next U.S. President is going to be Romney. If they are less concerned about the economy, and more concerned about implementing justice, world peace, and an egalitarian society inclusive of minorities, Obama is going to win. That’s what I think is going to happen. So in the end, it depends on the American people. That’s why, at the moment, I don’t want to make any predictions about the outcome of the election. It will be a head-to-head race. Whether the Americans elect Romney or Obama, I believe American society is going to change a little. In short, the Democrats will get closer to the Republicans, and the Republicans will get closer to the Democrats. Both are looking for a middle way, so really, they are almost the same.

In conclusion, it depends on the world economy, and on how bad the economy is going to get. If this fall, things are looking extremely bad economically speaking, I think Romney is going to win. But if the present situation continues, and the economic downturn is kept to a minimum, Obama will get another chance. I think the outcome will be almost the same no matter who wins. Obama has changed, and Romney is confused about his policies right now. It depends on his advisers. It depends on the financial and military advisers he chooses. I think Obama is getting better. He has learned a lot in the past four years. So I think the two are not really that different.

As for Japan, what I want to tell the Japanese is that Japan needs to come up with its own policies. It needs its own independent diplomacy, its own will, its own defense policy, its own economic policy, its own tax policy, and its own future policy concerning new industries and defense-related ones. This is the time to implement all that. Please focus on rebuilding Japanese politics. At the moment we don’t have enough influence on U.S. policy. So to sum up my thoughts again, no matter who wins the U.S. presidential race, both canditates have a good personality, and the outcome will not be so different. As Japanese, we should focus on making decisions concerning our own country’s policies, and our own country’s future. I believe this is what really matters.