JAPANESE POLITICS, THE SAKAMAKI MUNEO WAY: CHANGE 4 MORE OF SAME

HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS. Or possibly it's just a rugby ball from his college glory days. Yes, as promised, here is Our Man's profile of the challenger to incumbent Abiko Mayor Junichiro "The Gnasher" Hoshino.

Now, Our Man is well aware that Gnasher Hoshino didn't exactly bring in the hits that the OMIA classified ad sales department was hoping for. Anyone would think that no one gives a monkey's for Abiko local politics! But since Shisaku hasn't been seen for months and Master Tobias must be cramming for his finals, there's no one out there to fill the void of Japanese politics posts in English.

So here goes.

The challenger is independent Muneo Sakamaki, 40. The rest of it is all too tedious to go on about. But put it this way, if you thought a young challenger to the machine politician would be a vote for progressive change, well you would be wrong.

In fact, the challenger is a career politician. He has held no other job than being a councillor for the Greater Abiko Co-Prosperity Sphere since he was 25. Also, there's his stated aim: to stop further development of Abiko, preserve the farms and trees (which are rather nice round here) and generally do the will of the people, whatever that is. So, do sod all.

Stick with the incumbent LDP candidate, on the other hand, and you'll get change and land development and free healthcare for kids up to junior high school age.

Hmmm. Who will Our Man endorse? And there's only a week till polling day.

(Yes, yes, local politics is tedious, but you have just made it to the end of a record-breaker - the World's Longest Post in English about Abiko Mayorial politics EVER. No, no, don't thank Our Man, he's just doing his bit for the 'bikoSphere.)