Election in Japan tomorrow-- ballot includes Supreme Court recall

[Art_from_Ark]

I was just talking with a Japanese citizen who voted absentee today. He told me there are three items on the ballot:

1) Vote for one candidate for lower house of Parliament (Diet)

2) Vote for one party for the proportional representation district

3) Check the box beside the name of any Supreme Court justice(s) who is/are doing an unsatisfactory job.

Wow! Number 3 really surprised me. There are twelve justices on the Japanese Supreme Court (appointed by the prime minister and rubber stamped by the Emperor), and the Japanese people are being given the chance to recall any or all them. If Americans had that right, I like to think that Scalia, Rhenquist, O'Connor, Kennedy and Thomas would be looking for other work.

[Don_G]

1. If The US Only Had The Same Option

It might take a while, but more than a few on the Supreme Court would retire.

[kalian]

2. Geez....

But in Japan's case: they want to reconstruct their judicial system
to be more in line with Kozyiumi (sp?) Remember, this PM is a right-wing psuedo-fascist pig...

[Art_from_Ark]

3. Koizumi is certainly more right wing than his recent predecessors

He is making a lot of people uncomfortable over here. I know several people who are voting against his party tomorrow.

And there are no Diebold e-voting machines over here! And no hanging chads. Paper ballots are used, and they are marked with a No. 2 (HB) pencil.

As Gristy notes in his signature line,
paper ballots + locked ballot boxes + multiple sets of eyes + basic accounting = honest elections

[Some Moran]

4. This may make me a traitor but...

While I despise the Bush v. Gore decision, I would not vote to recall Kennedy or O'Connor. With the current sadministration (sic) in power, we'll just get someone far worse.

Besides, I know a few liberals who like Kennedy a lot...(To those of you who say he's bad, remember that he was only chosen because Reagan's first two hard-right nominees were slaughtered by the House. When this happens, selection of justices moves away from ideology and towards quality.)

[Adamocrat]

5. Recall? They have Republicans in Japan?

Great...