ianstone
08-26-2010, 05:48 PM
'I don't like British people’ says Japanese politician
Ichiro Ozawa, a politican tipped as a future Japanese prime minister has declared Americans are simple-minded and the British are not very likeable.
Published: 4:14PM BST 25 Aug 2010
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01400/IchiroOzawa_1400441c.jpg Ichiro Ozawa Photo: BLOOMBERG
Mr Ozawa, the former secretary-general of Japan’s (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan) ruling Democratic party said the way prisoners of war marched in orderly ranks in “The Bridge on the River Kwai” demonstrated the best qualities of the British.
But he added that he had an aversion to the British. He said: “I don’t like British people”
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Americans fared equally poorly in his outlook. “Why is the United States (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/) so simple? I like Americans, but they are somewhat like single-cell (organisms),” Mr Ozawa told a political seminar in Tokyo, the Nikkei business daily, Kyodo News agency and other media reported.
Mr Ozawa, who quit as the No. 2 official in the ruling party in June after coming under fire for campaign finance scandals, also argued that the United Sates is a great democracy.
“A black president was born in the United States where having a black president seemed impossible,” he said.
“There are rumours that a black (leader) will surely be assassinated, but they chose Obama, who emphasised change.”
The 68-year-old was also quoted as saying: “I don’t think Americans are smart... but I appreciate very much that the choices made by the people during a crisis are put into practice.”
Mr Ozawa, an old-school backroom fixer sometimes dubbed the “Shadow Shogun”, stepped down from the number-two post of the DPJ in June as Yukio Hatoyama resigned as prime minister amid sagging approval ratings.
Naoto Kan, who distanced himself from Ozawa, replaced Hatoyama as premier but is now struggling to stay in office after his party suffered losses in upper house elections in July.
The DPJ is set to hold a leadership election on September 14, and political pundits are closely watching whether Ozawa, a powerful party faction leader, will run for the party leadership against Kan.
Ichiro Ozawa, a politican tipped as a future Japanese prime minister has declared Americans are simple-minded and the British are not very likeable.
Published: 4:14PM BST 25 Aug 2010
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01400/IchiroOzawa_1400441c.jpg Ichiro Ozawa Photo: BLOOMBERG
Mr Ozawa, the former secretary-general of Japan’s (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan) ruling Democratic party said the way prisoners of war marched in orderly ranks in “The Bridge on the River Kwai” demonstrated the best qualities of the British.
But he added that he had an aversion to the British. He said: “I don’t like British people”
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Americans fared equally poorly in his outlook. “Why is the United States (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/) so simple? I like Americans, but they are somewhat like single-cell (organisms),” Mr Ozawa told a political seminar in Tokyo, the Nikkei business daily, Kyodo News agency and other media reported.
Mr Ozawa, who quit as the No. 2 official in the ruling party in June after coming under fire for campaign finance scandals, also argued that the United Sates is a great democracy.
“A black president was born in the United States where having a black president seemed impossible,” he said.
“There are rumours that a black (leader) will surely be assassinated, but they chose Obama, who emphasised change.”
The 68-year-old was also quoted as saying: “I don’t think Americans are smart... but I appreciate very much that the choices made by the people during a crisis are put into practice.”
Mr Ozawa, an old-school backroom fixer sometimes dubbed the “Shadow Shogun”, stepped down from the number-two post of the DPJ in June as Yukio Hatoyama resigned as prime minister amid sagging approval ratings.
Naoto Kan, who distanced himself from Ozawa, replaced Hatoyama as premier but is now struggling to stay in office after his party suffered losses in upper house elections in July.
The DPJ is set to hold a leadership election on September 14, and political pundits are closely watching whether Ozawa, a powerful party faction leader, will run for the party leadership against Kan.