The final piece of silverware

Well. J-1 has crowned Kashima Antlers for the third year in a row. Kashiwa, JEF Chiba, and Oita all ended up in the bottom 3 and head down to J-2. From J-2, Sendai, Cerezo Osaka and Bellmare all make the move up to J-1.

The Nabisco Cup (The J-League equivalent to Englands League Cup) was won by F.C Tokyo who won 2-0 over Kawasaki Frontale.

The last piece of silverware is the Emperor's Cup. Japans equivalent to the FA Cup in that it is organised by the JFA, and open to all teams. Though, Like its English equivalent, the last time it was won by a team outside the top flight was quite a considerable time ago! (Waseda University was the last non-top flight team, in 1966!)

The Emperor's Cup is Japan's oldest football competition being initiated in 1921, and for large parts of its ealry history, it was open to teams from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Manchurian China. However, today, it is strictly Japanese.

It is run on similar to the FA Cup, straight knockout, with teams from various leagues getting seeded. The prefectural champions, and the collegiate champion make up the first 48, with the top 4 JFL clubs joining the J-1 and J-2 clubs who enter in the 2nd round. The 3rd round leads into the quarters, and son on... Until we get 2 for the finals.

The 4th round was the last round played in mid-November.

(J-1) Kashima Antlers 2-1 Vissel Kobe (J-1)

(J-2) Sagan Tosu 1-3 Gamba Osaka (J-1)

(J-1) Yokohama Marinos 1-2 Kawasaki Frontale (J-1)

(J-1) F.C Tokyo 0-3 Vegalta Sendai (J-2)

(J-2) F.C Gifu 1-0 JEF United Chiba (J-1)

(J-1) Nagoya Grampus 3-1 Jubilo Iwata (J-1)

(COL) Meiji University 1-3 Albirex Niigata (J-1)

(J-1) Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 Ventforet Kofu (J-2)

So, the quarter finals are to be played next weekend (12th and 13th of December).

The draw went as follows.

V

V

V

V

It is worth noting that FC Gifu and Vegalta Sendai are the only J-2 clubs left in the competition.

Once the quarter finals have been finished, we then move into an interesting final few days of the competition. The semi finals are played at the National Stadium in Tokyo and in the Shizuoka Stadium, in Fukuroi city, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Then, the final will be hosted in Tokyo at the National Stadium on new years day. An auspicious day in Japan. Everyone has to head to the temples to pray for a prosperous new year. I of course, will be praying now for Niigata to get that far! The club is hunting for its first piece of major silverware and it would be great to send off Suzuke with a triumph after a season of promises!

They think its all over...!

And it is.

Here in Japan we have our 2009 J-League Champions. Kashima Antlers are the deserving winners once more.

The final week of the 2009 J-League campaign kept people interested with 2 clubs still fighting for the title. Kashima had the upper hand, but only by a little bit. 1 minor slip up and Kawazaki would have slipped in. As long as they won. If Kawazaki won, then Kashima had no option but to win. A draw from Kashima would have seen Kawazaki win on goal difference.

The sript was going Kawazaki's way. They faced Kashiwa Reysol, a team playing or nothing. Kashiwa had already been relegated from J-1 and where only playing for pride. Unfortunately for them, Kawazaki, with everything to play for, and only a win will do, raced out of the blocks and played "balls-to-the-wall."

By half time, Kawazaki had raced out to a 3-0 lead over Kashiwa, whilst at the Saitama Stadium, Urawa where holding Kashima to 0-0. If the games where to finish here, then Kawazaki would have had a dramatic last-day victory to haul them over Kashima to win the league outright by 1 point.

Unfortunately, this was the situation after 45 minutes, not a complete 90.

Come the second half, Kashiwa decided to rattle a few cages and made a fightback, bagging a couple of goals to set up a tense finish to the game.

Meanwhile, back in Saitama, in the 60th minute, Atsuto Uchida crossed the ball, for Shinzo Koroki to meet the ball, and thump it into the back of the net.

This swung the league back in Kashima's favour, however, it was not guaranteed. Urawa stepped up the pace and began to throw everything at Kashima. Including the kitchen sink. Urawa sent on 3 substitutes, and all 3 caused Kashima big problems, and a huge collective tight-bum moment was when Urawa's Takahara went down in the box.

Luckily for Kashima, the referee did not point to the box, but Kashima's keeper Sogahata had to be sharp when 3 minutes later when Tulio came close with his own header. Kashima managed to hold on against Urawa for the remaining minutes to hoist the J-League title once more.

Their coach, Oswaldo Olivieria, who has overseen Kashima's last 3 title triumphs, was full of praise for his side.

"We were playing against the most talented team in Japan today, and I told the players before the match that the key was to keep their composure," he said. "It's not easy to beat Reds, but any game lasts 90 minutes. "There was no need to get an early goal and no need to lose our heads at the beginning or the end."

There was nothing else left to play for in the rest of the league, the relegation places had been settled before the final week.

A comment on Niigata. They played F.C Tokyo who occupied 5th spot, and fought out a 1-1 draw. F.C Tokyo headed in after the first half 1-0 up, only for Niigata's Naoto Matsuo to equalise in the 89th minute to rescue the game.

Unfortunately for Niigata, this season was full of "what if's." Niigata climbed the table, managing to get into first for the first time in the clubs history. However, they where not able to hold on, gradually slipping back. They hung on to 3rd for a while, then slipped to 5th, before finally dropping to 8th.

Whilst that does not look so good, Niigata's manager Jun Suzuke managed to take a small squad with one of the lowest wage bills in the league, and squeezed a lot out of them. Unfortunately, not having the spending power of other clubs with major industrial backers shone through in the end. The relatively small squad really did begin to tire by the end of the year. Still, if they can keep the core of the squad, next season could see them there or thereabouts again.

The only other issue to be settled today was the final promotion spot from J-2 to J-1. Going into the penultimate weekend, Shonan Bellmare headed Ventforet Kofu by 3 points. By the end of the penultimate weekend Ventforet had closed the gap to just 1. The final weekend saw Shonan beat Mito Hollyhock (I love that name!) to keep that 1 point gap, and claim the third and final promotion spot. This sees Shonan Bellmare return to J-1 after an absence of 10 years.

So, welcome to Vegalta Sendai, Cerezo Osaka, and Shonan Bellmare!

The real Terminal.

I did not watch the Tom Hanks movie in 2004, The Terminal. Where he played Victor Navorski. From eastern Europe, he flies to New York for the first time in his life. However, during the flight, a civil war breaks out, and effectively wipes his nation off the map. Therefore, upon his arrival, he is not allowed into the USA. He then has to set up camp in the arrivals lounge at JFK. The movie follows his struggle to make friends, and eventually get admitted to the USA.

There is an unfolding story in Tokyo that is not too dissimilar. The story is not about a man stuck without a country. This story is of a man stuck at Narita who HAS a country, but it is a country that does not want him!

The gentleman in question is Feng Zhengu.

Feng Zhengu is a Chinese national. In a previous life, he was an economist, and human rights activist. Back in 2000 he was sentenced to 3 years in jail for "illegal business practises." (Nice of China to keep it vague.)

Upon his release, he began to write critical columns of the Chinese government and help those who had suffered wrongs at the hands of the authorities in China. Mostly those who have been wrongfully evicted from their homes.

However, he decided to visit his sister this year, for a vacation. His sister resides in Japan, and so over he came for a month.

Not a peep out of the Chinese government.

However, when he tried to return to Shanghai, he was refused permission to enter into China. Even though he had all the documentation, and his passport, etc. The Chinese authorities stuck him back on the next plane to Tokyo.

He could always re-enter Japan, and go to his sisters home and have a shower and so on whilst all this gets sorted. This did not appeal to him, and his principles. So, he decided to wait near the customs desks, waiting to see if his China will let him back.

Since setting up camp in Narita, he has tried to return to China over 8 times, and either been blocked by the airline upon Chinas insistence, or made it to Shanghai, and has been turned back upon each attempt. The last was last month, when he borded an ANA flight back home. Yet again, the Chinese authorities did not let him in. Again, no reasons why.

He has since then scribbled on a t-shirt a slogan highlighting his plight which he is using to publicise his plight.

This t-shirt has been seen by many of the people who pass through Narita.

The Japanese authorities have been reluctant to help him too much, since this is potentially embarrassing for them as well as potentially damaging for their relationship with a notoriously prickly neighbour.

So, they limited his ability to buy food and drink airside at the airport. Not that there was much in the first place!

However, the public has come to his aid. He regularly tweets, and updates his story on the internet. He has had to formally request people STOP helping as his informal storage space under "his" bench is now so full of food and drink that he has enough to keep going for over a month! Since his story was publicised he has had help from people coming in off flights from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing and the US!

He has vowed to keep up this crusade for as long as it takes to go home.

So, if anyone is heading to Tokyo in under a months time, please, dont bother giving him food. Money, yes. Legal advice maybe helpful, but not food. However, come February, then by all means, take an extra bag of food and donate it!

The Worlds Greatest Dance!

Well, everything is set for December 4th, when we have the draw for the World Cup groups. The 32 teams are all selected and in the process of getting ready. So. Who do we have going to the dance? Well, I will go strictly Alphabetically.

AFRICA

Algeria qualified in the most dramatic of fashions, squeezing out of their first group, then finishing perfectly level with Egypt in the second. This called for a unique one-off playoff game against Egypt to be played in a neutral venue. So, Algeria finally made it to their second world cup after beating Egypt 1-0 in Kartoum, Sudan.

Cameroon started their campaign in a reasonably lacklustre fashion, but where able to turn it around and qualify easily in the end. Cameroon also hold the record for the most number of world cup games (17) for an African nation.

Ghana qualified for the world cup without much stress, and even though this is only their second appearance, they are highly fancied to go far at the first African world cup.

The Ivory Coast is another team highly fancied. Able to build a squad without an domestic players, the Ivory Coast can call upon a squad of expensive stars who are plying their trade with some of the top European clubs.

Nigeria have been the perennial powerhouse of African football. Regularly touted as the most likely African nation to make it to the semi finals of a world cup. This goal has so far eluded them. Whilst they do not quite have the stars of yore, they are not to be taken for granted.

This is South Africa's first world cup. A team that burst back on the scene back in 1996 when they won the African Nations cup. However, they do have the ability to blow hot and cold. Did very well at the recent Confederations cup, however, have put in some awful performances in the games either side of that tournament!

ASIA

Australia. Second Asian nation to qualify behind Japan, despite heading Japan in qualifying. Last time, got to the knock-out stages, and it required a last minute goal for eventual winners Italy to beat them. And not without controversy.

Japan was the first nation to qualify for the world cup. Granted, because of the fact that Australia, the team they trailed in their qualifying group, playing later because of time zone stuff. Japan has featured in the last 4 world cups, and 4 cups in total, and so far have only reached the knock-out stages once, in 2002. Their head coach, despite some worrying performances in friendly games, has a stated ambition of reaching the semi finals...

New Zealand of course, won Oceania easily. Then they had to play off against the 5th placed Asian team, Bahrain. Bahrain won the right to play New Zealand after they beat Saudi Arabia. New Zealand held out for a 0-0 draw in Bahrain, and finally battled through to a 1-0 victory in New Zealand. This will be the second time at the world cup.

The South Koreans are really trying to replace Japan as Asia's perennial top nation. (Australia dont count. Yet.) They have some excellent players, qualified relatively easily, and this will be their 8th time. The highest number for any nation out of Asia. Famously making it to the semi finals in 2002. Albeit with rumblings of dodgy referees....

The North Koreans have essentially come from nowhere to roar into the world cup. Finally doing something in the game, and making use of a pool of talent in the Koreans that live in Japan. Because they are born in Japan, but recognised as Korean, they cannot play for Japan, but get to pick the north, or the south. Their most famous moment was a 4-3 win against Italy in England, in 1966.

EUROPE

After missing out on the last world cup, the Danes where determined to make it to South Africa. And they did so in style. Being placed in the same group as the much fancied Portugal team, everyone had them pegged as runners up. Beating Portugal put paid to that, and only 1 defeat in qualifying saw them get through easily! This will be their 4th time at the world cup.

England was the second European team to qualify, and the first from one of the "full size groups." The Dutch qualified before, but out of the smaller group. After appointing Capello, England set about setting right the wrongs of the McClaren era. England ran riot in the groups, winning every game until they had qualified. The final game saw Capello rest a lot of his first team, and used many of his fringe players, and Ukraine pulled out a hard-fought 1-0 win. The difference between England now, and before, makes England as genuine contenders. Not just hopeless optimists, they are now in the hunt.

Right now, France has to be the most vilified nation in world football. The French public openly loathe Domenech, their head coach, and the team continues to frustrate. On paper, one of the best teams in the world. However, the qualifying rounds saw them continually to fall far short of expectations. Some FIFA shenanigans saw them "seeded" and against Ireland in a playoff. A deflected goal saw them win in Dublin, then back in Paris, the Irish pegged them back. Outplayed them, and where taking the game to penalties until Henry deliberately handled the ball (twice) and from the resultant blatant cheating, France scored. That goal took them through.

FIFA have yet to comment. Henry will probably be punished. France will be hated by pretty much everyone there.

The Germans made it to the world cup without any fuss, or flair. Grinding out results when they needed to. The Germans will be there or thereabouts pretty much perennially.

Riding high off the back of their victory in the Euro 2004 tournament, the Greeks continue to surprise and confound. After that, a limp run in 2008, and failure to qualify for 2006 world cup would have been more than enough for many coaches. Greece kept the faith, and where rewarded with their second ever trip to the world cup finals. The Greeks lost out to Switzerland, and then pulled out a 1-0 (over 2 legs) victory over the Ukraine.

Italy are the current world champions, but did not dazzle in the qualifiers. They did finally manage to top the group, but it was less than convincing. They will be one of the teams to watch, and many people will bet on them. However, it is doubtful they will be able to retain their crown.

The Dutch where in the same group as the Scots, and had the shorter campaign. However, the Dutch made short work of it, winning all 8, and being the first European nation to qualify. The Dutch have managed to get themselves branded as the best team that never won the world cup! A dubious honour indeed.

Thanks to Ronaldo, many people expected Portugal to roar to the world cup. But 1 win in the first 5 saw them nearly drop right out of the running, and not even the playoff. Portugal finally managed to turn it around, and in the second half of the campaign, managed to scrape back up to 2nd where they ended up playing Bosnia. Unlike France, they did win without cheating, and are off to South Africa.

This is the first time Serbia has been to the world cup as an independent nation, and where expected to be fighting it out for second place behind France. As it turned out, the Serbs played well, and booked their place at the world cup in a convincing fashion at the first time of asking.

Slovakia are definately not one of the favourites for the world cup. They do not boast any major international stars in their squad, they do prove the old adage "greater than the sum of its parts." They are very organised and work well as a very strong unit. In 1998, they where 4th in their group. For 2002, 3rd. For 2006, 2nd, and yep. This year, they won their group!

The Slovenians boast, er, and, um, well, OK, I dont know! A squad not built on international stars, but built from the back with one of the meanest defences in European qualifying! They pushed Slovakia all the way, only losing out on the last day. Russia was almost dancing with delight when they where paired with the Slovenian minnows. All was going to plan when the Russians raced to a 2-0 lead in Moscow. However, the Slovenians managed to bag a crucial away goal in the final few moments of the game. In the return leg in Slovenia, with 2 minutes to go, the Slovenians scored. Allowing Slovenia to qualify at Russia's expense on the away goals rule.

Spain is currently ranked as one of the top teams in the world. They won all their games in qualifying. Highest scorers, reigning European champs... The list goes on. The Spanish rightly have high hopes for this team, it is settled and they have blended well. However, Spain does have vulnerabilities, and has been known to explode dramatically when it comes to the crunch games. Will they go all they way? Or will it go up in flames?

The Swiss have managed to blend a team full of youth with some seasoned campaigners and progressed to the world cup as group winners. Though it was not without panic. Drawing to Israel, then the shock defeat to Luxembourg proved a big wake up call!

NORTH AMERICA

This is the second time that Honduras has made it to the world cup. Honduras started their campaign brightly, and easily made it to the final round of 6 from the CONCACAF region. Here, however, they started badly, then managed to turn it around in the second half of the campaign. At the end, they had to beat El Salvador, and hope the US got a result in the US-Costa Rica game. It took a last gasp equalizer from the US to get Honduras to the finals.

Mexico started the campaign badly, racing through 60 players and 5 managers including Sven Goran Eriksson. Once they appointed Javier Aguirre, the Mexican ship stabalized and results began to pick up. In the final group stage, at the outset, they wobbled. This cost Sven his job, and allowed Aguirre back in and again he delivered.

The US made it to the world cup with little fuss. Losing on occasion, and dragging out results when they needed to. This will be the US' 9th time at the world cup, but they will be hoping to do better than 2006 when they crashed out in the group stage.

SOUTH AMERICA

Argentina managed to make hugely heavy weather of qualification this time round. It took dramatic victories in their final 2 games to guarantee their place in finals. To prop up their campaign they turned to talismanic/cheating little SOB (dependant on your point of view) Diego Maradonna. And whilst he did lead them to the finals, he did so whilst managing to still generate controversy. Including being hit with a stiff ban from FIFA after he launched a foul mouthed tirade on the media and others.

What is there to say about Brazil? Pretty much always one of the favourites for any competition they go into. The campaign did not start out too well, and resulted in serious criticism from the public. However, they turned it around and qualified at a canter. Securing their place with a victory over arch-rivals Argentina.

Chile exploded in the current qualifying campaign, taking a very young team and running Brazil all the way. Chile finished second by only 1 point. They won 16 points out of 33 on the road, and where the second highest scorers at 32. A very impressive campaign.

The Paraguayans qualified in style. Breaking through 30 points for the first time, and booking their place in the world cup with a 1-0 victory over Argentina. After Paraguay qualified the president declared a national holiday!

By finishing 5th in the qualification campaign the Urugayans had to go through a playoff with Costa Rica. A victory in Costa Rica set them on the way, then back in Uruguay a late and blatantly off-side goal earned them a draw which booked them through to the finals.

Well. There you have it. All 32 teams heading to the world cup. Some made it with little fuss and fanfare like Switzerland. Others blasted their way to the finals, like the Netherlands and Spain.

Others are very much more controversial inclusions in the finals. France got there by a blatant hand ball which the referee "missed" and Uruguay got there after a blatant off-side goal.

The South Africa world cup is going to be an amazing event. It is breaking new grounds in many ways, both good and bad. It will be interesting to see how it develops. However, FIFA has to hope that France and Uruguay get knocked out early, otherwise this world cup will go down in history with a huge asterisk next to it!

...And then there where 2!

So, back in October, I talked about the state of the J League. Well, here is the pre-final week update. I will be back next week with who has won the J League title. The league this year has proven to be very close. We have been all the way through the season, and only in the final 2 weeks have we narrowed down the number of teams with theoretical chances to do anything to 2! The relegation issue has been finally sorted, the title race has come down to the wire.

So. First of all. The relegated teams.

Oita Trinita is not a surprise. Last season they surprised Japan by being quite a force. Ending the season a long way up from where they currently are today. However, it was all on the back of one of the leagues stingiest defences. Their strike force did not set the league on fire, so Trinita employed an almost Italian style of play from the 80's and 90's, and locked up the back. Winning many games by 1 goal.

This year however, started badly. The forward line had not improved greatly, whilst the defence had now been found out. It could not gel like it had the season before, and opposing teams had far more success. This combined to start the season badly, and for the pain to basically continue all year. Despite the loyal fans turning out each and every week.

A mid season managerial change saw a small bounce, but ultimately led to nothing. Oita was doomed to the drop almost from day 1. Though, they have managed some notable things. Getting a victory over Nagoya being 1. These better moments, however, where too far apart to do nothing other than add a little sugar to a large bitter pill.

Next, Chiba JEF United. JEF started out only slightly better than Trinita, and basically headed the same way. JEF United used to be one of the stronger teams in the J League. However, a managerial merry-go-round saw a turnover in players, and the team suffered as a result. Over the space of a few seasons, JEF sank down the league. Last season they managed to engineer a last day escape.

This season, the gaping vortex that is relegation tried that little bit more, and JEF proved unable to escape this time round. Collapsing like a soggy flan.

Next up for the drop, Kashiwa. A bit like JEF, only their decline has been longer and slower. Used to be a top team, then over the course of several seasons, the decline was steady, and almost imperceptible.

The start of the season saw Kashiwa duke it out with Oita and JEF to be ranked as the worst team in the league.

However, too late, the team woke up. They began to fight and over the last few weeks they scrapped out several important results. Including recently, where they went to Niigata and by winning, gave themselves a fighting chance to escape and at hte same time end Niigata's slim hopes of getting into 3rd and qualifying for the Asian Champions League. However, this last weekend saw Kashiwa finally succumb when they rather limply stumbled to a draw with the team they where hoping to overhaul, Omiya.

OK. So, back up to the top of the table.

As of 3pm on Saturday, we had the top three teams going into games that Saturday which would have a massive bearing on the destination of the championship.

Kashima stood at the top of the league on 60 points and a +16 goal difference. Kawasaki Frontale are in second, with 58 points and a +22 goal difference. Gamba Osaka are third with 57 points and a +20 goal difference.

In the penultimate round of games, Kashima was scheduled to play Gamba, and Kawasaki had a home game against Albirex Niigata.

Well, first of all Kawasaki. I am sorry Kashima, but Albirex could not do the job for you. If Kashima had won, and Albi, then Kashima would be the champions as of now. Unfortunately, Kawasaki where the better side. Played better, and had better control of the ball. However, they could not break down a stubborn Albirex defence, and only bagged the 1 goal. Indeed, they needed some luck as Niigata did have a couple of amazing chances to equalize, but as is the story of Niigatas season, they where all a case of "close, but no cigar."

On to the more intriguing tie of Kashima having to play Gamba. First v third? A mouth watering clash for anyone! Unfortunately, it did not deliver. It delivered a result. An emphatic result. Kashima rolled off with the points after stuffing Gamba 5-1!

Kawasaki's win kept them just 2 points behind Kashima, whilst Gamba's loss put them 5 points back from Kashima, and out of the race.

We now head into the final weekend with Kawasaki having the arguably easier game against the relegated Raysol, whilst Kashima face the more daunting challenge of heading to Saitama to take on Urawa Reds. Whilst this has not been Urawa's season, they do occupy 4th, and are a very dangerous animal with some of the best players in Japan.

A win for Kashima seals the deal. Anything other than that leaves them very vulnerable. Should Kashima draw, and Kawasaki win, that means both teams will end the season on 64 points, and Kawasaki winning on goal difference by 3 goals! A 34 game season, and it could be ended by 3 simple goals!

However, 1 result that is entirely likely is that Kawasaki wins, and Kashima loses. This allows Kawasaki to leapfrog Kashima and win the league by 1 point.

As you can see, the league is going down to the wire. It is all in Kashima's hands to win or lose. However, their grip is tenuous, and the slightest hint of a slip will allow Kawasaki to jump in and snatch the prize with the last gasp of the season after Kashima have spent such a long time in the top slot!

To again quote Sir Alex Ferguson...

"Its squeaky bum time!"

Oh, just to wrap up...

I cant leave off without talking about Albirex Niigata. This has been a season that, on the face of it, many Albi fans will look back and say that it has been a good year. Especially after the last couple of years where Albirex have had no consistency. 1 year 14th, then 6th, then back down to 13th. To go into the final weekend of the season in 8th is a significant improvement.

Problem is, this season has shown what Albirex could do. Albirex started the season, and rapidly climbed up the table, and about a third the way through Albi finally broke through. They managed to climb to the top of the tree and for a few weeks, they where able to look back, and see all the other teams strung out behind them.

Unfortunately, after that, the season slowly unravelled. They did occupy third for a long time, clinging on to the last Asian Champions League slot for dear life. Unfortunately, they where unable to do so, and the loss to Kashiwa ended their faint hope of grasping the third slot.

Still, it has been a fantastic season. And, if results go Niigata's way, they very well could end the season fifth, thanks to their better goal difference!

Still. One thing is sure. Niigata will have to look for a new manager. Jun Suzuki has announced his intention to finish at the end of the season.

The Chrysanthemum Throne

The Japanese feel a certain kinship with Britain. It is easy to see why. Both nations are island nations. Both have long histories, and both are constitutional monarchies.

However, Queen Elizabeth has been the Monarch of the United Kingdom (and other nations) since 1952. Making her the longest serving British monarch, and second longest in the world. Behind King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.

Emperor Akihito of Japan, however, has not been on the Chrysanthemum throne as long as Queen Elizabeth has in the UK. This week sees the 20th aniversary of his accession to the throne.

The Emperor of Japan is, under article 1 of Japan's post-war constitution, the symbolic figurehead of the nation. Something for the public to look up to, and rally around. Like Queen Elizabeth II in Great Britain, he has few political powers, and his role is largely ceremonial. Restricted to swearing in administrations, receiving new ambassadors to Japan, presenting awards of merit, and convening sessions of the Diet (Japan's parliament).

Also, the Imperial household in Japan is managed by a zealous group of conservative civil servants, who take their duty to maintain the household as an honourable institution very seriously. This management is a very, very tough straitjacket for the Imperial family to live in. Indeed, Crown Princess Masako has been on "restricted duties" due to stress. Brought on by the tight rules governing the lives of those within the Imperial household. Rules such as where they can or cannot go for relaxation (no more popping out for a couple of hours of karaoke!), for example. Also, she was under tremendous pressure to give birth to a son. The law in Japan states that the Chrysanthemum Throne can only be ascended to by male members of the family.

This has been cause of great problems with the family recently, since the Emperor has 2 sons, Crown Prince Naruhito, and Prince Akishino. Problem was, the family line effectively ended with Akishino. Huge debate broke forth about changing the law to allow women to ascend to the throne. This would have solved the problem, since the Crown Princess had struggled to give birth, and finally gave birth to their only child, Princess Aiko.

The debate raged in Japan through the media and the parliament, with progressives pushing for a law allowing women to ascend to the throne, whilst hardline conservatives where determined to resist any such move. Indeed, Prime Minister Koizumi stated he would try to introduce legislation to bring about the necessary changes.

However, he had opposition within his own party. For example, in 2006, the then-Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma declared opposition to the proposal to allow women to ascend to the throne. His (very weak) argument was that the Crown Princes daughter, Princess Aiko might marry a foreigner! Of course, most normal sane people would laugh at that.

The debate was finally suspended for a generation when Prince Akishino, the younger brother of the Crown Prince, and his wife, finally delivered what the conservatives wanted, a son. They had already had 2 girls, Princesses Mako and Kako, and then, in 2006, Prince Hisato was born.

The debate has since died down. But as it stands, the line extends from the Crown Prince, to Prince Hisato, and there it ends. The debate will rise once again. And personally, I hope Japan will be more able to force a change in the law!

Anyway. Back to the Emperor. As a young man, during the war, he was spirited away out of Tokyo. It has been reported that the young Prince was appalled that the Japanese military had resorted to training young men for suicide missions.

After the war, he was tutored by the American, Elizabeth Vining. She educated him in the English language, and "the essence of American democracy."

The Prince was reasonably good at tennis, and it was through the game where he met his future wife. Michiko Soda was the daughter of the owner of a flour milling company. During a mixed doubles game of tennis at a resort in Karuizawa, Nagano, the two metin 1957, and a relationship blossomed. The following year the Imperial Household announced the engagement of the couple. The announcement was greeted with a good deal of happiness by the Japanese and led to them affectionately naming the future Empress, "Mitchy." There followed an explosion of interest. The "Mitchy Boom." Where magazines aimed at women carried photos and articles detailing almost every aspect of her life.

The couple where finally married in 1959.

The Emperor does take his role very seriously, and tries very hard to keep himself a-political. Therefore he does not make too many comments that could be seen as controversial. He is, of course, limited by the Imperial Household and its civil servants, as well as the government, in what he says.

That has not stopped him from expressing his opinion in more gentle tones. He has spoken a lot about the deep sorrow that he and his wife feels for the inhuman acts carried out during the war, and the suffering that the survivors went through, and still do today. Whilst he has not specifically said "Japan" in any of this, the intent of his words are clear.

The Emperor also made headlines in 2005 when they visited the island of Saipan. There, they visited what has become known as "Banzai cliff" where many Japanese, military and civilian alike, jumped to their deaths. At the time during the war, the Americans had landed on the island and where slowly marching inland. The Japanese military took it upon themselves to encourage the local populace to commit suicide to preserve their honour, and prevent themselves from falling into the hands of the "barbarian" Americans. The Emperor and his wife headed to the cliff, and prayed for the souls of the dead.

He has caused moments of light-heartedness too. Where he announced during a news conference for his birthday in 2001, told people he had traced his ancestry back to Korea!

On a more sobering note, recently, he bemoaned the fact that the 60 years of the Showa era have slowly begun to fade from Japan's collective memory. It is his belief that history should be maintained.

The Japanese Emperor has also been dragged into controversy not of his making. President Obama recently undertook a 4 nation trip through Asia. Starting in Japan, then off to Singapore, then back to China, and finally to South Korea.

The controversy came when Obama greeted the Emperor.

So, what is wrong with this picture? Well, apparently the fact that his bow to the Emperor was so deep, and apparently, subservient. In Japan, this bow is seen as being of proper depth to someone of such high honour as the Emperor of Japan. It has been greeted with approving nods amongst many here in Japan, as a sign of the US finally trying to understand its important Asian partner, and its customs. Indeed, due to its long period of isolation, the Japanese have developed their own unique culture. They have arrived at the same destination as the rest of us, just on different tracks.

Whilst there are many in Japan praising Obama for his display of proper etiquette, there are those on the right of politics in the US who are in absolute uproar. Palin blasted him for showing that the US was weak. Whilst Cheney came out and said it was wrong for the President of the United States to bow to the leader of another country, and essentially questioned Obama's manhood.

However, both conveniently forget...

George W Bush holding hands with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Of course, the right argue that this is OK, as in the Middle East, this sort of thing is a sign of friendship...

And Nixon bowed to Emperor Hirohito. The Emperor that was on the throne at the time Japan attacked the US. Not only that but the bow was IN the US!

All Obama did was fall in line with local custom. It is custom in Japan to bow. The hand shake came much later in Japan. The bow is still a very formal, and most commonly accepted way of greeting each other here. And to make it hard for us foreigners here, there are many different bows. To signify your relationship with the other person, their seniority, their position in relation to you, etc.

To all those who are critical of Obama. Wake up. He is the President of the United States. Clue in the name. President of the United States. Not Japan. Whilst he is the leader of the US, he is still technically covered by the same regulations that cover me as a foreigner here in Japan. Those regulations are waived because of who he is and in the interests of international diplomacy. But they do exist. Should the Japanese choose to, they could make him enter Japan just like the rest of us, and be subject to photographing and fingerprinting. Obama's act shows proper courtesy to the head of the nation of Japan. Especially since Obama is simply a guest on a business trip.

What do the Japanese think of the Emperor? Well, you have a range of opinions. Some want to abolish the Chrysanthemum Throne, and go for a Presidency. A small minority on the other side want to scrap the Diet, and give the Emperor total power. The vast majority are happy with where the Emperor is now.

Another point of interest is that in Japan, there are 2 calendars! 1 is the standard calendar we all recognise in the west. However, in Japan, on official documentation, they use a calendar based on the reign of the Emperors through Japan's history. And since the Japanese Imperial line is the longest unbroken royal line, the calendar goes a long way back!

First of all, it is worth noting that when an Emperor dies, his name will be changed. The last Emperor of Japan was the Emperor Hirohito. The Emperor on the throne during WW2. Many wanted his removal after the war, but the Americans rightly realised that to do so would be to invite some kind of public explosion. Upon his death, however, his name was changed to Emperor Showa. So, the time in Japan during his reign is known as the Showa era. The current Emperor will be known as Heisei upon his death, and now, we are in the Heisei era here in Japan. So, whilst for most things, I was born in 1978, according to official documentation such as my driving licence, I was born in Showa 53!

Well, I could keep going about the Emperor and the family. Problem is, whilst this family lives by a strict set of formal rules, there is plenty going on about which one could write. The Imperial family tries very hard to maintain a balance in its life between a slowly changing Japan, and a strong belief that the Imperial family's function is to preserve the dignity of Japan, preserve a link with Japan's past, maintaining its traditions, preventing them from being lost forever.

The Emperor has maintained a stoic silence as it has gone through some major crises, such as the lack of a male heir. The family has seen Japan rise from the ashes after the war and become the second biggest economy in the world. They have seen Japanese society slowly become more urbanised, and new technologies allow information to flow far further and faster than ever before.

Whatever the future holds, the Japanese royal family will face it with a gentle smile, and a determination to maintain the decorum that they have become famous for.

Copying is the sincerest form of flattery?

Back in the summer I commented on China's growing Shenzai industry, or the cellphones copying western models, such as Apple's iPhone, and pretty much everything from the Docomo/AU/Softbank line-up here in Japan. This is not the end of Chinese industry's manic search for acceptance by going from making tat, to making high quality stuff. Problem is, developing this reputation takes a long time. Did Apple become cool overnight? Well, kinda, it rejuvenated itself with the launch of the iPod, but that took years of development, and came off the back of it relaunching itself on the back of the iMac, and that itself was something that took years...

China is looking for instant gratification, and does not want to spend time on the whole niggly issue of designing its own products, so is lifting "western" designs, and re-badging them, and selling them back.

It is in everything. Fast food, cell phones, computers, and cars. Cars are expensive to develop, even more difficult to build a reputation, and a very heavy long term investment. Look at Kia. A laugh when it launched in Europe, but slowly, steadily, it is introducing better and better cars, and is beginning to develop a reputation. It took Japanese companies decades to go from being a joke to having the top-ranked cars in the world.

China is trying to do that in months. Look at Shanghai automotive. They bought a lot of Rover in 2006, and has now re-launched it as the Roewe 750. It is pretty much the same as the Rover 75, just a slightly longer wheelbase, and a tweaked nose.

Shanghai can do this, as they hold the designs and they maintain a design house in England, keeping many of the old Rover workers. However, many companies do not have the rights to build the cars the way they do, nor have they signed agreements to copy the styles of other companies. They are looking to achieve the same levels of respect that the western companies have, but to do in months what took western companies decades.

Here are a few. Spot the difference!

The Shuanghuan CEO, and BMW's X5. The ends are different, and you can easily tell them apart. However, the side and back are nearly indistinguishable!

The Smart Fortwo, and Shenghuan Noble. The Smart uses a rear-mounted engine, plastic body panels, and a unique safety cell. The Shenhuan Noble looks the same, but the engine is in the front, and the body is conventional steel. And its own unique safety cell. Which is, er, the same...

Mini's Clubman, and Jalopniks Lifan 320. Jalopnik claim it is not a Mini, because theirs has bigger dimensions to the Mini. Ignoring the fact that their car LOOKS the same, especially in pictures which share the same dimensions!

Mercedes CLK (2007) and Byd F8. The Mercedes features a range of engines from 3 to 5 litres, and awesome driving refinement. The Byd F8 has a 1.8, or 2 litre engine, developing about 100bhp. But it LOOKS nice, Mercedes styling cues. And weirdly, a BMW inspired corporate logo...

Mazda 3, and Haima 3. Here, Haima used to have a deal to make Mazda 3's for the Chinese market. The deal lapsed because Mazda felt it would be better if they made the Mazda 3 for the Chinese market, and pulled the Mazda 3 from Haima. No problem. Haima just carried on!

Daewoo Matiz, and Cherry QQ. These cars are so similar, that the doors ARE pretty much interchangeable! However, the QQ managed to get a 0 star rating in the Euro crash tests, and GM took court action. Cherry have agreed to only sell the car in China.

Honda CRV, and Laibao SRV.This is lazy. The car is the same, and the name is the same!

Neoplan Starliner, and Zonda A9. It is not just cars. Neoplan is one of the biggest makers of buses, and so, has made them a target for copycatting. The Neoplan is safe, and has a great reputation. The Zonda bus company has been ordered to stop selling it since Neoplan has all the copyrights...

Toyota Prado, and the Dadi Shuttle. I hate it when they get so lazy that they just mirror another model...

Toyota Rav4, and Shuanghuan UFO.

Now, to my personal favourite. The most prestigious brand in the world, Rolls Royce, is not immune to this. At the Shanghai motor show, Geely unveiled their Ge. Which Geely even delcare to be reinventing the classic! Problem is, when the classic is a Rolls, does it need reinventing!?!

Rolls Royce is talking to its lawyers. They will be good Lawyers.

As I said in my last article on this. Chinese companies have shown that they are capable of developing things which have some interesting twists. But in their manic rush for acceptability, they are copying others.

Why?

They have the money, and China as a nation can afford the time to be a bit more patient, and turn their hand to developing a truly Chinese car with its own distinctive style!

Ah well. some day, some day, they will learn...