U.S. film actor Richard Gere laughs as he shares a dance with Japanese prime minister Koizumi Junichiro at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo on Tuesday. Gere, the leading man of the U.S. version of the movie “Shall We Dance,” is visiting Tokyo to promote the Japanese debut of his film./EPA
33 Comments
Koizi’s expression is suggestive, wouldn’t you say?
Does Koizumi always wear lip gloss, or just when he dances with ‘an officer and a gentleman’?
the gray-haired china bashers club will come to order.
(richard gere should be informed he now has yasukooties).
I am surprised that Marmot posted this - wasn’t Richard Gere alledged to have had an unnatural experience with a small mammal many many years ago? Can you say - Hamster?
i, too, heard stories about richard gere’s backdoor deals with a rodent.
i thought it was a marmot.
For the love of Christ…
oh, my. i have written something most terrible. posting at 2 a.m. while being work avoidant during a looming deadline is not a good thing.
all work and no play makes nora a very dull girl.
a thousand apologies, sir. most of them quite sincere.
Is this possibly an indication of a secret crush on Mr. Backdoor? Perhaps a spin around the ol’ exercise wheel? When Planet Hollywood was in Seoul (many years ago) my friend was the boss/manager/semi-owner (not sure what he was - but he was the #1 man at the Seoul branch) and was going to introduce me to C. Crawford (or so he says he was) until I mentioned that I was going to ask her if it was true about Richie - hey….isn’t dick the shortened form of Richard?
I claim the same excuse that Norapark does……
Wishing you the best in your own little world with Richard
It was a gerbil in the rumor, Robert. But thanks to advanced Japanese robot technology, no animals need be harmed in the future. (That’s not a caption, but it could be.)
Ahem.
Actually, nora, I was rather impressed that, in his recent remarks, Gere still remembers Tibet was “his” cause in Hollywood. He’s been pretty much silent on the Free Tibet front since the late 1990s — then again, so has everyone else.
is there much of a difference between a gerbil and a hamster other than their tail size…….
I guess that old saying that its not the length that matters, it’s how ewe use it that matters
Nora — Apologies unnecessary. Actually, I thought it was quite funny. And besides, you’ve taken enough abuse in my comments section to earn a free pass on offensiveness.
Kind of hard to keep up the momentum for that long. Cafe sipping hipsters aren’t known for their prolongued attention spans. The Free Tibet movement, despite the media attention, has accomplished a grand sum of nothing for all the money spent and energy used. Besides of course some public grandstanding and helping male college students get laid for over a decade (chicks dig causes!). Besides, their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has tacitcly accepted China’s sovereignty of Tibet for quite some time now, Beijing on the other hand just seems to be waiting for him to die for the issue to dissappear entirely.
I’m with Nora on this, the only thing the picture is missing is Lee Teng Hui and then the meeting of Chinaphobics anonymous could really begin.
jing, you’re right that lee teng hui is missing, but you speak of chinaphobia as if it’s a vice.
Besides, their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has tacitcly accepted China??s sovereignty of Tibet for quite some time now…..
This is true, and you don’t really even need the word “tacitly”. Why then does China still fear dealing with him and why can’t they admit the fact you stated? Not bashing, just wondering….
I inappropriately used the term Chinaphobia, sinophobia is so much classier. It’s Latin + Greek, which makes it so much better than godawful English. (/channeling French teachers in Korea)
Ok enough with the jokes on my part. In response to slim’s question, I think you’ve answered it yourself. The Dalai Lama has already accepted China’s position vis-a-vis Tibet, why waste time and effort negotiating when you have already won? Negotiating with the Dalai Lama grants him a political legitimacy that Beijing has never officially acknowledged, doing so now would in their opinions possibly set a poor precedent as being “weak” and succumbing to shrill foreign hectoring. Also it should be noted that the Lama does not represent the entire exile Tibetan government at large, merely the most public face of it. Beijing may feel that negotiating with him maybe unreliable and that once they, the exiles, have a foot in the door so to speak, they may press for more concessions than they are willing to hand out. There is of course also the fear of unrest possible with any sudden openings, I think this fact hasn’t failed to dawn on the presiding Chinese leadership. There was an experimental liberalization of Tibet during the late 80’s which failed to produce the desired results and consequently ended the careers of some reform minded cadres. Hu Jintao at the time served as local party secretary of the TAR and towed the party line by suppressing the demonstrations and protests. If his experience is any indicator of future alternatives, I don’t think we will see the TAR opening up anytime soon. In essence the Party’s position right now is that it has nothing to gain from negotiating with the Dalai Lama and everything to lose. Why change that now?
It still amuses me to see Gere argueing for his already lost cause though. Forgive me if I sound triumphalist, but the Free Tibet movement has become an irrelevant circus.
LOL…classic picture
sinophobia = fear of china
chinaphobia = fear of high-quality porcelain dinnerware
Before this little tango, Gere spoke at a press conference stating his opposition to the EU lifting its arms embargo on China. I guess Koizumi was elated to hear something he can’t even hear out of Roh Moo Hyun and his advisors, who seem more fearful of the Japan “Self Defense” Forces than a 2.3 million-strong military that is still ironically named People’s Liberation Army.
The expression on Richard’s face leads me to ponder…where’s Koizi’s other hand?
That dance looks like…dare I say…the Takeshima Tango! (Or is it the Tokto Tango? S**t! I can never remember who it belongs to.)
Read a story about Gere’s trip. He was suppose to be in Japan promoting his film but at one speech he went off on the EU wanting to lift the ban on selling weapons to China especially after China passed the anti-succession law on Taiwan.
All I know is that the EU is/was considering lifting the weapons ban and China is looking for a “special partner” in Europe and France is falling all over itself to be that “special partner”. I expect France will push to lift the weapons ban.
i heard that they will keep the ban since they would lose more in contracts with the u.s. than they would gain in sales to china. at least that’s what i heard.
There appears to be second thoughts on the issue caused by what I would agree as a public relations blunder on the part of PRC over the anti-seccession law. (would have been wiser to wait) That being said, the news is repeatedly conflicted with some sources saying it will be lifted by June and some saying that it will be delayed and will not meat the June deadline. In either case, the ban is of course merely symbolic as several European countries already sell military equipment to China in spite of it, but it would be a good propaganda coup for the PRC if it is lifted.
The British gov’t lobbied EU governments, especially those with close defense ties to the US, to postpone lifting the arms ban. If it wasn’t postponed, the ban would’ve been lifted during the six-month British presidency of the EU, which starts in June.
The ban is expected to be lifted next year. However, it’s supposedly unlikely the British will ever agree to lift the ban, despite all the public mumbo jumbo indicating otherwise. The British arms industry depends heavily on American contracts and they’ve also acquired a number of American companies in the defense sector, which are projected to rake in major mullah. Also, the British military doctrine is becoming even more reliant on America.
The problems are France and Germany whose dealings with the Pentagon are much smaller compared to the British. The French are also desiring a multipolar world that could balance against America. They’re expecting China to complement the EU on such efforts.
In the end, it’s basically Europe trying to compensate for their lacking influence in East Asia. The US has close ties to two East Asian powers, Japan and South Korea. The EU doesn’t have the ability to replace the US in either relationship, simply because those countries require security umbrellas and Europeans don’t possess sufficient military prowess to do so.
China is the only appealing and most realistic option the Europeans have in a region that’s expected to grow in influence and richesse over the following decades. The French claim, from thinktanks and gov’t officials alike, is that China should be treated like a “normal” country and shepherded to join the “world community” in a peaceful manner. Translated into English, beggars can’t be chosers and the EU’s trying to make the best of a crapped out situation.
The thing is, Europeans should be more focused on solidifying the EU before going on such risky overseas adventures. After all, the EU even has problems drawing boundaries (Turkey in the EU?), not to mention agreeing on a constitution.
Mingi - Good analysis. Let me add that I think China’s timing on the anti-secession law was lousy in that the EU, although cynical, can’t be seen as being so cynical as to lift their arms embargo so quickly after China theatened Taiwan more than they have in the past. China - A big, doddering behemoth.
It was mighty clumsy: a classic “picking up a rock only to drop it on your own foot” kind of move. But before we get too excited about China’s Anti-Secession Law, let’s stop and think about how difficult it is to use “China” and “law” in any meaningful sentence. Hell, if you read China’s Constitution, you’ll find laws guaranteeing freedom of assembly, speech, worship and even autonomy to disparate ethnic regions. Scholars and writers, not to mention true dissidents, have been imprisoned merely for insisting that the government/Party adhere to the Constitution. Ask Hong Kongers about the Basic Law.
With or without the EU ban, it is the individual countries who will decide on arms sales to China. France already sells several hundred million dollars of mostly parts for old aircraft in a year. And, yes, there are even dodgier and more venal members of the EU than Chirac’s France. There may be little the US can do, but if I were Japan, Taiwan or another attractive markets in that region with reason to worry about China’s ambitions, I’d contemplate measures to make China’s arms suppliers pay for their venality. I’d guess that Japan is a more attractive market for French luxury goods than China will be for “never fired” French arms.
in light of exhibit A (positioning of the hands during the takeshima shuffle), it is rather evident to the court that richard’s the top and koi’s the bottom.
and if i’m not mistaken, the rodent issue came up in the 90’s just about the time he was doing Internal Affairs…
The Japanese will never give up French luxury goods slim, even if the government tried to force them away at gunpoint. Ever seen what happens to purse snatchers who inadvertantly steal a Prada/Gucci/ bag from an office lady? It isn’t pretty. You rest your assumption that the Japanese can make a conscious choice in consumption that the Americans can or at least pretend to. When it comes to French luxury goods, its easier to tell them to stop breathing than it is to stop buying.
Judge Judy -
The rodent [issue] came up in the 90’s - actually the way I heard it - the rodent went up but wouldn’t come out.
Err,, is that moolah or mullah? Is there an Iran-China link in all this…that helped to oil Richard’s way with the rodents?
supposedly he was hospitalized at my aunt’s hospital. the problem is, he was rumored to be hospitalized at everyone else’s aunt’s hospital.