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Hillary has had a certain level of respect within the ranks of the average man on the street here in Japan--of course mainly due to her treatment in the press. But on the other hand, lots of Japanse can see right through her, even if they are not fluent in English, their vibes tell them she is a power hungry sociopath (I have talked to such Japanese with this image...of course yours truly always agreed and reinforced it!)). She is always referred to in the Press and publicly by her first name, and lots of Japanese women ADORE her--due to the image of empowerment, and all that crap and jazz. Essentially the J. media here has painted a capable, dynamic picture of her. But recently I see them turning on her. And with this, it is nothing short of massive PILE ON.

Her positives in the mind of the average Japanese over this will drop like a lead balloon, IMHO, for what it is worth. That wont have direct bearing on the US election, but the Obama people might want to make some hay of it to show her international credibility is plummeting (not that HE is something to write home about either!).

Political assassinations occur in Japan but are few and far between. For a candidate to say something like Hillary did would raise the roof in Japan and I would even go so far as to say such a candidate would be forced, societally and socially, to quit the race as a form of "taking responsibility" (sekinin wo toru)