Kuromaku comes from the world of Kabuki; it is the black
curtain behind which scenes and costumes are changed. In Japanese post-war politics, the
term is used to describe the political machinations that happen out of public view. As
prime ministers seem only to exist as figureheads or scapegoats, where does the real power
lie? What goes on behind the kuromaku?
The recently deceased Noboru Takeshita is a prime example of unaccountable "kuromaku
politics." Leader of the biggest faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and
MP in his home constituency until his retirement from politics one month before his death,
he remained powerful despite the political scandals that surfaced during his term.
Takeshita first acquired a taste for power in the elite Waseda University, where he
excelled in the debating societies and acquired influential connections. He entered
Parliament in 1958, representing his hometown Shimane prefecture, under the faction of the
LDP controlled at that time by Kakuei Tanaka. According to the Nikkan Gendai, he
swiftly rose to the rank of Tanaka' right-hand man, and was directed to travel the
country to make sure cash was steadily flowing into party funds. Takeshita had a
Machiavellian streak, however. He used a sizable amount of cash to build his own power
base, then defeated Tanaka as faction leader in 1985. He had, by this time, held numerous
ministry posts, and armed by a seemingly endless supply of bribe money, became Prime
Minister in 1987.
One of his first tasks was to implement the highly unpopular tax measures the former PM
could never get voted through (eventually, his failure to do so cost the ex-PM his job).
Takeshita's quick resolution made him a legendary "fixer." The Japan Times
reported that a series of phone calls were made by him to Daisuke Ikeda, leader of the
massive religious foundation Soka Gakkei, which bankrolls the opposition Komeito political
party. The tax bill became law within days.
By this time, Takeshita was becoming overconfident. After only eighteen months, he was
forced to resign when the Recruit "shares-for-favors" scandal became public.
Once they were out of the limelight, however, the members of his faction - including Keizo
Obuchi - continued to seek his advice and patronage. Behind the throne, Takeshita still
enjoyed the fruits of his power, safe in his Shimane prefecture seat thanks to the
unnecessary, environmentally damaging, but highly lucrative (according to The Japan
Times) public works projects he supplied to his cronies. It was reported that every
New Year, Takeshita drew up a "calendar" - a list of political changes that
would always prove to be frighteningly accurate. A physically slight, charming man, just
over five feet tall, he stayed near the center of the political action until right before
his death.
Takeshita is gone, but the recent re-election of Yoshiro Mori's government (including
Takeshita's brother, Wataru, who took over the Shimane seat) suggests that his legacy
lives on. Haunted by economic fears and visions of social instability, the men in gray are
closing ranks. Lacking the imagination to even conceive of an alternative, his cronies
march on, in their self-appointed mission to rule Japan forever.
Kuromaku comes from the world of Kabuki; it is the black
curtain behind which scenes and costumes are changed. In Japanese post-war politics, the
term is used to describe the political machinations that happen out of public view. As
prime ministers seem only to exist as figureheads or scapegoats, where does the real power
lie? What goes on behind the kuromaku? 
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