ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact the Japanese economy as well as the political fortunes of Japan’s leader in 2021. For the second year in a row, Japan’s Prime Minister was forced to stand down, portending a return to the revolving door of one-year prime ministerships that characterized the politically tumultuous period between 2006 and 2012. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s announcement that he would not seek reappointment as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), therefore effectively resigning as prime minister, precipitated the most competi-tive race for the LDP leadership in a decade in September. Suga’s anointed replace-ment was former record-setting Minister of Foreign Affairs Kishida Fumio. Kishida was not the most popular choice for Japan’s next prime minister among the public or even the LDP party cadres. His initial cabinet ratings reflected this and the fact that Kishida had triumphed over then «vaccine minister» Kōno Tarō in the party contest primarily due to factional manoeuvrings facilitated by former Prime Minister Abe Shinzō. To the traditionally dovish Kishida’s credit, he demonstrated great prag-matism in 2021. He managed to win the backing of Abe and other conservatives by adapting his own political positions and adopting others from the conservative wing of the LDP, particularly on Taiwan policy, national security, and economic security policy. Kishida survived Japan’s October House of Representatives election in better-than-expected shape and went on to improve his cabinet ratings in the last two months of 2021. Kishida entered 2022 in a strong position with both the COVID-19 and economic situation heading in the right direction ahead of the mid-2022 House of Councillors election—the last national election Kishida will have to face for three years if he prevails. © Viella s.r.l. & Associazione Asia Maior.
ABSTRACT
Intoxications are a common problem all over the world and cause acid-base balance disturbances, dysionias or acute renal failure;they can develop rapidly leading to severe cellular dysfunction and death. Intoxications and drug overdoses often require the intervention of Nephrologists, for the correction of acidosis, the administration of selective inhibitory enzymes and also hemodialysis treatment. Extracorporeal therapies have been used to remove toxins for over fifty years and have acquired an increasing role, thanks to the use of new treatment modalities in intoxicated patients. In our clinical practice in the Covid period we have found an increase in clinical cases of intoxication with psychiatric drugs, including benzodiazepines, clozapine, lithium, quetiapine and cocaine.