The world is reeling from severe turmoil. The Middle East situation remains volatile after an emergency summit in Egypt ended with a shaky pact to halt violence between Israelis and Palestinians, skyrocketing crude-oil prices are threatening a new oil crisis and the U.S. economy is showing signs of trouble after a long boom.

Japan is no exception in a trouble-plagued world. Politics and the economy have been hit by turbulence. On Wednesday, the Nikkei average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange plunged below the psychologically important barrier of 15,000, reflecting investors' anxieties over the political and economic difficulties. Government officials are trying to convince the nation that robust economic recovery will start soon, but most people take that with a grain of salt amid fears of unemployment and angst over life after retirement. They are increasingly distrustful of politics and politicians.

On Oct. 13, the ruling triumvirate railroaded an electoral reform bill through an Upper House committee amid an opposition boycott. The new polling system would allow voters to vote for either a party or an independent candidate in the proportional-representation section of the Upper House, instead of just a party, as is presently the case. Upper House President Juro Saito resigned Wednesday to take responsibility for his failed mediation to end a Diet statement over the legislation, after both the ruling coalition and the opposition forces rejected his proposal.