RETURN OF THE BUSHMEN The weeks before and after the strong Republican showing in the US midterm elections have seen an increase in the number of visits to Tokyo by Americans who held senior security positions in the Bush administration. In late September, for example, who should stop by but Karl Jackson, head of the Asia department at the National Security Council under Bush, and fondly known as "the 'brain' behind Dan Quayle." Now a senior research associate at George Washington University's Gaston Sigur Center for East Asian Studies, Jackson was here in his other role as managing director of the FX Concept investment bank. Then, mid-November saw an appearance by Torkel Patterson, Jackson's successor at the council, who also served under Bush. Patterson told friends in Tokyo that he was just stopping by en route to Myanmar, but the timing was a bit too perfect. We gather that the two ex-Bush boys were telling financial-world contacts that the next US administration would be Republican - and offering to provide connections for a consideration. The Republican Congressional victories in November certainly helped their credibility, but they still have one big Bill to get out of the way.

GRAPPLING WITH THE PRK Pro-wrestler-turned-upper-house-dietman Antonio Inoki was in Pyongyang last fall hobnobbing with the North Korean brass about a proposal for a "Great Rikidozan Memorial Show" that he wants to see staged in North Korea. The show would be part of the events planned for next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II, and during his visit, Inoki saw Kim Yong Sun, head of the policy committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, who apparently told him his wish would be fulfilled in early 1995. The late Rikidozan was a former sumo wrestler who founded professional wrestling in Japan and was its biggest star.

Inoki - like most pro wrestlers - loves grandstanding; it's said that his performance in Baghdad with Saddam Hussein got the Japanese hostages released a day earlier than the others. But now, it seems, he might be on to something bigger. North Korea has invited Mohammed Ali and George Forman to an all-star wrestling bout, and it looks as though Kim may take a ringside seat. If this really works, some of our other politicians may want to start learning some choke holds.

By Takao Toshikawa for Tokyo Journal