Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced Monday that he will step down, citing a political stalemate in his efforts to implement key policies amid sagging support ratings, a move that comes less than one year after he launched his government and just a month after reshuffling his cabinet.‘‘It is necessary to try to implement measures under a new framework...I thought now is the best time to resign to avoid a political vacuum,’’ Fukuda, 72, told a hastily convened news conference at 9:30 p.m.
Fukuda has been facing difficulties in managing parliamentary affairs in the divided Diet, where opposition parties control the House of Councillors and have been stepping up pressure on the government, such as by rejecting candidates for central bank chief.
Within the governing coalition, Fukuda also did not appear able to iron out differences with the New Komeito party, the Liberal Democratic Party’s junior coalition partner, which is urging that a general election be held early next year at the latest.
Fukuda, LDP president, eyed an election after passing major pieces of legislation that include a bill to extend Japan’s refueling mission to support multilateral antiterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean, which is set to expire in January. Fukuda was also planning to set up a consumer protection agency through legislation.
The cooperation of the New Komeito party is vital for the LDP, even though it technically holds a majority in the lower house, because their combined forces in the lower chamber allow them to override a vote in the opposition-controlled upper house. New Komeito is also known to operate a powerful vote-gathering machine for the LDP once an election is called.
Fukuda told the news conference he has instructed LDP Secretary General Taro Aso to prepare to hold a party presidential election to pick his successor, who will thus become prime minister given the LDP’s grip on the lower house.
Aso suggested early Tuesday that he is willing to run for the LDP presidency, saying he would not rule out the possibility that he is fit for the post. Aso is widely believed to be the front-runner in the race.
Fukuda is thought to have judged that it is appropriate for him to step down rather than dissolve the lower house by himself, in a bid to avoid a huge defeat in any election the ruling coalition parties may face.
There has been increasing opinion within the coalition that the two parties would not be able to put up a good fight if a general election were called while Fukuda is in power, ruling lawmakers said.
Since the LDP won big in the general election of September 2005 under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, this is the third time in recent years that Japan has seen its prime minister step down without a general election being called.
Fukuda, the son of former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, took over the government from Shinzo Abe on Sept 26 last year after Abe resigned abruptly for health reasons, having himself taken over from Koizumi a year earlier.
Last fall, Fukuda suggested forming a grand coalition with the Democratic Party of Japan to achieve a breakthrough in the political gridlock, but the prospects diminished after talks between Fukuda and DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa caused political turmoil.
Fukuda said at the press conference, ‘‘I would say it would have been better if there had been more opportunities to hold frank discussions with DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa on what should be done for the country.’’
Opposition parties criticized the sudden resignation announcement by Fukuda, describing it as ‘‘irresponsible,’’ while strengthening their calls for the House of Representatives to be dissolved for a general election.
‘‘Following the abrupt resignation of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it is an utterly irresponsible way to quit,’’ DPJ Supreme Adviser Kozo Watanabe said. ‘‘I can only worry about what will happen to this country’s politics.’’
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, slammed Fukuda’s announcement, saying, ‘‘While the people are facing tougher lives, it is terrible that the prime minister has given up on his administration immediately before the Diet convenes for an extraordinary session’’ on Sept 12.
A government source said late Monday that convening the Diet session will be postponed now that Fukuda has announced his resignation.
Fukuda denied he has any health problems when announcing his resignation, saying he had made the final decision regarding his resignation before the weekend.
The announcement came after the government unveiled Friday an economic stimulus package that it says is worth 11.7 trillion yen to ease the impact of rising energy and material costs.
It also followed a major cabinet reshuffle on Aug 1, which has apparently failed to shore up Fukuda’s popularity. His support rate has recently been running at around 30%.
In a bid to pass key bills such as one to resume Japan’s antiterrorism refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, the ruling parties had resort to a revote on the bills in the House of Representatives which they control.
In addition to the bill on the refueling mission, the ruling parties held a revote in the lower house to pass a tax code bill to reinstate gasoline and other road-related tax surcharges in April and a bill to maintain tax revenues earmarked for road building for 10 years from fiscal 2008 in May.
With these bills generally unpopular, the support rate for his cabinet continued to slide. The introduction in April of a public health insurance program that levies premiums on those aged 75 or older has also hurt Fukuda’s popularity.
No comments:
Post a Comment