Japanese opposition presses for snap elections
JAPAN, Japan's opposition went on the offensive Monday, pledging to
push for an early election and spelling stalemate for the divided
parliament's new session.
The opposition pledged to fight the agenda of Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda, who opened the 150-day parliament session on Friday with
promises of action on fighting global warming and other issues.
"Nothing will change if this government continues to exist," Yukio
Hatoyama, secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party of
Japan, said as he took the stand in parliament. "In order for Japan to
regain its vitality, we must launch an administration run by the
Democratic Party of Japan," he said.
The opposition won control of one house of parliament in July
elections, triggering such a deadlock that Fukuda resorted to nearly
unprecedented parliamentary measures to restart a naval mission backing
US-led forces in Afghanistan.
Fukuda has signalled he hopes to avoid an early election at least
before Japan hosts the Group of Eight industrial nations' summit in
July.
But his government has faced a series of difficult domestic issues:
gross mismanagement of the pension system, corruption at the defence
ministry and an uncertain economic outlook. Fukuda, a 71-year-old
political veteran who took over in September when his beleaguered
predecessor Shinzo Abe quit, reiterated his call to the opposition to
find common ground.
"In order to carry out policies on behalf of the Japanese people, I
believe that through discussions we can develop a relationship of trust
to search for areas on which we can agree," Fukuda said in response to
Hatoyama.
"I believe it is important in a democracy to ask for a public mandate
by calling for elections. But such actions must not negatively affect
the livelihood of the public," Fukuda said.
"I think, rather than dissolving the parliament, it is better to
engage in a frank exchanges of views," he said.
Fukuda's Liberal Democratic Party has been in power for all but 10
months since its founding in 1955.
Tokyo, Monday, AFP |
