No-confidence vote looms for Japan PM

Few expect the no-confidence vote to pass, although a significant number of ruling Democratic Party (DPJ) lawmakers could back it.

Equally few, however, expect an end to the political bickering that is preventing Japan from enacting tax system and other reforms needed to cope with its fast-aging population, rein in ballooning debt and spur economic growth.

“This has nothing to do with policies,” said Nihon University professor Tomoaki Iwai of the no-confidence motion. “It has become a game. There's big gap with voters, who think Kan is no good but ... now is not the time for such moves.”

Kan, his ratings hovering below 30 percent, is struggling to get a radiation crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant under control, find ways to finance the rebuilding of large areas of the northeast coast after the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and draft tax and social security reforms to rein in a public debt already twice the size of GDP.

Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) plans to submit a no-confidence motion to parliament this or next week to force Kan to resign or call a snap election for the lower house. All opposition parties except the tiny Social Democratic Party have said they will back it.

But Kan stands a good chance of surviving the vote as it is doubtful if the LDP could win over enough disaffected DPJ members for the motion to pass. More than 70 of 305 DPJ lower house members would have to defect to secure its passage. Katsuya Okada, the DPJ's No. 2, threatened to kick defectors out of the party. “If the prime minister changed, then what? (LDP leader Sadakazu) Tanigaki doesn't have a plan and neither do the members of our party who are calling (for Kan to quit),” Okada told a news conference.

1|2|Next Page>>

PrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email