Japan PM favourite Aso meets resistance

Tag : resistance

Japan's flamboyant former foreign minister Taro Aso, thefront-runner to be the country's new prime minister, met resistanceas two economic reformists vowed to give him a fight.
Aso, who supports government spending to boost the troubledeconomy, led opinion polls on who the public wants the rulingLiberal Democratic Party (LDP) to pick on September 22.
The LDP was left scrambling to find a replacement after PrimeMinister Yasuo Fukuda abruptly quit on Monday following months oflacklustre poll ratings and a slowdown in the world'ssecond-largest economy.
Economic and fiscal policy minister Kaoru Yosano, 70, an outspokenadvocate of raising taxes to repair Japan's debt-ridden finances,said he would join the leadership race.
"I decided last night to run for the office to ensure that there isa thorough policy debate," Yosano told reporters after a series ofmeetings with senior politicians.
Yosano is the grandson of two famous poets of traditional "tanka"verse. He has made his name as a straight-talking champion offiscal discipline in Japan, which has the highest public debt ofany rich nation.
Battling throat cancer, Yosano announced several years ago that hewould never seek the premiership, taking the advice of his wifedespite calls from some MP's.
But he has recently intensified his public appearances andeffectively served as caretaker prime minister when Shinzo Abe lastyear suddenly quit and checked into a hospital for stress.
In a bid to show his political shrewdness, Yosano last year stageda public match of "go," Japan's chess-like game of strategy,against main opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa.
Aso is expected to formally announce his candidacy on Monday withpromises of new spending measures to revive the economy, which isnow teetering on recession as inflation soars and demand forexports slow.
Fukuda, in one of his final acts, proposed a 11.7-trillion-yen($A128.16 billion) stimulus package last week, although manyeconomists say it will do little to reverse the downturn.
Aso also faces resistance from the younger generation of the LDP asNobuteru Ishihara, a 51-year-old son of Tokyo's outspoken governor,said he would join the race if no one else challenges thefront-runner.
"I am on the opposite wing of secretary general Aso. I have toensure that there is a chance to speak on that stand," Ishiharatold reporters.
Ishihara served as the minister in charge of administrative reformsunder popular premier Junichiro Koizumi, who spearheadedfree-market policies.
Ishihara's father, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, enjoys widepopularity for his strong-armed leadership but is despised byliberals for his blunt nationalist remarks including calls to endJapan's post-World War II pacifism.
Yuriko Koike, a former television anchorwoman, has also emerged asa possible contender and is backed by reformists close to Koizumi.
While stopping short of announcing her candidacy, she indicatedsupport for her was gaining momentum.
Koike, who has served as defence minister and environment minister,would be Japan's first female prime minister.
The LDP has been in power for all but 10 months since it wascreated in 1955. But it lost control of one house last year to theopposition, which has tried to block the LDP agenda in hopes ofwinning the next elections.
Opinion polls showed that voters favoured Aso, who has tried toendear himself to the public with a quirky sense of humour andpassion for comic books.
A telephone survey by the liberal Asahi Shimbun on Tuesday andWednesday found 30 per cent of the 1,069 people who gave validanswers wanted Aso to be the next leader.
The rating was nearly four times higher than that of runner-upOzawa, the opposition leader, with eight per cent. Koike got threeper cent, with Ishihara one per cent and Yosano unsighted.
© 2008 AFP

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