Noda on slippery slope amid problems in Japan
Source: Agencies |
October 3, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PUBLIC support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government was at 54.6 percent, a Kyodo news agency survey showed yesterday, down 8.2 percentage points in the first month after he took office.
Noda, Japan's sixth premier in five years, enjoyed strong support right after he took over from his unpopular predecessor, but he had to sack his trade minister just a week after taking office due to gaffes.
His government is now trying to draft and submit to the divided parliament this month another extra budget to fund rebuilding efforts from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan's Pacific coast in March.
The government and the ruling Democratic Party agreed last week the size of the extra budget, the third one for this fiscal year to March 2012, would be about 12 trillion yen (US$156 billion).
They also agreed to raise taxes by 9.2 trillion yen over a 10-year period to fund rebuilding projects as Japan grapples with a public debt twice the size of its US$5 trillion economy.
But with confusion over how much in non-tax revenues the government would be able to secure from selling its stakes in firms such as Japan Tobacco and Inpex Corp , there is a chance it could end up hiking taxes by an additional 2 trillion yen.
Respondents to the Kyodo survey backed the extra budget draft but were split over the tax hike.
In the telephone poll, 63.2 percent backed the extra budget draft, while 30.3 percent did not. On the possible 11.2 trillion yen tax hikes, 50.5 percent were opposed to the idea, while 46.2 percent backed it.
The 54-year-old Noda needs help from opposition parties which control the upper chamber of parliament and can block bills. He has been in negotiations but nothing is firmly resolved.
Opposition parties have said they are willing to cooperate on the third extra budget, but the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party wants a snap election after this budget is enacted.
Noda has said he does not plan to call a snap election anytime soon.
Noda, Japan's sixth premier in five years, enjoyed strong support right after he took over from his unpopular predecessor, but he had to sack his trade minister just a week after taking office due to gaffes.
His government is now trying to draft and submit to the divided parliament this month another extra budget to fund rebuilding efforts from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan's Pacific coast in March.
The government and the ruling Democratic Party agreed last week the size of the extra budget, the third one for this fiscal year to March 2012, would be about 12 trillion yen (US$156 billion).
They also agreed to raise taxes by 9.2 trillion yen over a 10-year period to fund rebuilding projects as Japan grapples with a public debt twice the size of its US$5 trillion economy.
But with confusion over how much in non-tax revenues the government would be able to secure from selling its stakes in firms such as Japan Tobacco and Inpex Corp , there is a chance it could end up hiking taxes by an additional 2 trillion yen.
Respondents to the Kyodo survey backed the extra budget draft but were split over the tax hike.
In the telephone poll, 63.2 percent backed the extra budget draft, while 30.3 percent did not. On the possible 11.2 trillion yen tax hikes, 50.5 percent were opposed to the idea, while 46.2 percent backed it.
The 54-year-old Noda needs help from opposition parties which control the upper chamber of parliament and can block bills. He has been in negotiations but nothing is firmly resolved.
Opposition parties have said they are willing to cooperate on the third extra budget, but the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party wants a snap election after this budget is enacted.
Noda has said he does not plan to call a snap election anytime soon.
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