Race for Kan's successor wide open
Source: Agencies |
August 24, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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UNPOPULAR Prime Minister Naoto Kan confirmed yesterday he would step down as head of the ruling party this week if two key bills were enacted, clearing the way for a new leader to try to cope with Japan's nuclear crisis and slew of economic ills.
The race to become Japan's sixth leader in five years was blown wide open on Monday when former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, 49, decided to run.
That cut the chances of Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a fiscal conservative. The support base for the two men overlaps in the Democratic Party of Japan - and whoever is elected next week as leader of the party with control of the lower house will become prime minister.
"...on Friday if the two pending bills pass parliament by then, I will resign as head of the DPJ," Kan told a parliamentary panel. "Then, when the new leader is chosen, I will quit as prime minister."
Japan's new leader must grapple with a soaring yen that threatens exports, rebuild from the March earthquake and tsunami, end a nuclear crisis at the crippled Fukushima plant and forge a new energy policy - all while trying to curb public debt and cure the ills of a fast-aging society. But concerns run deep as to whether the next prime minister will fare any better than his predecessors in the face of a divided parliament and ruling party split by policies and personal feuds.
"The chances of a stable government capable of doing the bold and decisive things needed to deal with the problems in Tohoku (northeast Japan) and revitalize Japan are very, very low," said Columbia University professor Gerry Curtis. He suggested the next government could also be short-lived.
Kan, whose voter support has sunk below 20 percent, pledged in June to step down after achieving certain tasks. With key bills expected to pass this week, the DPJ is set to pick a successor on Monday. One of those bills, to promote renewable energy sources such as solar power, was approved by a lower house panel yesterday.
Maehara is a security expert who has irritated China by warning about its growing military might and has lately put beating deflation at the top of his policy agenda.
He said last night he wants to take over the leadership to restore public trust and hope, especially among disaster victims. "We must regain public trust in politics, and achieve policies that can help people sense of safety and hope for the future.
"We need to stand beside the disaster victims and overcome this national catastrophe together."
At least five other lawmakers are considering a run at the nation's top job, including farm minister Michihiko Kano, 69.
The race to become Japan's sixth leader in five years was blown wide open on Monday when former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, 49, decided to run.
That cut the chances of Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a fiscal conservative. The support base for the two men overlaps in the Democratic Party of Japan - and whoever is elected next week as leader of the party with control of the lower house will become prime minister.
"...on Friday if the two pending bills pass parliament by then, I will resign as head of the DPJ," Kan told a parliamentary panel. "Then, when the new leader is chosen, I will quit as prime minister."
Japan's new leader must grapple with a soaring yen that threatens exports, rebuild from the March earthquake and tsunami, end a nuclear crisis at the crippled Fukushima plant and forge a new energy policy - all while trying to curb public debt and cure the ills of a fast-aging society. But concerns run deep as to whether the next prime minister will fare any better than his predecessors in the face of a divided parliament and ruling party split by policies and personal feuds.
"The chances of a stable government capable of doing the bold and decisive things needed to deal with the problems in Tohoku (northeast Japan) and revitalize Japan are very, very low," said Columbia University professor Gerry Curtis. He suggested the next government could also be short-lived.
Kan, whose voter support has sunk below 20 percent, pledged in June to step down after achieving certain tasks. With key bills expected to pass this week, the DPJ is set to pick a successor on Monday. One of those bills, to promote renewable energy sources such as solar power, was approved by a lower house panel yesterday.
Maehara is a security expert who has irritated China by warning about its growing military might and has lately put beating deflation at the top of his policy agenda.
He said last night he wants to take over the leadership to restore public trust and hope, especially among disaster victims. "We must regain public trust in politics, and achieve policies that can help people sense of safety and hope for the future.
"We need to stand beside the disaster victims and overcome this national catastrophe together."
At least five other lawmakers are considering a run at the nation's top job, including farm minister Michihiko Kano, 69.
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