Kishida Stands Down

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in his press conference on August 14 that he would not run for the presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party in September. Kishida abandoned seeking his second term as the president. It means that new party leader elected in the election will make the next prime minister of Japan with votes in the extraordinary session of the Diet, expected to be convoked next month. Highly unusual political situation in which significantly unpopular prime minister stays on his position will be finished. 

In his press conference, Kishida insisted on the necessity of change for the LDP. “It is necessary for the LDP to show its change before the nationals. The first step very easy for the people to understand is that I am going to stand down. I will not run for coming presidential election,” said Kishida. He explained that he could put a period on his diplomatic agenda by telephone talk with the prime minister of Mongolia the day before.

 

In the slush fund scandal of the LDP, Kishida lost public confidence on his leadership, failing in explaining how and why the kickback system of ticket sales for fundraising party was created and operated. Lack of leadership for regaining confidence for the LDP caused miserable defeats in the by-elections of the House of Representatives in April, generating among the LDP lawmakers serious concern for coming elections of both Houses of the Diet.

 

Kishida alienated himself from the LDP lawmakers by deciding dissolution of his faction, Kochi-kai, and attending Political Ethics Council of the Diet to explain about his own involvement in the scandal to urge other LDP lawmakers to take responsibility for handlings of political funds. The lawmakers were frustrated and skeptical about Kishida’s leadership, demanding resignation as the president. It is fair to say that the situation around Kishida has not been sufficient for maintaining an administration.

 

It is inevitable for the race to be accelerated. Former LDP Secretary General and former Minister of Defense, Shigeru Ishiba, has been expressing his willingness for leading post-Kishida LDP. Current Secretary General, Toshimitsu Motegi, did not hide his ambition for the prime minister. It is likely that the race will be led by those two leaders. Two former prime ministers, Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga who hope to maintain behind-the-scene leadership, may have impact on the race. Motegi should be the preferable leader to exercise influence for Aso and Ishiba for Suga.

 

Although a young leader should be necessary for displaying a change of the LDP, it is not easy to raise one. Article 10 of the Rules for Election of President of the LDP says “only those members nominated by at least twenty Party Diet members shall be accepted as candidates.” Collecting twenty supporters is not easy, because they will be ill-treated, if their candidate loses in the presidential election. A quasi-faction politics remains as long as this provision remains.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when COVID-19 was preval
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, which is
Read more

Death Penalty Demanded on Criminal of Arson

On the historically brutal case of arson, the public prosecutors demanded an ultimate penalty to the offender. In the trial on the arson and murder in Kyoto Animation in 2019, the prosecutors requested death penalty on the defendant, Shinji Aoba. The lawyers of Aoba argued that the court should avoid sentencing death penalty. The judgement will be passed next January. Aoba was indicted as putting fire after pouring gasoline in the building of Kyoto Animation (Kyoani), a studio producing animation works, and killed 36 staffs and injured 32 on July 18 th , 2019. In the trial, Aoba argued that he could not tolerate Kyoani, because it had stolen his novel story in its works. Aoba later apologized to the victim’s families that he had done too much and regretted it.   In the closing argument in Kyoto Regional Court, the prosecutors demanded death penalty for Aoba, because the number of victims were extremely high in the history of criminal trials in Japan. “It is hard to describe about how t
Read more