Japan: Ozawa Resigns

[Frodo]

Now would be the time for a third party to emerge...

Leader of Japan’s Opposition Resigns

MARTIN FACKLER
Published: May 11, 2009
 
TOKYO — Ichiro Ozawa, the Japanese opposition leader, announced his resignation on Monday, saying he wanted to prevent a campaign financing scandal involving one of his aides from hurting his party’s chances of unseating the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party.

Mr. Ozawa told a hastily gathered news conference that he would step down as head of Japan’s main opposition Democratic Party, which has seen its lead in public opinion polls shrink as a result of the scandal. The scandal erupted in early March, when prosecutors arrested one of Mr. Ozawa’s aides, who is accused of taking bribes from a construction company.

Mr. Ozawa had tried to ride out the controversy, criticizing the prosecutors for what he called a politically motivated investigation, while stopping short of accusing them of helping the unpopular Liberal Democrats. But the scandal appears to have further tarnished Japanese voters’ views of both parties ahead of a national election that must be held by Sept. 10.

By resigning, Mr. Ozawa, 66, was relinquishing what has been a nearly two-decade personal quest to end the Liberal Democrats’ half-century hold on power. Before the scandal, that goal appeared within his grasp, as political stalemate and economic stagnation turned voters against Prime Minister Taro Aso.

[Verily]

Good. Hopefully the DPJ can recover the lead now. Don't think you'd like the third party, Frodo, it would be the Japanese Communist Party if anyone.

[Hash]

Good. Hopefully the DPJ can recover the lead now. Don't think you'd like the third party, Frodo, it would be the Japanese Communist Party if anyone.

Or the Socialists. Though the JCP isn't particularly bad, far from it. The

[Verily]

Good. Hopefully the DPJ can recover the lead now. Don't think you'd like the third party, Frodo, it would be the Japanese Communist Party if anyone.

Or the Socialists. Though the JCP isn't particularly bad, far from it. The

True, the Communists aren't communists. But I don't think Frodo would find them appealing.

The Socialists are in dreadful shape, organization-wise. The only reason I mentioned the JCP is because they've developed quite a following among younger voters (basically, those who came of age after the beginning of the 1990s recession). They have the potential to improve their standing over the next couple of decades while the SDPJ does not.

[big bad fab]

Re-enters Okada ?
And Ozawa still pulling the strings or putting a big mess, from behind the scenes ?

[Frodo]

Good. Hopefully the DPJ can recover the lead now. Don't think you'd like the third party, Frodo, it would be the Japanese Communist Party if anyone.

How about the New Komeito Party?  Isn't it currently in coalition with the DPJ?

[Hash]

Good. Hopefully the DPJ can recover the lead now. Don't think you'd like the third party, Frodo, it would be the Japanese Communist Party if anyone.

How about the New Komeito Party?  Isn't it currently in coalition with the DPJ?

New Komeito is a Buddhist conservative party in coalition with the LDP.

[Frodo]

Good. Hopefully the DPJ can recover the lead now. Don't think you'd like the third party, Frodo, it would be the Japanese Communist Party if anyone.

How about the New Komeito Party?  Isn't it currently in coalition with the DPJ?

New Komeito is a Buddhist conservative party

Yes, I know.  Is there any particular reason why it couldn't emerge as a major third party?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

My mistake.  Not that there's much of a difference between that and the DPJ, though. 

[Frodo]

Japanese Political Heir To Lead Opposition Party

By YUKA HAYASHI

TOKYO -- Yukio Hatoyama, a veteran lawmaker from a well-known political family, won an election Saturday to lead Japan's main opposition party, making him a likely candidate to seek to become the nation's next prime minister.

The Democratic Party of Japan selected Mr. Hatoyama, 62 years old, as its leader at a time when analysts say the party has a strong chance of unseating Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party in national elections later this year.

Since the departure of popular Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2006, the LDP, a conservative party that has ruled Japan nearly continuously for more than half a century, has grown unpopular and weak, hurt by policy mishaps, gaffes and an empowered opposition in parliament.

A grandson of a prime minister and son of a foreign minister, Mr. Hatoyama is known for his pedigree and considerable personal wealth -- a combination that has also propelled Mr. Aso, his LDP counterpart, to the top of his party. Mr. Hatoyama isn't known for any particular economic policy stance, although his party is expected to continue with its with populist policies.

The motto of Mr. Hatoyama's political family is the pursuit of a society guided by "friendship and love," but he is also known for his somewhat hawkish view on Japan's position in the world.

Mr. Hatoyama advocates revising Japan's pacifist constitution to recognize its right to maintain a military, and favors diplomacy based on a multilateral approach, rather than one focused on bilateral relations with the U.S.

"I think that Japan now needs to make a clear shift from diplomacy that follows the U.S. lead to diplomacy based on multilateral cooperation," Mr. Hatoyama said recently.

[big bad fab]

Japanese Political Heir To Lead Opposition Party

By YUKA HAYASHI

TOKYO -- Yukio Hatoyama, a veteran lawmaker from a well-known political family, won an election Saturday to lead Japan's main opposition party, making him a likely candidate to seek to become the nation's next prime minister.

The Democratic Party of Japan selected Mr. Hatoyama, 62 years old, as its leader at a time when analysts say the party has a strong chance of unseating Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party in national elections later this year.

Since the departure of popular Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2006, the LDP, a conservative party that has ruled Japan nearly continuously for more than half a century, has grown unpopular and weak, hurt by policy mishaps, gaffes and an empowered opposition in parliament.

A grandson of a prime minister and son of a foreign minister, Mr. Hatoyama is known for his pedigree and considerable personal wealth -- a combination that has also propelled Mr. Aso, his LDP counterpart, to the top of his party. Mr. Hatoyama isn't known for any particular economic policy stance, although his party is expected to continue with its with populist policies.

The motto of Mr. Hatoyama's political family is the pursuit of a society guided by "friendship and love," but he is also known for his somewhat hawkish view on Japan's position in the world.

Mr. Hatoyama advocates revising Japan's pacifist constitution to recognize its right to maintain a military, and favors diplomacy based on a multilateral approach, rather than one focused on bilateral relations with the U.S.

"I think that Japan now needs to make a clear shift from diplomacy that follows the U.S. lead to diplomacy based on multilateral cooperation," Mr. Hatoyama said recently.

DPJ looks like a LDP-bis...
Sure, Katsuya Okada lost in the last elections, but he may be the only one to put his party over the Old Big One.

[Verily]

The DPJ is back with a big lead now; a new poll has them up 41-26. I don't have a link at the mo'.