Posted: 25 December 2008 0935 hrsTOKYO: Japan is on the verge of "inevitable" political realignment, a senior member of the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party says, as the public becomes ever more fed up with a stalemate in policymaking.
Yoshimi Watanabe, a cabinet member until August, told AFP in an interview that Japan could see a switch to parties focused on strategic consensus rather than the current blocs that stretch across ideology.
"After the general elections, party realignment will inevitably occur," said Watanabe, 56, the son of a top LDP leader who was foreign minister in the 1990s.
Photo: Yoshimi Watanabe (C)"It will occur however the vote results turn out, whether the LDP wins or the (main opposition) Democratic Party wins or if it ends in a draw," Watanabe said.
"What's now in focus is that some people say the party realignment before the snap elections may be necessary to break the current sense of stagnation."
Several days after the interview, Watanabe on Wednesday was rebuked by his own party by standing in parliament with the opposition in seeking new elections, which he said were crucial to breaking a legislative deadlock.
The LDP has been in power for all but 10 months since its creation in 1955 with the backing of rural voters and commercial interests. The conservative party has consistently pursued pro-business and pro-US policies.
But its stranglehold cracked last year when the opposition won the less powerful upper house of parliament in a voter backlash over scandals and political missteps among LDP governments.
The LDP has gone through three prime ministers in little more than two years as the party struggles to win over voters.
Watanabe has been an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Taro Aso, who took over three months ago with a mission to lead the LDP into elections but has stalled on calling them. On Wednesday, the premier rejected snap polls, saying his priority was to focus on tackling the economy amid the global downturn.
"I'm well aware of talk about elections or a political realignment," Aso told reporters as he presented his government's record 88.55 trillion yen (980 billion dollar) budget for 2009.
"Now that we are in the midst of a once-in-a-century crisis, we are not in a position to talk about such things. I think it's impossible," he said.
But Aso's approval rating has quickly plunged below 20 per cent on criticism of his handling of the economy along with a series of remarks by the outspoken conservative premier offending the elderly and other groups.
A number of liberal-leaning LDP lawmakers have in recent weeks formed "study groups" on political issues widely seen as laying the groundwork for a future realignment.
"The reason why these movements emerge one after another is because the Aso cabinet is postponing the general elections," meaning it does not have political capital on its own, Watanabe said.
"If he calls snap elections, he could make campaign promises and then be backed by voters. This would be the backbone of his political power," he added.
Other lawmakers involved in the realignment include Taku Yamasaki, a close aide to popular former premier Junichiro Koizumi who has led Japanese overtures to arch-enemy North Korea.
Yamasaki recently raised eyebrows by appearing on the same television show with Naoto Kan, the number two of the main opposition Democratic Party, and saying that realignment "will surely occur".
But while the opposition Democrats stand to gain, their ranks are also seen as divided. The party is a motley assortment of socialists and disgruntled former LDP conservatives.
"Ideally, party realignment should happen in a way that unites lawmakers of the same political creed," Watanabe said.
- AFP/yt
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