Jun 26 08:48 AM US/EasternTOKYO, June 26 (AP) - (Kyodo) — On his controversial remark made Thursday that a lower house dissolution will come "in the not-so-distant future," Prime Minister Taro Aso suggested Friday that the time frame covers up to around two months.
"What impression do you get if I say 'in the not-so-distant future?' I don't think one month is so distant. I don't think two months are also so distant," Aso told reporters. "I will make the decision on the timing (of the dissolution) at an appropriate time."
Aso's remark Thursday was perceived as he is exploring the possibility of the dissolution early next month before the July 12 Tokyo assembly election to hold a general election on Aug. 2 as some have been speculating.
The election must be held by October as the terms of the House of Representatives members are set to expire Sept. 10.
Aso's remark, however, drew objections from some senior lawmakers in the ruling parties of his own Liberal Democratic Party and its partner New Komeito party.
LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said it will be difficult for Aso to dissolve the lower house and give up the passage of high- profile bills, including one to revise the Organ Transplant Law and another to enable Japan to inspect North Korean cargo on the high seas.
"We are sticking with the plan to pass the bills," Hosoda said at a news conference, adding Aso has the right to decide when to dissolve the lower house.
General Council Chairman Takashi Sasagawa also expressed the view that Aso should not dissolve the lower house so soon, saying, "He is not such a prime minister who chooses dissolution by abandoning bills on the way."
"I would like him to work hard for their enactment and make people feel reassured," he added.
New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota said at a news conference, "We are making a concerted efforts for the Tokyo assembly election. We would like to concentrate on it," apparently hoping to put a brake on the dissolution before July 12.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan has started gearing up for a possible Aug. 2 election.
DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama urged Aso to dissolve the lower house at an early time, saying at a news conference in Hokkaido, "The prime minister should dissolve (the lower house) immediately if he has courage."
DPJ Acting President Ichiro Ozawa said the general election could come on Aug. 2.
"The Aug. 2 election is possible. I would like you to work hard by giving full throttle," Ozawa told an expected candidate from the People's New Party, another opposition party, in Kagoshima Prefecture.
On a reshuffle of the LDP's key positions ahead of the general election which some lawmakers in the party are calling for, Aso suggested to reporters that he is considering various options.
A senior ruling party lawmaker said Thursday that Aso is considering reshuffling three of the LDP's four key positions ahead of the House of Representatives election.
According to the lawmaker, Aso plans to replace Secretary General Hosoda, Policy Research Council Chairman Kosuke Hori and General Council Chairman Sasagawa. But Aso will have Election Strategy Council Chairman Makoto Koga stay in the post, the lawmaker said.
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