THE ASAHI SHIMBUN2009/7/22
Prime Minister Taro Aso dissolved the Lower House on Tuesday, setting the stage for what is expected to be a historic election on Aug. 30.
Official campaigning will kick off Aug. 18, but politicians were already behaving as if the race had begun to determine whether Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) would gain control of government.
In an unusual move, Aso first felt compelled to apologize for his recent flip-flops on policy as well as internal discord within the party.
"My careless statements caused distrust among the public and hurt trust in the political sector," Aso said at a news conference Tuesday. "I extend my deep apology."
Earlier on Tuesday, Aso apologized at a meeting of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers for his statements and the woeful performance of LDP-backed candidates in recent local elections.
Aso said at the news conference he would make three pledges to voters.
He promised to achieve recovery in the domestic economy. He also vowed to assuage growing concerns about jobs, old age and child-rearing and pledged to comprehensively reform the taxation system, reduce the number of Diet members and central government bureaucrats and eliminate the controversial practice of amakudari.
Aso shied away from stating a goal for the number of seats he was hoping the LDP would win as well as saying what he would do if the party failed to win.
He called Minshuto unfit to govern, saying that instead of offering specific policy measures, it only opposed whatever the government proposed.
In particular, Aso cited Minshuto's failure to take part in Diet deliberations for killing a bill to implement inspections of cargo ships in line with economic sanctions against North Korea.
"North Korea is the most happy about that development," he sneered.
Minshuto officials, meanwhile, had to remind members that there was still a campaign to fight and win.
Party leader Yukio Hatoyama said: "From today, we have entered into a 40-day election campaign to bring about a change in government. Minshuto will have to enter the contest with a sense of historic mission. We are the challengers. We want to achieve victory by proudly displaying our campaign manifesto."
Hatoyama emphasized the historic significance of the election.
"This election will not simply be about defeating a coalition government made up of the LDP and New Komeito," Hatoyama said. "The objective is a change in government that would have the major revolutionary goal of creating a new government in which every citizen can participate and moving away from politics led by bureaucrats that we have witnessed since the Meiji Era (1868-1912)."
Hatoyama said the recent moves within the LDP to dump Aso showed the public that the party had already lost its ability to govern.
At the same time, he warned Minshuto lawmakers against prematurely assuming the party would win.
He said a change of government would not happen unless incumbents won in their electoral districts. He also made clear that only those who won in single-seat districts would be considered for a place in a Minshuto Cabinet.
This could also be a tightly contested battle if the number of likely candidates is an indication. The Asahi Shimbun has found that the major political parties will likely field about 850 candidates, the lowest number under the current electoral system. Opposition parties have cooperated to limit the number of candidates so as not to siphon off votes.
This will be the first time in nearly a century for a Lower House election to be held in August, when summer temperatures are at their peak.
The last time was in 1902.(IHT/Asahi: July 22,2009)
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