Aso brushes off idea of lower house dissolution at this time

Monday 06th October, 09:50 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 17 Total Comments Show All

serindipity at 12:05 PM JST - 6th October

It's ironic the Prime Minister is worried about dissolution when the rest of the country is disillusioned.
electric2004 at 12:46 PM JST - 6th October

I thought it was Aso who wanted to have the lower house dissolution soon?
Statistician at 02:38 PM JST - 6th October

The term 'chicken' springs to mind. But the Japanese will be rid of the LDP soon.
realist at 02:47 PM JST - 6th October

Coward! It has nothing to do with the Japanese public, about whom he really couldnt care less. He is merely trying to stay in power and butter up as many people as possible before he has to do the inevitable and call a General Election, then the Japanese have the chance to rid themselves of the millstone that is the LDP/Soka Gakkai Alliance, which is the ruinati0on of Japan.
Shumatsu_Samurai at 04:30 PM JST - 6th October

Haha, I see a number of people sore about the fact he's going to work to get some measures passed first. Well, tough. He's PM - he gets to decide if there's an early election or not.

If Aso is a coward, so is Ozawa. He should agree to dissolve the upper chamber at the same time and let the Japanese people choose a majority government in control of both chambers. But, no, he wouldn't do that because he wants to have control of the upper house so he can fcuk the country up even more if the LDP gets re-elected but without a 2/3 majority.
northlondon at 10:31 PM JST - 6th October

Prime Minister of Japan, elected by nobody, placed into power because the previous incumbent resigned, ignores democracy and the lower house. No surprises there then. Japanese politicians are a law unto themselves and the electorate are pretty spineless.
Shumatsu_Samurai at 06:23 AM JST - 7th October

Prime Minister of Japan, elected by nobody, placed into power because the previous incumbent resigned, **ignores democracy and the lower house **

Actually, he respects democracy and the lower house. Japanese law appoints the PM through a vote of the lower house. The lower house supported him becoming PM.

The politicians who are calling for an election are the opposition, who strangely enough, being in opposition, do not call the shots.

the electorate are pretty spineless

Sure, because you know better - right? Slag the Japanese off - that'll win them over!
northlondon at 12:28 PM JST - 7th October

Sure, because you know better - right? Slag the Japanese off - that'll win them over!

This is not slagging-off the Japanese. This is fact. The Liberal Democratic Party has run Japan for how long ? Aso did not get voted in as Prime Minister by the electorate. He got in because of yet another resignation of a Japanese Prime Minister. Aso had the chance to earn some democratic and political respect by calling an election date, but he used the current financial situation as an excuse not to. There have been 6 Japanese Prime Minsters since April 2000 and 3 in the last year alone. When was the last time the Japanese voters demonstrated against the fixed system here ? Seems pretty spineless to me as everyone is just content with their own personal lot.
nigelboy at 12:39 PM JST - 7th October

Actually, the PM's timing of resignation depends heavily on the polls. So in essence, people do actually get to vote on who the PM should be. One thing to note is that in the recent poll while the LDP election was going on, people preferred to have Aso be the PM rather than Ozawa by a 2 to 1 margin.
northlondon at 01:04 PM JST - 7th October

Actually, the PM's timing of resignation depends heavily on the polls. So in essence, people do actually get to vote on who the PM should be.

In essence people didn't get to vote for Aso or whoever. We are just talking about opinion polls here. Opinion polls are not 100% guaranteed and they are not a democratic voting system.

One thing to note is that in the recent poll while the LDP election was going on, people preferred to have Aso be the PM rather than Ozawa by a 2 to 1 margin.

So maybe Japan should completely do away with an electoral voting system and rely on their favourite opinion poll to decide who runs this country instead.
nigelboy at 01:14 PM JST - 7th October

In essence people didn't get to vote for Aso or whoever. We are just talking about opinion polls here. Opinion polls are not 100% guaranteed and they are not a democratic voting system.

No. But it's certainly better than to put up with a failed administration for X number of years simply because the only way to get them out of office immediately is to go through an impossible task called impeacement.

So maybe Japan should completely do away with an electoral voting system and rely on their favourite opinion poll to decide who runs this country instead.

That's not what I said at all. Your implication is that the Japanese public in general has absolutely no say on who the PM should be when in fact, they do albeit indirectly.
northlondon at 02:41 PM JST - 7th October

Indirectly is an understatement and I wouldn't trust opinion polls in this country. I try to believe in democracy of some sort, not government controlled spin. The resignation of a Prime Minister (as opposed to ill-health or a retirement announced before the previous general election), be it in Japan or the UK or wherever, should result in an automatic vote of no confidence followed by an election. The fact that Aso has avoided this highlights his aversion tactics.
nigelboy at 03:01 PM JST - 7th October

Indirectly is an understatement and I wouldn't trust opinion polls in this country.

So I guess both Abe and Fukuda were still very popular before they resigned? Sigh.

I try to believe in democracy of some sort, not government controlled spin.

I have no idea what this means. Are you stating that the government manipulated the opinion poll among the various news outlets (Yomiuri, FNN, Asahi, Nikkei) which was to deceive the citizens as well as the diet members into believing that Fukuda is unpopular? Please explain.

The resignation of a Prime Minister (as opposed to ill-health or a retirement announced before the previous general election), be it in Japan or the UK or wherever, should result in an automatic vote of no confidence followed by an election.

And your reasoning is? Why don't you just state that you want the laws to change that for every resignation, there should be an election? Let's just leave the no-confidence motion as is which is to used exclusively for "no confidence "

And of course, if such laws are revised, the PM's will be more hesitant to resign. Hence, my preivous example of "failed adminatration for X number of years".

The fact that Aso has avoided this highlights his aversion tactics.

If I was Aso, I would do the same thing. Why shoot yourself?
northlondon at 03:24 PM JST - 7th October

Are you stating that the government manipulated the opinion poll among the various news outlets (Yomiuri, FNN, Asahi, Nikkei) which was to deceive the citizens as well as the diet members into believing that Fukuda is unpopular? Please explain.

Nope and don't twist my meaning. You are stating that opinion polls are an indirect form of a democratic vote by the electorate. I am stating that you are wrong.

If I was Aso, I would do the same thing. Why shoot yourself?

Which makes it right then does it ? If you committed a crime then the majority of us would think of a way of avoiding arrest. That doesn't make us right though does it. I am arguing about the lack of democracy in a so-called democracy.

Let's just admit it, we're not going to agree on this at all. I am arguing against how these Prime Ministers get put in place by their own party and not by the electorate and you think it's acceptable because the opinion polls say so which you think are an indirect form of general election.
nigelboy at 04:17 PM JST - 7th October

Nope and don't twist my meaning. You are stating that opinion polls are an indirect form of a democratic vote by the electorate. I am stating that you are wrong.

I'm stating that opinion polls have had significant impact on when the PM should resign as well as who should be elected as PM. You choose to be ignorant.

Which makes it right then does it ? If you committed a crime then the majority of us would think of a way of avoiding arrest. That doesn't make us right though does it. I am arguing about the lack of democracy in a so-called democracy.

Absurd comparison. The mere fact that the public has ousted the prior PM's shows that democracy is at work here. You choose to ignore this part but focus on the current PM because you believe he's not the consensus choice for the Japanese public without providing any concrete evidence.