Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announces his resignation Monday night.
POOL PHOTO

Fukuda resigns as prime minister to avoid political vacuum; Aso says he's willing to run for PM

Tuesday 02nd September, 06:37 AM JST

TOKYO —

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced Monday that he will step down, citing a political stalemate in his efforts to implement key policies amid sagging support ratings, a move that comes less than one year after he launched his government and just a month after reshuffling his cabinet.

‘‘It is necessary to try to implement measures under a new framework…I thought now is the best time to resign to avoid a political vacuum,’’ Fukuda, 72, told a hastily convened news conference at 9:30 p.m.

Fukuda has been facing difficulties in managing parliamentary affairs in the divided Diet, where opposition parties control the House of Councillors and have been stepping up pressure on the government, such as by rejecting candidates for central bank chief.

Within the governing coalition, Fukuda also did not appear able to iron out differences with the New Komeito party, the Liberal Democratic Party’s junior coalition partner, which is urging that a general election be held early next year at the latest.

Fukuda, LDP president, eyed an election after passing major pieces of legislation that include a bill to extend Japan’s refueling mission to support multilateral antiterrorism operations in the Indian Ocean, which is set to expire in January. Fukuda was also planning to set up a consumer protection agency through legislation.

The cooperation of the New Komeito party is vital for the LDP, even though it technically holds a majority in the lower house, because their combined forces in the lower chamber allow them to override a vote in the opposition-controlled upper house. New Komeito is also known to operate a powerful vote-gathering machine for the LDP once an election is called.

Fukuda told the news conference he has instructed LDP Secretary General Taro Aso to prepare to hold a party presidential election to pick his successor, who will thus become prime minister given the LDP’s grip on the lower house.

Aso suggested early Tuesday that he is willing to run for the LDP presidency, saying he would not rule out the possibility that he is fit for the post. Aso is widely believed to be the front-runner in the race.

Fukuda is thought to have judged that it is appropriate for him to step down rather than dissolve the lower house by himself, in a bid to avoid a huge defeat in any election the ruling coalition parties may face.

There has been increasing opinion within the coalition that the two parties would not be able to put up a good fight if a general election were called while Fukuda is in power, ruling lawmakers said.

Since the LDP won big in the general election of September 2005 under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, this is the third time in recent years that Japan has seen its prime minister step down without a general election being called.

Fukuda, the son of former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, took over the government from Shinzo Abe on Sept 26 last year after Abe resigned abruptly for health reasons, having himself taken over from Koizumi a year earlier.

Last fall, Fukuda suggested forming a grand coalition with the Democratic Party of Japan to achieve a breakthrough in the political gridlock, but the prospects diminished after talks between Fukuda and DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa caused political turmoil.

Fukuda said at the press conference, ‘‘I would say it would have been better if there had been more opportunities to hold frank discussions with DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa on what should be done for the country.’‘

Opposition parties criticized the sudden resignation announcement by Fukuda, describing it as ‘‘irresponsible,’’ while strengthening their calls for the House of Representatives to be dissolved for a general election.

‘‘Following the abrupt resignation of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it is an utterly irresponsible way to quit,’’ DPJ Supreme Adviser Kozo Watanabe said. ‘‘I can only worry about what will happen to this country’s politics.’‘

Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, slammed Fukuda’s announcement, saying, ‘‘While the people are facing tougher lives, it is terrible that the prime minister has given up on his administration immediately before the Diet convenes for an extraordinary session’’ on Sept 12.

A government source said late Monday that convening the Diet session will be postponed now that Fukuda has announced his resignation.

Fukuda denied he has any health problems when announcing his resignation, saying he had made the final decision regarding his resignation before the weekend.

The announcement came after the government unveiled Friday an economic stimulus package that it says is worth 11.7 trillion yen to ease the impact of rising energy and material costs.

It also followed a major cabinet reshuffle on Aug 1, which has apparently failed to shore up Fukuda’s popularity. His support rate has recently been running at around 30%.

In a bid to pass key bills such as one to resume Japan’s antiterrorism refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, the ruling parties had resort to a revote on the bills in the House of Representatives which they control.

In addition to the bill on the refueling mission, the ruling parties held a revote in the lower house to pass a tax code bill to reinstate gasoline and other road-related tax surcharges in April and a bill to maintain tax revenues earmarked for road building for 10 years from fiscal 2008 in May.

With these bills generally unpopular, the support rate for his cabinet continued to slide. The introduction in April of a public health insurance program that levies premiums on those aged 75 or older has also hurt Fukuda’s popularity.

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Latest 15 of 97 Total Comments Show All

tkoind2 at 10:39 AM JST - 2nd September

The average person here votes for the name they know regardless of policies. Look at Ishihara and how this aweful old man keeps winning despite his obvious corruption and hatred for ordinary working people and small business in Tokyo.

The LPD is full of sons of politicians elected on name value and very little else. If more talento ran, we'd have more of them in office. People here just don't get interested or involved in politics.

Look at the pathetic reaction by the public to the pension issue. And equally apathetic response to changes in how the elderly are dealt with.

Ordinary Japanese just can't be bothered by politics so the so called democratic parties out there just serve their own special interests and pretty much ignore the public until something big happens.

Japan needs leadership. Real leadership from someone who can shake things up and bypass the institutionalized corruption that has kept Japan down for far too long.
medievaltimes at 10:55 AM JST - 2nd September

Japanese politics are a clown show.
irabujapanu at 11:16 AM JST - 2nd September

For a second, thought Japan should allow foreigners to run in elections to fill in the leadership vaccum but then on a second thought that may not be a good idea when I look at US politics and may be we are better off with the consensus building, peaceful Japanese politics..
tkoind2 at 11:52 AM JST - 2nd September

irabujapanu: You are right that US politics are not a good example. But I think you are wrong about participation of foreign influences in Japan's politicial system. There are a lot of very long term expats here who could be good MPs. Japan should improve naturalization and PR conditions to enourage long term foreign residents to get involved in things.

But the real change must come from Japanese people finally arriving at a consensus that the current government does not have the best interests of ordinary working people in mind. The current government is highly corruped by political factionalism, graft and undue influences by powerful economic and interest groups.

Real people are left out here in politics. So peaceful means passive. And passive means left alone to fend for themselves. What Japanese politics should be is consenus for change, active participation and peaceful agitation to get things moving in the right direction.
PASHA_51 at 12:53 PM JST - 2nd September

It was not necessary at this juncture. New PM will have to face the same problems and can he overcome in short span of time. Hope all goes well in near future and new PM sails government smoothly.
Hughgarse at 02:21 PM JST - 2nd September

What a gong show Japanese politics are...
Simon_Foston at 07:37 PM JST - 2nd September

The people voted the LDP in every time. They had to be doing something right all those years. Took Fukuda a short time to sell out Japan and give the LDP a bad showing in the past election.

Ah, now here is the interesting thing. In previous elections the disparity in the value of rural and urban votes has been as much as 5:1. The LDP have been very careful not to redraw the political boundaries to correct this imbalance too much, so that all they need to do to win elections is keep bringing home the bacon (big public works projects, huge subsidies for zombie businesses and protectionist policies for an agricultural sector like something from the Middle Ages) where the votes count the most. The LDP actually thrives on keeping the domestic economy on crutches, i.e. propping it up with government handouts, instead of making it stand on its own two feet. They have been doing nothing right at all. Give me genuine small-government, big-business and pro-free enterprise conservatives any day.

By the way, Shinzo Abe was the PM/LDP President during the last election, not Fukuda.
mnemosyne23 at 12:50 AM JST - 3rd September

I realize the man was facing incredible political pressures and that lately the government has been in a stalemate. Nevertheless, it is thoroughly irresponsible to resign from a governmental leadership position just because things are difficult! If politics were easy, there wouldn't need to be more than one party!

Though honestly, if this is how Fukuda reacts to the pressures of the PM's office, the Japanese people are better off without him. Japan needs someone solid in the Prime Minstership; someone who will work to resolve political conflicts, not run away from them.
Blue_Tiger at 08:09 AM JST - 3rd September

I think its hilarious that the opposition is calling for the dissolution of the Lower House. With all of their whining and crying -- eslecially the DPJ and Ozawa -- what makes them think that they will win the Lower House, and Keep Control of the Upper?
Simon_Foston at 11:17 AM JST - 3rd September

I think its hilarious that the opposition is calling for the dissolution of the Lower House. With all of their whining and crying -- eslecially the DPJ and Ozawa -- what makes them think that they will win the Lower House, and Keep Control of the Upper?

Why is it hilarious? I bet that if Japan had had three left-wing, liberal Prime Ministers since the last election you'd be doing the same thing. The administration that Japan has now is not the one that it voted for in 2005. The LDP are chronically weak, incompetent and corrupt, and everyone knows it. Indeed, the LDP executives were thinking of conducting some kind of general survey of constituents' opinions but decided against it because they were scared it would show that just about every LDP lawmaker could lose his or her seat. Besides, if they can lose by-elections in conservative rural areas like Yamaguchi they can lose anywhere. The DPJ know that too. Unfortunately, they're terrible at winning elections.
Xentrix at 06:11 PM JST - 4th September

But the real change must come from Japanese people finally arriving at a consensus that the current government does not have the best interests of ordinary working people in mind. The current government is highly corruped by political factionalism, graft and undue influences by powerful economic and interest groups.

Real people are left out here in politics. So peaceful means passive. And passive means left alone to fend for themselves. What Japanese politics should be is consenus for change, active participation and peaceful agitation to get things moving in the right direction. I agree with you tkoind2, you're comment is so forth the truth. But who do you think destroys their harmonious leadership from Ex Prime minister Shinzo Abe up to Prime Minister Fukuda? Who brought conflicts to this situation? Why they end resigning their democratic leadership? Are this ex prime Ministers become a puppet in Japan Government? Are they threatened in harsh secretly? Why all of their health become not good? In South Korean President also experienced this situation, the same as reshuffling their cabinet members and he also likely to see as not having a good health like losing their weights. the diffirence is that he did not resigned. Who are this factionalist groups? Are they foreign politicians wearing a Japanese mask? Sounds confusing situation...
GlowingStar at 06:35 PM JST - 4th September

maybe PM fukuda experienced a puppet prime minister. I think he was threatened in harsh secretly by those foreign factionalist groups who wears the mask of a Japanese Politicians or Japanese Government worker. Or Are they hit from world Government swindlers,Government financial stealers or so called cunning systems of a terrorist. Why are there sequence of prime ministerial resignations in Japan Government?
GlowingStar at 06:39 PM JST - 4th September

Plus I've heard the series numbers of politicians in the world who loss their weight rapidly and most of them have a not so good health condition. A confusing system of leadership or strange? Are they become puppets? Or what other else? common Please use your Observations and psychologies...
apecNetworks at 04:54 PM JST - 7th September

Well, unless something changes, the LDP will lose the 2/3 majority to push through bills. The PM is important, but the 2/3 majority will force the LDP into compromises that it would prefer not. This scenario would be a dramatic power shift in Japanese politics.
isthistheend at 06:06 PM JST - 7th September

Right. And who's coming in their stead? The sons of these people! Like the Tokyo Governors 2 sons. Big change. A while ago I read that something like 33% of the elected officials in Japan have either parents or offspring now serving. That's about double the rate of other "modern" countries. Any cause for concern?