LDP secretary general Taro Aso

Aso to run in LDP presidential race planned for Sept 22

Tuesday 02nd September, 02:04 PM JST

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medievaltimes at 12:07 AM JST - 3rd September

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I don't care who becomes PM. I'M PASSED CARING.

Then why post?
dr_jones at 12:11 AM JST - 3rd September

He should have been voted in the first place! Fukuda was an almost one year long null round.
meanmutha at 12:15 AM JST - 3rd September

word on the street he's old school and hates the US and others...
usaexpat at 12:22 AM JST - 3rd September

My wife's aunt knows him fairly well and as I understand it he should be more dynamic than Fukuda was. With all the rants about xenophobic, son of a war criminal etc. you'd think all the posters above actually had democracy or good governance in their home countries, I bet not. It doesn't matter much anyway as nothing really changes here or anywhere else on earth. Aso will get the nod, look for him to last 1 year.
JohnBecker at 12:37 AM JST - 3rd September

Hopefully Aso wins the party election, people get even more disgusted, and the LDP finally gets tossed out on it collective ear in the next parliamentary election.

BTW - the U.S. is not a democracy - it's a federal republic.
usaexpat at 12:43 AM JST - 3rd September

JohnBecker: In therory the US is a representative democracy the same as Japan, all of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, etc. the question is who those democracies truly represent. My point was as screwed up as Japan's 1 party rule is the two party rule of the states or most European countries is not much if any better.
Pukey2 at 12:58 AM JST - 3rd September

Then why post?

Because this is a forum for people to post their opinions.
Pukey2 at 12:59 AM JST - 3rd September

Above post for medievaltimes. What's your opinion?
GeorgeRoper at 01:02 AM JST - 3rd September

I heard Mr Aso is even more of a diddler than Ken Dodd. Why does Japan want a twister as prime minister.

Its like Britain choosing Jeffrey Archer to be prime minsiter. Why dont they pick a young fella, who is more in touch with the people?
burikko at 01:05 AM JST - 3rd September

I suppose some person misunderstand Aso's grandfather. Yoshida was the liberalist who was opposed against militarism. But his grandson is a claptrap politician with cheap chauvinism.

Ichiro Hatoyama (the grandfather of DPJ's chief secretary Yukio Hatoyama), and Yoshida had organized LDP. I can imagine hardly what their grandsons will make or destroy.
Blue_Tiger at 08:58 AM JST - 3rd September

Hmmmmmm.....

A lot of the comments I'm seeing here about Taro Aso as the possible next PM are alomst identical to posts I saw six years ago when Koizumi jumped into the PM race.

Perhaps Taro Aso is a man of Koizumi's calibre? Let us hope so....
Simon_Foston at 11:26 AM JST - 3rd September

A lot of the comments I'm seeing here about Taro Aso as the possible next PM are alomst identical to posts I saw six years ago when Koizumi jumped into the PM race.

Perhaps Taro Aso is a man of Koizumi's calibre? Let us hope so....

Koizumi became LDP president on his second try, and that was in spite of being very much a party outsider. Aso's had what, three or four attempts at getting the job, and in the last two elections he couldn't beat non-entities like Abe and Fukuda. A man of Koizumi's calibre? I think not. He's a loudmouthed failure.
lipscombe at 12:36 AM JST - 5th September

Mori must be happy, even his reign of embarrassing stupidity may soon be eclipsed.
Seiharinokaze at 01:37 AM JST - 5th September

Mr. Aso's grandfather opposed to militarization of Japan leaving her national security entirely to America. As a result, the LDP politics has been mainly to distribute the fruits of economic growth, lacking any sense of self-determination for diplomacy and national security, for which LDP has only to follow what its mastermind dictates. So even if everybody else (actually including LDP) does not want to extend the refueling mission, the government of a protectorate state has no choice but to do it. It's called Yoshida system (or more aptly the end result of it). And all the technicalities are arranged by bureaucrats to their best interest and advantage without any concern for people's well-being. But this system is beginning to be stalemated.

Perhaps PM Fukuda has gotten sick of it all losing sight of the path that this country should follow. That's why he decided to step down. And Mr. Aso seems still to try to keep the dysfunctional old system. I'm not sure if he does so by having a foreboding that LDP politics is coming to an end.
lipscombe at 10:35 AM JST - 5th September

he looks like Yoda