The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Diet to be dissolved Friday afternoon
By ELAINE KURTENBACH TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
7 Comments
Login to comment
TumbleDry
I wish he is going out but honestly, looking at the other clowns, I guess we gonna stick with him a little longer...
nigelboy
Wow. What a brilliant analysis (sarcasm).
Asked by other 'analysts' not from the West, they give out many factors one of which is to keep the Ministry of Finance and those within LDP who want to raise taxes to keep their mouths shut for the time being. Or to emphasize the fact that the opposition party have been simply going against Abe's policy without offering viable alternative solutions.
hereforever
I don't believe he would be doing this useless he was 100% confident the LDP can maintain power.
gaijinfo
This is the key right here, kids. Abe is striking when he KNOWS he will maintain power, so he can later claim the "people" support his economic idiocy.
This move is NOT to "check in with the voters." This is a CALCULATED consolidation of power, indicating that things are about to get pretty serious.
Generally speaking, when political leaders "consolidate power" as the economy crumbles, it doesn't end well.
USNinJapan2
Wonderful. Another election to ruin the nenmatsu.
Stuart hayward
“I realize this election will be tough, but I need to hear the voice of the people,” Abe said. If he wanted to hear the voices of the people, he would have allowed open debate on reinterpreting the constitution, nuclear restarts, the first tax hike. If he wants to hear the people's voices about his policies, simply do a polling, rather than making the tax payers pay for this extremely expensive "snap election".
lachance
Although Xi met Abe, he managed to snub him at the same time. Not only was Abe left standing in the Great Hall of the People while he waited for Xi’s entrance (in a complete reversal of normal protocol), but when the two leaders actually did meet, Abe extended his hand in a friendly gesture, smiled and said a few words. This was barely reciprocated. Xi just shook Abe’s hand, said nothing and turned away. This simple gesture displayed a remarkable lack of hospitality towards a state guest who was clearly treated with disdain, as a Japanese Foreign Ministry official put it.