ID :
185666
Tue, 05/31/2011 - 18:39
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/185666
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Opposition may file no-confidence vote against Kan's gov't Wed
TOKYO (Kyodo) - The opposition camp on Tuesday continued to pile pressure on Prime Minister Naoto Kan to step down as the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and its ally the New Komeito party agreed to jointly submit a no-confidence motion against Kan's Cabinet on Wednesday at the earliest after the premier's parliamentary debate with opposition leaders, opposition lawmakers said.
LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki was quoted as telling senior party lawmakers of the House of Councillors that he wants the motion filed on Wednesday or Thursday after the parliamentary debate.
Tanigaki and New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi are expected to urge Kan to step down during the parliamentary debate and to hold talks afterward to finalize arrangements for the motion, the lawmakers said.
Voting on the motion is expected to take place Thursday afternoon during the House of Representatives' plenary session even if the filing is delayed to Thursday.
Delivering a speech on the streets of Tokyo's Yurakucho district, Tanigaki criticized the current administration's handling of reconstruction in the wake of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and subsequent nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant crippled by the disasters.
''The reconstruction of Japan will never be achieved if we leave things to Mr. Kan's administration,'' Tanigaki said.
During a parliamentary session Tuesday, Kan rebuffed mounting calls for his resignation, saying, ''I cannot abandon what I must do now,'' referring to the recovery efforts.
In the face of the impending motion, Jun Azumi, the Democratic Party of Japan's Diet affairs chief, met with Mikio Shimoji, his counterpart in the DPJ's ruling coalition partner, the People's New Party, and agreed to vote down the motion, according to ruling party lawmakers.
Kan is also facing pressure from within the DPJ as some party lawmakers, including former party leader Ichiro Ozawa, have hinted they could back a no-confidence motion if submitted.
Some DPJ members who are close to Ozawa, a party heavyweight and political rival of Kan, could support the motion or be absent during voting.
The opposition camp needs the support of around 80 DPJ rebels for the no-confidence motion to be passed by the 480-seat House of Representatives.
''I absolutely cannot imagine that Mr. Ozawa, who made efforts as a member of the DPJ to change the politics driven by the LDP, will take such action,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said during a news conference, referring to recent news reports about Ozawa's remarks.
While some Cabinet members called for party unity, saying that implementing reconstruction measures should take priority over a change in prime minister, various intraparty factions met to discuss how to deal with the motion.
About 50 lawmakers belonging to Kan's faction agreed to vote against the motion, while a group with about 60 members including former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, known as an ally of Ozawa, has yet to decide on its action.
The premier met with Hatoyama on Tuesday to discuss a wide range of issues including the no-confidence motion and the current nuclear crisis, DPJ lawmakers said.
Alluding to the opposition motion, Hatoyama urged at a meeting of fellow party members that now is the time for them to make their own decision.
If the motion is passed by the lower house, Kan will have to ask his Cabinet to resign en masse or dissolve the House of Representatives for an election.
LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki was quoted as telling senior party lawmakers of the House of Councillors that he wants the motion filed on Wednesday or Thursday after the parliamentary debate.
Tanigaki and New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi are expected to urge Kan to step down during the parliamentary debate and to hold talks afterward to finalize arrangements for the motion, the lawmakers said.
Voting on the motion is expected to take place Thursday afternoon during the House of Representatives' plenary session even if the filing is delayed to Thursday.
Delivering a speech on the streets of Tokyo's Yurakucho district, Tanigaki criticized the current administration's handling of reconstruction in the wake of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and subsequent nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant crippled by the disasters.
''The reconstruction of Japan will never be achieved if we leave things to Mr. Kan's administration,'' Tanigaki said.
During a parliamentary session Tuesday, Kan rebuffed mounting calls for his resignation, saying, ''I cannot abandon what I must do now,'' referring to the recovery efforts.
In the face of the impending motion, Jun Azumi, the Democratic Party of Japan's Diet affairs chief, met with Mikio Shimoji, his counterpart in the DPJ's ruling coalition partner, the People's New Party, and agreed to vote down the motion, according to ruling party lawmakers.
Kan is also facing pressure from within the DPJ as some party lawmakers, including former party leader Ichiro Ozawa, have hinted they could back a no-confidence motion if submitted.
Some DPJ members who are close to Ozawa, a party heavyweight and political rival of Kan, could support the motion or be absent during voting.
The opposition camp needs the support of around 80 DPJ rebels for the no-confidence motion to be passed by the 480-seat House of Representatives.
''I absolutely cannot imagine that Mr. Ozawa, who made efforts as a member of the DPJ to change the politics driven by the LDP, will take such action,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said during a news conference, referring to recent news reports about Ozawa's remarks.
While some Cabinet members called for party unity, saying that implementing reconstruction measures should take priority over a change in prime minister, various intraparty factions met to discuss how to deal with the motion.
About 50 lawmakers belonging to Kan's faction agreed to vote against the motion, while a group with about 60 members including former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, known as an ally of Ozawa, has yet to decide on its action.
The premier met with Hatoyama on Tuesday to discuss a wide range of issues including the no-confidence motion and the current nuclear crisis, DPJ lawmakers said.
Alluding to the opposition motion, Hatoyama urged at a meeting of fellow party members that now is the time for them to make their own decision.
If the motion is passed by the lower house, Kan will have to ask his Cabinet to resign en masse or dissolve the House of Representatives for an election.
