Japan business circles welcome Noda as new DPJ president+

TOKYO, Aug. 29 Kyodo -
Japanese business circles largely welcomed the election Monday of Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, and thus the country's next prime minister, although many urged him to swiftly proceed with measures to realize Japan's economic recovery.
''Mr. Noda is a stable leader, well versed in taxation, finance and social security policies, and with Japanese politics facing difficult times, (his election) is heartening,'' said Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation or Keidanren.
At a press conference in Tokyo, the head of Japan's biggest business lobby also called for Noda to create a strong Cabinet and proceed with rebuilding areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, while indicating Keidanren may tolerate tax increases to finance the rebuilding, an idea for which Noda has shown support.
''I think it's necessary for the nation as a whole, including companies, to shoulder the burden (of reconstruction),'' Yonekura said.
Other business bodies also urged swift political action on reconstruction, and called for the ruling party to unite and work to bridge differences with opposition parties.
''With the state of Japan under crisis, there is no room for delays in policy measures,'' said Yasuchika Hasegawa, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.
Under a divided Diet in which the opposition parties dominate the upper house, Hasegawa said the ruling party under Noda would need to work with opposition parties to tackle the national crisis.
Jiro Takahashi, chairman of the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, ''We hope he will exercise his leadership and bring the party together.''
Many business leaders in western Japan were critical of the DPJ and its leadership election, with Kansai Economic Federation Chairman Shosuke Mori saying that contenders in the leadership race appeared to be ''preoccupied with internal debate, and there was not enough policy debate done about reconstruction and recovery from the disaster.''
Shinichi Otake, head of the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, said the DPJ ''should consider this the last chance it was given by the people and show clear visions of how things should be.''
The 54-year-old Noda defeated Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda, 62, in a runoff election after the initial vote with three other contenders ended without a single candidate winning a majority of votes.
The other contenders were former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, 49, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano, 69, and former Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Sumio Mabuchi, 51.
==Kyodo