Aso brushes off idea of lower house dissolution at this time

TOKYO, Oct. 6 Kyodo - Prime Minister Taro Aso on Monday brushed off the idea of dissolving the lower house at present, placing priority on allaying public concern about the future course of the economy.

''The future of the economy is the largest public concern at present,'' Aso
told the House of Representatives Budget Committee. ''It is my top priority to
gain Diet approval of the (fiscal 2008) supplementary budget, and I am not
considering dissolving the lower house at this time.''
Aso's remarks reinforced the view that the next lower house election, which had
been widely expected to be held Nov. 2, is likely to be postponed.
The ruling coalition of the LDP and New Komeito party expects to pass the 1.81
trillion yen supplementary budget through the lower house as early as
Wednesday, after the budget committee vote. It is part of an 11.7 trillion yen
emergency policy package to alleviate the negative impact on the Japanese
economy of spikes in energy and raw material prices.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference that
calls to seek additional economic measures have been growing within the
government and the ruling parties.
Though there are no specific measures to be considered or proposed at present,
''I think such voices are getting bigger every day,'' he said.
Kawamura noted that with the current financial turmoil in the United States,
the Aso Cabinet faces a significantly different situation from that which
confronted Aso's predecessor Yasuo Fukuda.