Aso indicates he will not call general election anytime soon

TOKYO, Oct. 30 Kyodo - Prime Minister Taro Aso indicated Thursday that he is not intending to dissolve
the House of Representatives immediately for a general election, saying
priority should be placed on measures to address public concerns over the
economy.
At a press conference where he unveiled a new economic stimulus package, Aso
said, ''We need to address people's concerns about their livelihood. That's a
matter of top priority.''
Asked when he might dissolve the lower house, he said, ''I will make a judgment
myself when the right time comes. I will make a decision by taking various
matters into account.''
Aso said he has yet to decide on whether to introduce a second supplementary
budget for this fiscal year during the current parliamentary session and
whether it can be enacted or not would be ''linked to the timing of the
dissolution'' of the lower house.
The prime minister's remarks ruling out a lower house dissolution for the time
being have irked some lawmakers from both ruling and opposition camps who were
already gearing up for a general election by renting offices and hiring staff.
On the relationship between Aso's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition
partner, the New Komeito party, which had been calling for an early election,
Aso said his decision will not affect their relationship.
''I think that sufficient communication has been made by thoroughly exchanging
opinions with New Komeito,'' Aso said.
Prior to the news conference, Aso and New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota met at the
prime minister's office, where Aso expressed appreciation for New Komeito's
cooperation in hammering out the economic package in a short time, according to
Ota.
After meeting with Aso, Ota told reporters that he ''understood'' that there
will be no lower house dissolution either on Thursday or Friday, and said he
will consult with colleagues as well as the prime minister over the dissolution
and an election.
At the briefing, Aso countered criticism that he is clinging to power that has
been passed on by his two predecessors who were elected prime minister by
parliament but did not seek a public mandate through a general election.
Japan is run by ''a parliamentary Cabinet system that is different from the
presidential system'' in the United States. ''There is no problem with the
legitimacy'' of his government, he said.
Aso also said, ''The opinion of an overwhelming majority of the public is that
they want to see policies, notably economic measures, implemented rather than a
political showdown.''
Touching on the fading chances of an imminent election in Japan and on the Nov.
4 presidential election in the United States, Aso said, ''The world is thinking
it undesirable to see the situation upset by elections in both the world's
largest and second-largest economies.''
==Kyodo