Academic-business group calls for general election by spring+

TOKYO, Feb. 27 Kyodo - A group comprising members of academic, business and labor circles called Friday for the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a general election by this spring.

''The ruling and opposition parties should decide to pave the way for a general
election through consultations and start preparations promptly. This spring is
the limit,'' the National Congress for 21st Century Japan said in a statement.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan has been calling on Prime
Minister Taro Aso to dissolve the lower house for a general election soon, but
Aso has said he alone will decide when to dissolve the Diet.
''Japan's politics is in crisis,'' Takeshi Sasaki, professor of politics at
Gakushuin University, told a news conference. ''We think that this spring
should be the time when a major shift in politics must take place.''
''The economy is facing a major crisis globally, and people's livelihoods are
facing a serious situation due to a political crisis that has followed a wave
of problems such as unemployment and concerns over how to make a living,''
Sasaki said.
The group said the Aso government is not based on a public mandate and was
established almost without a manifesto.
But it also urged the DPJ, which hopes to take power after the election, to
show the public how it would govern and what it aims to achieve.
==Kyodo
2009-02-27 22:52:54