Aso says he will call general election at 'appropriate time'

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TOKYO, April 28 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso reiterated Tuesday that he will call a general election
at an ''appropriate time'' to seek a public mandate after considering what
issues to contest with opposition parties.
''What the public now wants from politics are measures to revive the (sluggish)
economy and improve labor conditions,'' he said in parliament in response to
questioning by Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the main opposition
Democratic Party of Japan.
In a strong attack on the prime minister, Hatoyama said, ''As a Japanese
national, I find it depressing to keep watching a prime minister running away
from an election. Why don't we just hold a general election?''
Hatoyama said his party is decisively opposed to the passage of the
government's proposed supplementary budget for fiscal 2009 from April 1,
slamming Aso for his inability to compile more effective economic measures.
The extra budget, which was submitted to the Diet on Monday, is to finance
Aso's fresh stimulus steps involving actual spending of 15.4 trillion yen, and
the government plans to float new bonds worth 10.82 trillion yen including
deficit-covering bonds to pay for the steps.
At a time when the economy has worsened more rapidly than anticipated, ''It is
important that the extra budget clear the Diet quickly so as to implement the
steps promptly,'' Aso said, calling for cooperation from the opposition bloc so
that Diet deliberations can proceed smoothly.
The House of Representatives election must be held by this fall, as the terms
for its members are set to expire on Sept. 10.
In the lower house's plenary session, Aso also repeated his basic stance that
he wants the public to shoulder the financial burden, possibly including a
consumption tax increase, to make up for the rising costs of realizing a better
social welfare system.
''I assure the public that they will benefit from the tax increase, as all
revenues from the consumption tax will be spent on beefing up social security
services and dealing with the aging population,'' he said.
Touching on the sovereignty of four Russian-administered islands off Hokkaido,
Aso stressed Japan will not conclude a peace treaty with Russia unless it
confirms that all four islands belong to Japan.
Aso made the remarks at the House of Councillors' plenary session, in replying
to a question by DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Masayuki Naoshima, who
asked the premier to make Japan's position on the sovereignty issue clear.
Naoshima's question came after Shotaro Yachi, a special government envoy on key
diplomatic issues, reportedly called for the return of three and a half islands
instead of all four, in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, a major
Japanese daily.
Aso said, ''Japan has repeatedly conveyed its stance on the issue, and there is
no room for misunderstanding by Russia.''
Last week, the DPJ-led opposition camp adopted a resolution summoning Yachi to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense at the opposition-controlled upper
house to give a full explanation of his comments.
Yachi refused to attend the meeting on the designated date, but has said he did
not actually say that the return of ''three and a half'' is acceptable but that
there might have been some remarks that caused misunderstanding, according to
Aso.
==Kyodo