Business leaders offer tepid reaction after Ozawa decides to resign

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TOKYO, May 11 Kyodo -
Business leaders on Monday offered a tepid reaction after main opposition
Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa said he will step down amid
growing calls for his resignation following the recent arrest of his close aide
in a political funds scandal.
''It must have been a heartbreaking decision,'' Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the
Japan Business Federation, the nation's most powerful business lobby known as
Nippon Keidanren, said in a statement.
''Under new leadership, I hope the DPJ will carry out constructive discussions
on important bills during the current Diet session with the government and
ruling parties and will actualize policy-oriented politics,'' added Mitarai,
who concurrently serves as chairman of Canon Inc.
But Masamitsu Sakurai, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate
Executives, another major business lobby, was more critical of Ozawa's
resignation announcement, saying the decision should have come at a more
''appropriate time'' from the public viewpoint.
''We hope the DPJ will demonstrate party governance, as well as its ability to
run the government, to the public by carrying out a presidential election
through a popular vote,'' Sakurai said in a statement.
In a hastily convened press conference earlier in the day, Ozawa, who had been
widely expected to drive the Liberal Democratic Party from power, said he will
resign to ensure ''party unity'' following a scandal that has quickly dashed
hopes that he would assume the post of prime minister.
Tadashi Okamura, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said
he will closely watch future developments, adding it was likely Ozawa made the
decision to avoid confusion among party members and to prepare for a general
election.
==Kyodo