Aso, Hatoyama clash over financial resources for social security

+

TOKYO, June 17 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso and Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama
clashed Wednesday over financial resources for ballooning social security
costs, with Aso reiterating his willingness to raise the consumption tax to
cover the costs in their second Diet debate ahead of a general election that
must be held by the fall.
Countering Aso's remark, Hatoyama, leader of the largest opposition party, said
his party would be able to produce 10 trillion yen by reviewing the state
budget and thoroughly doing away with wasteful spending, declaring the party
will not raise the consumption tax for four years after it takes the reins of
government.
On the recent resignation of Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio
Hatoyama over a personnel row involving Japan Post Holdings Co., DPJ President
Hatoyama -- Kunio's older brother -- criticized Aso for ''not having been able
to decide on the matter, then swaying a decision and finally making a wrong
decision.''
While Hatoyama said Aso made the wrong decision to ''fire'' his brother, the
prime minister said that the government should be cautious about intervening in
personnel affairs of a company moving toward full privatization, even though
Japan Post, formerly a government agency, is still held by the government.
Aso added that he will make a decision on whether to keep Yoshifumi Nishikawa
as head of the postal company, a choice Kunio Hatoyama adamantly opposed, after
monitoring how Nishikawa responds to the government's business improvement
order.
''We'll have Mr. Nishikawa step down if we take power,'' Hatoyama said.
In an apparent attempt to demonstrate his ability to hold the reins of
government amid falling approval rates, Aso, who is also leader of the Liberal
Democratic Party, stressed that the government will implement tax reform
including the consumption tax increase on the premise of an economic recovery
in the next three years.
''Avoiding discussions about consumption tax is avoiding (discussions) on
financial resources,'' Aso said, adding that it would be irresponsible to not
talk about financial resources and that policies can be realized by presenting
them.
Hatoyama criticized the prime minister for merely repeating what bureaucrats
say and said, ''I say clearly that we would not raise the consumption tax for
four years after we take the reins of government.''
Hatoyama also said the government should spend money to enhance social security
instead of using it on building facilities like the tentatively called national
media arts center, often satirically dubbed an exhibition hall of animation,
for which the government has included appropriations in a supplementary budget.
Aso countered that the plan to build the media arts center was made under the
Cabinet of his two predecessors -- Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda -- while
Hatoyama said it is strange that the plan is included in the extra budget that
was recently compiled to address the economic downturn.
In the debate, the two spent much of the time on social security policies and
financial resources, with Aso urging Hatoyama to be ''practical,'' while
Hatoyama took up issues of healthcare and suicide, saying, ''People's lives are
more important than concrete.''
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura criticized Hatoyama, saying, ''We don't
have the political elbowroom to hold soppy discussions,'' referring to Hatoyama
focusing the debate on the ''importance of human lives.''
''The government and ruling parties of course take the importance of lives
gravely, but we seriously think that we are not in a stage to hold sentimental
discussions. There are many themes such as financial resources, diplomacy and
security,'' he added.
At the end of the debate, Aso called on Hatoyama to hold another one-on-one
debate on the issues of financial resources and security, and Hatoyama agreed.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada told reporters that Hatoyama ''scored an
overwhelming victory,'' saying it was ''clear who is more suited for prime
minister.''
==Kyodo