LDP dissidents' attempt to oust Aso seemingly ending in fiasco

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TOKYO, July 16 Kyodo -
An attempt by Liberal Democratic Party members to hold a plenary party meeting
to dismiss Prime Minister Taro Aso as LDP president seems to be ending in a
fiasco, as the party leadership apparently decided Thursday not to stage any
such official meeting.
The ruling party is planning instead to hold an emergency meeting Tuesday with
Aso attending, before the premier later dissolves the House of Representatives
for an election in line with his original schedule, according to some party
lawmakers.
On Thursday morning, such LDP heavyweights as three former secretaries general
-- Hidenao Nakagawa, Koichi Kato and Tsutomu Takebe -- submitted the signatures
of 133 LDP Diet members seeking to hold a plenary meeting -- a key
decision-making tool in which they could call for a presidential poll to remove
Aso.
The dissidents have voiced concerns the LDP could suffer a severe setback if it
campaigns for the lower house election under Aso, following significant losses
in Sunday's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly race and other local polls.
Unless the official meeting is held, however, there is now very little chance
for them to oust Aso from the post of president.
But Nakagawa, who has been at the forefront of moves to get rid of Aso, plans
to continue pressing for the opening of such a meeting, officially known as the
Joint Plenary Meeting of Party Members of Both Houses of the Diet, the
lawmakers said.
On Thursday evening, Aso displayed his willingness to attend any gathering if
it is held.
''I am willing to attend a meeting should it be set up and listen to what they
have to say and tell them about my own thoughts,'' he said. ''I have no
intention of running away.''
Upon receiving the signatures, party executives contacted each of the names on
the list. Some of them denied having signed the petition while others have
asked to have their names taken off the list, according to Masatoshi
Wakabayashi, chairman of the Joint Plenary Meeting.
''My feeling is that it (the final number of valid signatures) may fall below''
the one-third of the party's Diet members, or 128, Wakabayashi said. The number
is the minimum required to hold such a plenary meeting.
According to some LDP lawmakers, Yuji Tsushima, an LDP bigwig who heads a party
faction, has also offered to have about 10 of his faction members withdraw
their signatures if the leadership promises to hold a meeting and have Aso
attend it.
Some of the signatories also said they are not seeking Aso's resignation, but
just want to hear what the premier has to say about the LDP's losses in recent
major local elections and his stance on a lower house dissolution which would
likely to come as early as next Tuesday.
In response to the claim, Nakagawa submitted a fresh list of signatures later
Thursday, which had grown to 135 in total.
The 135 lawmakers included two members of Aso's Cabinet -- Finance Minister
Kaoru Yosano and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shigeru Ishiba --
as well as seven vice ministers and four parliamentary secretaries.
Concerning Yosano, one of his closest allies, Aso said, ''It must be an
expression of Mr. Yosano's sense of crisis.''
But Yosano, who frowned on Aso's announcement that he would call a general
election on Aug. 30, said, ''Now that the signatures have been collected, it is
the LDP's responsibility to hold the meeting if the party boasts democratic
procedures.''
Yet the finance minister denied some media reports that he pushed Aso to offer
to stand down during their meeting at the prime minister's office on Wednesday.
After receiving the petition, Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said, ''I share
the concerns, and I will make preparations so the party will be able to unite
in facing the next battle.''
But concerns lingered among officials at the premier's office and the LDP
leadership that the meeting could lead to ''a fatal chasm'' in the already
fraying party, which analysts say looks set to lose in the imminent election to
the Democratic Party of Japan.
At a press conference, Nakagawa said, ''I would like to have the meeting engage
in serious discussions after analyzing, summing up and reflecting on the cause
of the party's defeat,'' while Takebe said he would like Aso to make ''an
honorable decision as president.''
Pundits believe the fuss in the LDP has only helped increase the DPJ's chances
of wresting power in the election from the LDP, which has ruled Japan for more
than 50 years with almost no break.
Acting DPJ President Naoto Kan declined to give any detailed comment on the
party's turmoil, merely saying it ''deserves no comment,'' while Japanese
Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii said it was an ''embarrassing struggle''
before the election.
==Kyodo
2009-07-16 22:32:32