Party members tell Abe to quit
07/08/2007 15:08  - (SA)  

Want to know more? Answerit can help.

Abe ignores party bosses Scandal-hit minister quits Abe battles resignation calls Japan's PM suffers huge defeat I can't lose this election - Abe

Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was exposed to stinging criticism from members of his own party on Tuesday who told him to his face he should resign after a major election defeat.

The conservative premier has refused to quit after his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost control of one house of parliament in last week's election following a raft of scandals.

In a rare public rebellion, LDP lawmaker Kenji Kosaka told Abe at a meeting that last week's election for the upper house of parliament was a showdown between the premier and main opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa.

"If you put it in baseball terms, it was like a pitchers' duel and voters - who would be the audience - asked for a change of the pitcher who gave up a home run," the former education minister said with television cameras rolling.

"By his own judgment, the pitcher should not decide to stay on," Kosaka said. "Voters did not ask for the administration to be replaced. They asked for the pitcher to change."

Abe sat still and listened uneasily, his eyes shifting back and forth.

Former defence chief Gen Nakatani also told Abe: "If you're thinking about whether the LDP can carry out its policies from now on, then first the prime minister should step down."

Abe has said that the election defeat was due to scandals and not his agenda. The LDP still enjoys a comfortable hold on power due to its control of the lower house of parliament, which was not at stake in the July 29 election.

"I will work as hard as I can so people feel that my decision was not wrong," the premier later told reporters.

Abe's cabinet and party heavyweights have publicly stood behind their leader, who took office last year with an unabashedly conservative platform.

Kosaka, who served under Abe's popular predecessor Junichiro Koizumi, later said he made the public remarks in hopes the party would unseat Abe.

His decision whether to stay premier "should not be a decision he makes on his own", Kosaka said.

"He should listen to people's opinions," he said.

- AFP

What is this? Yahoo Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Brought to you by OUTsurance Car Insurance
	News24 Headlines on your Facebook profile		News24 on mobile