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Press slams 'irresponsible' Abe
13/09/2007 09:08 - (SA)
Tokyo - Japanese newspapers on Thursday blasted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's abrupt decision to resign as "irresponsible" and called for a snap general election.
Abe surprised the nation on Wednesday by announcing his resignation just two weeks after reshuffling his cabinet and only two days after telling parliament he intended to stay in office to continue his reform agenda.
"This is dereliction of power. It can't be helped but to say it's a totally irresponsible attitude," the Mainichi Shimbun said in an editorial.
"It is a shame that such a prime minister led the nation."
Abe's announcement came less than one year after he took office as Japan's first premier to be born after World War II, but since then his government has been hit by a series of gaffes and scandals and a heavy upper house election defeat.
Even so, "the timing of Prime Minister Abe's resignation announcement was very surprising. Literally, he threw away power. It was unprecedented", the Asahi Shimbun said in an editorial.
"He had just reshuffled the cabinet, made his policy speech and spoken to the people of his determination" to stay in the job, the liberal daily said. "As the leader of the nation, it was unthinkably irresponsible."
The Yomiuri Shimbun also said in an editorial: "The timing is so bad that it is difficult not to criticise the prime minister as irresponsible."
Abe had also been under fire from the newly empowered opposition, which has refused to back his planned reforms as well as an extension to a controversial military support role for US-led forces in Afghanistan.
"Whoever succeeds Abe as prime minister, his primary task will be to ensure the mission of the Maritime Self-Defence Force is allowed to continue," the Yomiuri said, referring to the support role.
"Abe's decision to step down does not mean Japan's pledge to the international community no longer exists."
Many newspapers called for the new government to dissolve parliament.
"Dissolve the lower house and listen to the people's voice. We want to tell this to a new prime minister," the Mainichi Shimbun said.
"We believe that dissolving the Diet is the most constructive way to reflect people's opinion and settle the confusion."
The Nikkei business daily agreed:
"In order to get through this confusion radically, we think it is desirable to dissolve the lower house and build a stable government based on people's thinking through a general election," it argued.
"Although the Japanese economy is steadily moving to recovery, long-term political confusion may affect sentiment among business executives, investors and consumers."
It called on a new government to continue reforms, including measures to reduce growing national debt and rebuild pension funds.
Some newspapers even called on both the ruling and opposition parties to form a grand coalition.
"Despite differences in their policies, both ruling and opposition camps must work to overcome the peculiar power structure they find themselves in, in the two-chamber Diet," the Yomiuri said.
"The establishment of a grand coalition should also be considered as one way of doing this," it said.
Japan's ruling party is expected to elect a successor to Abe next week, with outspoken former foreign minister Taro Aso seen as the front-runner to take the helm.
- AFP
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