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Japan scrambles to find new PM
14/09/2007 13:06 - (SA)
Tokyo - Japan's ruling party rushed to fill a power vacuum on Friday left by the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as he received medical treatment for exhaustion and stress-related stomach problems.
Despite plunging popularity ratings and a seemingly endless series of scandals in his Cabinet, Abe's abrupt announcement on Wednesday that he would quit after just one year in office caught even his ruling Liberal Democratic Party off guard.
A party meeting to vote on a successor was set for September 23. Some officials wanted to hold the vote earlier, but it was put off to allow prospective candidates time to prepare.
Candidates were expected to formally announce their intentions on Friday.
Confusion
Abe, diagnosed with abdominal problems caused by stress and fatigue, will continue to hold the post until his successor is named. But his hospitalisation - which began on Thursday and was expected to last three or four days - deepened the sense of confusion that his departure has fomented.
LDP officials said no acting prime minister would be named, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano taking over many of Abe's duties.
Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso was seen as Abe's most likely successor, but Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga also said he would seek the office. Former Cabinet spokesperson Yasuo Fukuda was another expected contender.
Toshifumi Hibi, a senior doctor treating Abe at Keio University Hospital, said he was suffering from extreme exhaustion and gastrointestinal inflammation, and had been put on an intravenous saline drip.
Though Abe did not cite his health as a reason for stepping down, Yosano said he had been receiving regular checks from his personal doctor since returning from a trip abroad in August. Hibi said Abe had been taking medication to help him sleep.
No major policy changes
The Liberal Democrats continue to dominate the lower house of Parliament, and can thus name Abe's successor. No major policy changes were expected, as all candidates to replace Abe share his basic pro-US, fiscally conservative party stance.
But Abe's spectacular meltdown was expected to have deep reverberations in upcoming parliamentary debates, and was likely to severely hinder the ruling party's ability to pass an extension of a controversial bill allowing Japanese navy ships in the Indian Ocean to support US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Calls were also growing for whomever replaces Abe to dissolve the lower house for general elections. Such elections don't need to be held until 2009, but can be called at any time.
Abe's support ratings in public opinion polls had sagged to about 30%, and he will leave behind a government known for scandals and gaffes.
Four of Abe's Cabinet ministers have resigned in scandals, including one who quit this month just a week after being appointed. An agriculture minister committed suicide over a money scandal in May.
- AP
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