July 3, 2012
The Democratic Party of Japan nearly broke up after 50 Dietmembers, including the party’s former leader Ozawa Ichiro, submitted letters of resignation to the DPJ leadership.
The party’s repeated reneging on promises previously made to the public resulted in a split-up, and Ozawa’s departure from the party also represents that an effort to build a “two-party system”, DPJ or LDP, failed as he was a leading proponent of that effort.
Opinion polls show that nearly 70% of citizens think that the current session of the Diet should not approve the bill to increase the consumption tax. A wave of 200,000 demonstrators surrounded the prime minister’s office to oppose the restart of the Oi nuclear power plant. However, ignoring public demand, the DPJ broke, one after another, the promises it had made during the 2009 election campaign. The party turned its back on its own promises and moved to increase the consumption tax and impose cutbacks in the social services system, and then decided to re-launch the Oi reactors.
Reportedly, Ozawa, the leading figure in the DPJ breakup, has in mind to set up another party of his own. It is not that Ozawa has different political positions from the present DPJ government. They are basically the same. They show subservience to the United States and generosity to business circles.
Besides, Ozawa is still a criminal defendant as his money-mismanagement case moves on to an upper court. Yet, he remains silent, refusing to acknowledge his responsibility before the Diet.
The Noda cabinet and the DPJ executive leadership are now desperate to ride through the party turmoil, which created massive disaffection, and to have the tax bills and a bill to cut the number of Diet seats enacted within the current session of the Diet.
Trump card to be used is said to be a showing of strength with a “grand coalition” of the DPJ, LDP and Komei parties.
If that is the case, the DPJ will unashamedly betray the popular will expressed in the 2009 general election which removed the LDP and Komei from power as the governing parties and chose the DPJ as the alternative.
The Noda Cabinet will likely have to face public demand calling for a snap election.
The party’s repeated reneging on promises previously made to the public resulted in a split-up, and Ozawa’s departure from the party also represents that an effort to build a “two-party system”, DPJ or LDP, failed as he was a leading proponent of that effort.
Opinion polls show that nearly 70% of citizens think that the current session of the Diet should not approve the bill to increase the consumption tax. A wave of 200,000 demonstrators surrounded the prime minister’s office to oppose the restart of the Oi nuclear power plant. However, ignoring public demand, the DPJ broke, one after another, the promises it had made during the 2009 election campaign. The party turned its back on its own promises and moved to increase the consumption tax and impose cutbacks in the social services system, and then decided to re-launch the Oi reactors.
Reportedly, Ozawa, the leading figure in the DPJ breakup, has in mind to set up another party of his own. It is not that Ozawa has different political positions from the present DPJ government. They are basically the same. They show subservience to the United States and generosity to business circles.
Besides, Ozawa is still a criminal defendant as his money-mismanagement case moves on to an upper court. Yet, he remains silent, refusing to acknowledge his responsibility before the Diet.
The Noda cabinet and the DPJ executive leadership are now desperate to ride through the party turmoil, which created massive disaffection, and to have the tax bills and a bill to cut the number of Diet seats enacted within the current session of the Diet.
Trump card to be used is said to be a showing of strength with a “grand coalition” of the DPJ, LDP and Komei parties.
If that is the case, the DPJ will unashamedly betray the popular will expressed in the 2009 general election which removed the LDP and Komei from power as the governing parties and chose the DPJ as the alternative.
The Noda Cabinet will likely have to face public demand calling for a snap election.
