After sparking crisis, Japan PM seeks mediator role<\/p>\n
TOKYO (Reuter): Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, who ignited
\na bitter power struggle with his sudden resignation, urged
\nJapan's bickering coalition chiefs yesterday to shelve their feud
\nand choose his successor.<\/p>\n
Hosokawa's shock resignation on Friday sparked a struggle to
\nchoose the next leader within the unwieldy ruling alliance,
\npolarized into opposing camps led by rival titans Ichiro Ozawa
\nand Masayoshi Takemura, the chief cabinet secretary.<\/p>\n
After four days of on-off meetings that have produced no
\nprogress, coalition representatives agreed to resume talks today
\n(starts at 0200 GMT).<\/p>\n
The prime minister, who stepped down amid a growing scandal
\nover his financial dealings in the 1980s, said he now hoped to
\nmediate to help avert a political crisis.<\/p>\n
\"I would like to do what I can to restore confidence in
\npolitics,\" he said in a speech to business executives.<\/p>\n
The prime minister warned Ozawa, coalition strategist and head
\nof the influential Shinseito (Renewal Party), and Takemura,
\nleader of the New Party Sakigake, that electoral reforms and
\nanti-corruption measures passed in January could be lost as a
\nresult of their feud.<\/p>\n
\"I fear greatly that all of our political reforms will be
\ndestroyed as a result,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A government panel was inaugurated on Monday with the task of
\nredrawing Japan's electoral map in the next six months. In the
\nevent the government falls and parliament is dissolved soon,
\nelections would take place under the current polling system,
\nsounding the death knell for the hard-won reforms.<\/p>\n
\"If all else fails, parliament would have to be dissolved for
\nelections,\" said political analyst Takashi Tachibana. \"In the
\nmeantime, a provisional government would take over.\"<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Tsutomu Hata, who is also deputy prime
\nminister, is regarded as a leading candidate to take over if the
\ncoalition manages to paper over policy differences, which have
\npushed it to the brink four times in as many months.<\/p>\n
While alliance leaders jostled for position in the heated
\nnegotiations, Hata too urged conciliation.<\/p>\n
\"It's true we're caught up in an emotional wrangle, but it's
\nnot like the coalition's framework has fallen apart,\" he told a
\nnews conference. \"I think we can overcome (our differences) and
\nreach an agreement in talks.\"<\/p>\n
Hata, a former finance minister with experience in handling
\ntough U.S.-Japan trade issues, is widely seen as the best choice
\nfor a post that will require urgent efforts to boost a sagging
\neconomy and resolve a trade dispute with Washington.<\/p>\n
After days of uncertainty, it appeared clear late on Tuesday
\nthat Hata would after all travel to Morocco this week for a
\nglobal trade meeting, and meet U.S. Trade Representative Mickey
\nKantor.<\/p>\n
A tough-talking Kantor told Reuters en route to Morocco that
\nthe United States intended to give Japan time to reconfigure its
\ngovernment but had no intention of changing its long-term market-
\nopening strategy for Japan.<\/p>\n
Trade talks broke down in February and, while unofficial
\ncontacts continue, Kantor said Japan must do more if the formal
\ndialogue was to resume.<\/p>\n
Sakigake's Takemura, who invited LDP members on Monday to
\ndefect and join him in a new alliance, appeared to retreat.<\/p>\n
\"I think the coalition parties should try to overcome their
\ndifferences and make a new start,\" he said. \"We need to begin
\ndiscussing how we can make our present coalition framework more
\ndemocratic.\"<\/p>\n
The remark was a veiled but direct attack on Ozawa, who
\nTakemura suspects of scheming to take control of policy-making.<\/p>\n
The coalition is split into two camps. Hata's supporters
\ninclude his own Shinseito, the Komeito (Clean Government Party)
\nand Hosokawa's Japan New Party.<\/p>\n
Opposing his candidacy is the Socialist-led camp which also
\ncomprises Sakigake under Takemura, and the centrist Democratic
\nSocialists.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/after-sparking-crisis-japan-pm-seeks-mediator-role-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}