Word: ldp
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...would support a reorganization of government ministries under Mori. "No," Kato said. "I won't let Mori reshuffle the cabinet." Kato, a member of Mori's Liberal Democratic Party, went on to say he would side with opposition parties in a no-confidence vote, and take dozens of LDP pols with...
...Mori is as unpopular as a leader could be. Recent surveys show a mere 15 percent of Japanese approve of him. Yet Kato badly miscalculated how many LDP lawmakers would join his coup and risk splitting the party that has ruled Japan for 42 of the last 45 years. He ended up walking away from the fight he started, in embarrassing fashion...
...recent selection of a new prime minister in Japan epitomized the way Japanese politics work. With little or no public input, party officials selected Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officer Yoshiro Mori to replace former prime minister Keizo Obuchi, who suffered a stroke. In back-room negotiations based mostly on who would most obediently and loyally serve the LDP's interests, Mori emerged with the coveted title in hand. Unfortunately, his selection embodied the flawed modus operandi of the LDP and the Japanese political system in general...
...problems started with the proclamation of chief Cabinet secretary Mikio Aoki that Prime Minister Obuchi had appointed him acting prime minister. But with no witnesses to this supposed action and Aoki's relative unpopularity with the LDP's ruling elite, quick action was taken to dissolve the existing Cabinet so that a new prime minister could be chosen. On the short list of possible candidates, Mori was the consensus candidate. He can be trusted not to rock the boat and to carry out few visionary reforms. Instead, he is predicted to plod along, maintaining the status quo as determined...
...LDP's crisis is ameliorated by the fact that the opposition remains weak, and they may not even need the sympathy vote they could count on if they called snap elections. "They're more likely to wait until after they host the G7 summit in July," says Larimer. "The question is who they'll appoint as their candidate. Rather than choose a fresh face who can lead Japan into the future, they may be more tempted to opt for a safe but uninspired choice acceptable to different factions." And, of course, that might slow the pace of reform. "Remember, Obuchi...