hankyoreh

After twelve months, he has agreed to step down.


Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his resignation at a press conference on September 12. His administration, which launched with high popularity last year, collapsed within a year due to what many perceive as Abe's political immaturity as well as a series of scandals involving his Cabinet members.

At the press conference, Abe said he is stepping down in order to "turn the situation around" -- a phrase he used many times during his speech. Abe mentioned two items of importance, one being the falling approval ratings for his cabinet and the other the push to extend a special law on terrorism, which has become a huge issue in Japan's political world of late.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on September 11, approval ratings for Abe's cabinet stood at 29 percent, a 15.2-percentage-point fall from the 44.2 percent recorded shortly after the reform of his party and government. An opinion poll announced by Nihon TV on September 9 showed that the figure dropped 9 percentage points from 41.1 percent.

As several newly appointed ministers were found to have been involved in corruption, the Japanese public turned its back on the Abe administration. Agriculture Minister Takehiko Endo resigned on September 3 only a week after his appointment because of a scandal involving the misuse of farm subsidies. Since Abe's administration set sail, four ministers have resigned in a similar fashion. Another minister stepped down after making remarks suggesting 'the acceptance of the necessity' of the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. All of these five ministers resigned within a year of their appointments.

Within this climate, Abe's resignation stands as an admission of his responsibility for not winning the trust of the Japanese people.

Announcing his resignation at the press conference, however, Abe stressed that his choice to step down is aimed at turning the situation around in order to maintain Japan's fight against terrorism. Like this, Abe seemed to be trying to give the impression to the people of Japan that he is making a personal choice, rather than stepping down due to souring national sentiment regarding his administration. According to Abe, he chose to resign in order to create a political climate under which the debated special law on terrorism could pass.

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said, "I have been in the political world for almost 40 years, and I've never seen a politician who has resigned like this.'' Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, said the timing of Abe's resignation was 'not right politically.' Some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have raised criticism that Abe is stepping down too late, including Former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who was quoted as saying that Abe should have resigned shortly after a significant loss in the Upper House elections.

Taro Aso, the LDP secretary general, is the most influential candidate in line as the next prime minister. As a nine-term lawmaker, he has served as foreign minister and internal affairs & communications minister. After Abe offered his resignation, Aso stressed the necessity to hold an election to choose the next prime minister as soon as possible in order to preclude a political vacuum.

Sakakazu Tanigaki, former finance minister, is widely considered Aso's main contender. Tanigaki, who has been critical of Abe's diplomacy line, will most likely run for prime minister. However, Tanigaki faces a weak foothold in the party, according to many observers. Former chief cabinet secretary Yasuo Fukuda, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yasano, and former defense minister Yuriko Koike also are being mentioned as candidates for the next prime minister. Given the need for damage control and risk management in the cabinet, many are pointing to Fukuda as the best person to undertake that job in terms of political experience and capability. After a crushing defeat in the Upper House elections on July 29, some executives of the LDP, including former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, reportedly agreed to Fukuda as the new party leader after allegedly forcing Abe to resign.

The Kyodo News agency cited a high-ranking official of the LDP as saying that the party leadership is coordinating opinions to hold an election to select the party's new leader -- and thus the de facto next Prime Minister of Japan -- on September 19.