Kan says farewell to ministers, expects to see new PM Aug. 30

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Prime Minister Naoto Kan told his Cabinet ministers Tuesday he will step down once parliament passes two key bills in the coming days and expects to see his successor in office by next week.

“I will quit after all three conditions (for my resignation) are in place,” Cabinet ministers quoted Kan as saying during an informal meeting with his ministers. “I believe a new prime minister will be decided on Aug. 30.”

The conditions he set were the passage of three bills, one of which is the second extra budget, which was enacted in July.

The two others are a bill to allow the government to issue deficit-covering bonds in fiscal 2011 and a bill to promote the use of renewable energy. The bond issuance bill is expected to be enacted on Wednesday while the energy bill is set to be passed by Friday.

Kan, struggling with low public support ratings, announced in early June he would hand over his job to the Democratic Party of Japan’s next generation.

kyodo, August 23, 2011
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20110823p2g00m0dm010000c.html

70 percent oppose Kan Cabinet’s handling of disaster: Mainichi poll

Some 70 percent of respondents to a Mainichi poll have given the thumbs-down to the Cabinet’s handling of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the ensuing nuclear disaster.

More than half of the respondents in the nationwide poll, conducted on Aug. 20 and 21, also said Prime Minister Naoto Kan was taking too long to step down as the nation’s leader.

Meanwhile, support for Kan’s Cabinet languishes at 15 percent — the second lowest postwar figure after the 11 percent rating recorded by the Cabinet of then Prime Minister Taro Aso in February 2009.

Kan, who has been criticized for trying to prolong his time in power amid dwindling support ratings, recently told a session of the Diet, “Our Cabinet is doing all that should be done.” However, in the Mainichi poll, 43 percent of respondents said they didn’t give much credit to the Cabinet over its handling of the disaster, while 28 percent said they gave it absolutely no credit — a combined total of 71 percent. Twenty-five percent said they could appreciate the Cabinet’s post-disaster efforts to some extent, while 2 percent said they greatly valued the Cabinet’s response.

Three months have passed since Kan announced he would step down after achieving a “certain level” of progress on the handling of the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. During this time he has suggested changing government policy with a departure from reliance on nuclear power, and his administration has initiated moves to separate the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. On his blog, Kan praised his administration’s efforts, saying he has been able to make progress on things it is trying to do without slipping back. But the poll shows the public doesn’t necessarily share the same view.

Kan is expected to step down as prime minister as early as this month. A total of 32 percent of respondents said his timing for stepping down was appropriate, while 51 percent said it was too late. Just 14 percent said it was too early for Kan to step down.

Sagging support for Kan has dealt a large blow to the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Support for the party now stands at 13 percent — nine percentage points below the 22 percent rating for the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the first time since the DPJ took power that it has lagged so far behind.

With low expectations for the ruling party’s performance, calls are growing louder for the House of Representatives to be dissolved for a general election. A total of 27 percent of respondents said a lower house election should be held immediately after the formation of the next government, matching the percentage of respondents who said an election should be held at the end of this month — an indication that more than half of the public want a general election within the year. It is therefore possible that the LDP could launch a battle pressuring the next government to dissolve the lower house at an early stage.

Speaking on an NHK television program on Aug. 21, LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki said, “It was Kan who stated during the LDP’s time in power, ’What are they doing by electing a third prime minister without a general election? They should dissolve the house.’” Tanigaki indicated he would press for the lower house to be dissolved after the passage of the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2011.

Mainichi Shimbun , August 22, 2011
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/08/22/20110822p2a00m0na007000c.html