Word: ldp
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Liberal Democratic Party leader Taro Aso became Japan's 59th prime minister after sweeping a Sept. 24 vote in Parliament. His chief order of business will be to restore public confidence in the LDP as the party that can lead the nation out of recession and restore economic growth. But his first job will be to stay in office long enough to make a difference...
...ready to give up on politics," says Mr. Kawasaki, a sushi chef in Tokyo. "We want someone who will stick it out for more than a year and get something done." Smelling blood, the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, is ready wants to take advantage of LDP weakness by gaining control of Parliament and forcing the ouster of yet another new prime minister...
They might soon have their chance. Aso is expected to dissolve the Parliament's Lower House and call for a general election by the end of October, a move that would allow the LDP to capitalize on Aso's popularity and the honeymoon period that new prime ministers often enjoy. But it would also open the door for DPJ members to gain seats in Parliament. The DPJ has made a career out of being the naysayer opposition party to the LDP, and has recently had some success in eroding public support for its political rival, capitalizing on issues like...
...rice was more expensive in China, and in response to China's criticism of former Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine (considered by some to be a symbol of Japan's wartime aggression) he told China "to keep quiet". His political gaffes make headlines, make LDP members cringe and, in the past, have strained ties with China. But Aso's awareness of his shortcomings, his persistence - this is his third run for prime minister - and his pedigree stand out. Both his grandfather and father-in-law were prime ministers and Aso's sister married into...
Regardless of his economic policies, political observers say LDP members had little choice to elect him party President. "I think that he gets the LDP support because he's maybe the only one of the whole party who can fight the election campaign with a little chance of winning," says Axel Klein, a political scientist based in Tokyo. "There is no one else around." (See examples of Japanese design here...