Taro Aso, a former foreign minister and ruling party stalwart, emerged quickly yesterday as the front-runner to replace Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, whose sudden resignation has thrown Japanese politics into confusion and opened the door to early nationwide elections.
Fukuda, in office less than one year, said on Monday he was stepping down because he was unable to break a deadlock with the emboldened Democratic Party of Japan over virtually all of his major policy objectives.
The opposition immediately derided Fukuda for quitting, and called for elections to test the ruling party’s seemingly crumbling mandate with the voters.
Aso, 67, moved to dispel criticism of a power vacuum or any major shifts in foreign or economic policies. The Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) secretary-general said he felt he was capable of succeeding where Fukuda failed and had demonstrated that he has ideas of his own.
“I must take leadership,” Aso said in a strong indication that he will run when the LDP votes for a new party president on Sept. 22.
Party officials said campaigning will officially begin next Wednesday.
After being selected as LDP president, the leader would be subject to a vote in parliament for approval as prime minister. It was not clear when the parliament vote would take place.
Parliament was to reconvene on Sept. 12 for an extraordinary session, but officials said that was likely to be delayed.
Aso, named just weeks ago as LDP secretary-general, has a gruff, outspoken manner that apparently works well with voters. But his off-the-cuff comments have ruffled feathers at home and abroad. He has angered China for saying it was a military threat.
His grandfather was prime minister Shigeru Yoshida, who negotiated the peace treaty ending World War II. Aso was on Japan’s Olympic skeet shooting team in Montreal in 1976 and is a well-known fan of comic books.
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