Japan Opposition Leader 'To Stay'

Reviewed by Takahiro MIYAO

Article:
Japan Opposition Leader 'To Stay'
BBC News (11/06/2007)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7080971.stm

Comments:

It is widely reported that Ichiro Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), has withdrawn his resignation after being persuaded by his colleagues. Earlier he offered his resignation as DPJ president because he felt that his leadership was denied when his proposal to join a grand coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was vetoed by his colleagues.

To the outside world, this should look like "the latest of a series of crises to hit Japanese politics," as expressed in this BBC News article (see the link above). In fact, it is a shame to have this kind of "personality crises," last time Abe and this time Ozawa, overshadowing political leadership in Japan. Furthermore, the current crisis is not limited to the sphere of domestic politics, but should have significant implications on international and regional security matters, as the Afghan anti-terrorism law was a focal point for the discussion of a possible grand coalition between Ozawa and Fukuda at their ill-fated meetings.

Now that Ozawa is back as head of the DPJ, leaving the unfortunate episode behind, Japanese politics will hopefully move forward, not backward, to lead to fruitful dialogue and cooperation between the ruling coalition and the opposition on domestic as well as foreign policy matters.

Acknowledgment:
This review is adopted from the following blog (with its Japanese translation):
http://glocom.blog59.fc2.com/blog-date-20071107.html/