Posted on 07/29/2007 2:24:16 PM PDT by neverdem
TOKYO, July 29 – Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat in today’s election in the upper house of Parliament, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed that he would not step down.
The main opposition Democratic Party seized control of the upper house by a landslide, capturing seats not only in cities but also in rural districts that have long been strongholds of the Liberal Democratic Party. The rout was widespread, with household names in the governing party falling one after another before opposition newcomers.
In a devastating rebuke to Mr. Abe, angry voters punished him for his mishandling of bread-and-butter issues and a series of scandals in a government seemingly in disarray. Past prime ministers have resigned in the face of similar losses, but Mr. Abe, even before all votes were counted, tried to head off inevitable questions about his leadership.
“I have to repent for what I have to repent,” Mr. Abe, who became prime minister last September, told a Japanese television network.
But, he said, “To pursue reforms, to build a new country, I have to fulfill my duties as prime minister from now on as well.”
The loss, however, will allow the opposition to check Mr. Abe’s legislative agenda. Using parliamentary majorities he had inherited from his popular predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, Mr. Abe rammed through laws to instill patriotism in schools, elevate the status of Japan’s military and prepare for a referendum on revising the pacifist Constitution.
Of the 242 seats in the upper house, half, or 121, were being contested this election. The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the New Komeito, had to win a combined 64 seats to maintain a majority in the upper house.
With all but a few votes counted, Mr. Abe’s party won 35 seats...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Honest Abe takes a beating.
Since this is from the Scumbag Times I have no idea what to make of this news? All I know is the tone of the article can not be trusted.
Too bad.
Why?
Why?
Despite the name, the LDP is the conservative party in Japan.
And in USA you have the Democratics and what , for the most part , is the RINO party . Nightmare , too .
Make that Democrats ...oops !
And furthermore I am pleased that the LPD got its collective butt kicked . They have needed a wake up call for far too long .
Yeah, but you know that’s not how it works.
Republicans in the US lost in 2006 for abandoning their core principles, and their response so far has been to try to be even more like the Democrats.
If it’s a wake up call, they’ve hit the snooze button.
Louisville Police Department ?
Thanks for the feedback.
Louisville Police Department Hehe...
LDP ...
Seems like what they call a government “Pension” over there is what we call Social Security over here. Looks like lots of people over there are aging, and are afraid that for some reason they will not receive their government pension when they retire (the article doesn’t say why). Perhaps their Pension system is as underfunded as our Social Security system. People are afraid they are not going to get paid.
As someone once said to me: “people always vote with their pocketbooks”. Sounds like like Abe-san just found this out the hard way.
The Japanese pension system lost millions of pension records and now people have to prove they paid into it.
Abe has been a staunch supporter of the U.S. is why I am unhappy that he hasn’t met the expectations of his people on the domestic front.
The alternative legislatures may be less open to foreign policies that are of mutual benefit to us and them.
“The Japanese pension system lost millions of pension records”
Beeeeeeery kurebaa.
Not surprising, but clever as all get-out. That should help them kick the can down the road for another decade.
well, the Japanese domestic election should be about Japan, not about the U.S.
U.S. citizens certainly don’t vote in accordance with how it will play in other countries :)
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