Posted on 09/10/2007 3:40:19 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Japan Prime Minister Abe Threatens Resignation If Anti-Terror Refueling Extension Fails
(RTTNews) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is staking his political future on Japan's refueling mission for U.S. antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.
Speaking in Sydney on Sunday, Abe said he stands ready to resign if he fails to get Parliament to extend Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.
Abe stressed the extension has become an international commitment he needs to fulfill by all possible means.Abe told reporters "I have no intention of clinging to my duties" as prime minister if the mission is not extended beyond its current November 1 deadline. Japan's navy has provided fuel for coalition warships in the Indian Ocean since November 2001 under a special anti-terrorism law set to expire on Nov. 1. It already had been extended in 2003 for two years and again for a year in 2005.
(Excerpt) Read more at nasdaq.com ...
Ping!
I think that this is a strong and appropriate move by Prime Minister Abe, and is well done.
Maritime Selfdefense Force is really great at their job......
Japan should be proud
Not a smart move in my opinion.
Abe is not very highly thought of. Most people would be happy to see him go.
He’s no Koizumi.
Abe has been an extreme disappointment here in Japan.
He is viewed as a bumbling fool, as far as just about everyone I talk to about it.
He is indeed no Koizumi.
Since so few Americans follow Japan issues regularly or on a deep basis, when news does emerge it is easy to go on the surface only and not know what is really going on.
His Administration was on the way out the minute it was formed. I give him 2-3 more months.
All the good that Koizumi did by keeping the scandal-tainted elder vipers of the LDP away from the cabinet seats is gone. His administration has more seen more sheer incompetence and stupidity than any since Uno’s. It’s almost like you open the paper and mentally ask yourself “who’s resigning this week?”
A buddy of mine were in our cups a couple weeks ago and he came up with the theory that Koizumi chose Abe BECAUSE he was incompetent, and would screw it up so badly that the Japanese would clamor to have him (Abe) back.
To promote that theory he pointed out the low profile Koizumi has been keeping since he left office. Where is he? You never see him mentioned on television or in the newspapers.
I dunno. But there is do denying Koizumi is smart like a fox.
So he wants to go out in a principled blaze of glory, and somehow make the opposition Minshuto (minjudang) share in the blame, putting the onus on them so to speak. It is also a high risk gamble, but I dont think he will get from them what he wants.
In the meantime, it seems that PM Abe did this grand-standing act without really consulting internally within the LDP, so many others even in that party were FURIOUS about the promise to resign en masse and force elections. You could hear them spitting and nearly cursing on live TV last night, and that was at the leader of their own party.
It is one big mess over here, that's for sure.
I had not heard that from anyone, but I myself had indeed thought the very same thing! (about Koizumi)
Opps. I meant Koizumi in parenthesis.
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