Gendai on Abe’s chances of survival: “Abe government destined to die like a dog”February 1st, 2007 by Adamu |
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Tell it, Gendai (in translation from their daily e-mail):
Prime minister Abe keeps on protecting Health Minister Hakuo Yanagizawa despite calls within the ruling coalition for him to quit over his “women are birth-giving machines” statement. If Abe fires him, his own responsibility for appointing him will be called into question, and his shoddy hiring practices will suck even more momentum from the administration. With the Abe government in such a state, the LDP-Komeito coalition won’t be able to campaign for the unified local elections in 2 months, let alone the upper house election this summer. Right now the future state of affairs has become murky as to whether he’ll be dragged out early or fall dead of disease. Looking back at previous LDP administrations, all governments that faced severe criticism have died young. This cabinet even even worse than the Uno cabinet, which came under fire for a sex scandal, or the worst-in-history Mori, who made the “nation of gods” statement. Most everyone is thinking Abe’s government will die an early death as well.
February 1st, 2007 at 9:19 am
Ask the Prime Minister what he’d like to do if he has a week to live and can get away with anything: Go to Yasukuni! Say ‘Kami no Kuni!’
Ok, joking. But seriously, the fact that Yanagisawa hasn’t fallen on the sword is what gets me the most. A week from now he’ll probably say he’s in bad health and quit…
February 1st, 2007 at 9:37 am
or saying”My old machine got broke,so I’ve got go fix it.”
February 1st, 2007 at 8:03 pm
The problem with these “Abe’s gotta go” pieces is that they never name a successor.
February 1st, 2007 at 10:39 pm
I’ll try to fill that in for you: It seems like Abe would call a general election before he’d ever step down. In that case, there’s no guarantee that they will win, but it is completely at Abe’s discretion to call one (he’d try to frame it as a postal election-style ‘yes or no to constitutional reform’ campaign). If they lose seats but keep the government, Abe will have to step down, and there will be another, much shorter, race to replace Abe. Aso and Tanigaki will run, and maybe some others who have been maneuvering since Abe took office (Takebe?). My guess is the LDP won’t lose the government, Aso will take the premiership, and then he’ll be even worse than Abe, leading to even more political stagnation.
February 1st, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Don’t dogs live for twelve years??
February 1st, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Is there anyone who doubts that Aso would be a terrible PM?
February 1st, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Not if they make initial blunders and are then beaten to death by torrent of unfavorable media coverage!
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:28 am
While everyone hates Aso,that doesn’t mean Tanigaki would be the prince on the white horse,Tanigaki’s grandpa,Kagesa Sadaaki影佐禎昭was an intelligence officer
and advisor to Wang Zhao Ming,the Chinese Benedict Arnold.Though Kagesa died before he was put on trial,he too was convicted as war criminal.