Attention, Diet members: Stop wasting time
The stalled Diet session will finally resume deliberations on Wednesday. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the two major opposition parties--the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito--have agreed to get the Diet back to normal.
The Diet, since it decided on June 22 to extend its current session by 70 days, has not held any deliberations. So what is the extension for? The government and the ruling parties should seriously reflect on that.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan is primarily responsible for the stalled Diet. Kan reneged on the idea--agreed on earlier by the secretaries general of the DPJ, the LDP and Komeito--of extending the Diet session by just 50 days to pass or vote on three key bills, including the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2011.
Kan did not call on the opposition camp to resume the Diet deliberation strongly enough. This is apparently due to his guilty feelings over having appointed an LDP member in the House of Councillors as parliamentary secretary for internal affairs and communications, as if he were scheming to win over members of the opposition party one at a time.
Kan also hinted at the possibility of his dissolving the House of Representatives for a snap election by saying that "energy policy will be the biggest point of contention in the next national election."
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Politics going nowhere
This self-righteous political style has created a political vacuum and amplified the people's distrust of politics.
According to a recent public opinion poll taken by The Yomiuri Shimbun, 66 percent of pollees sense "stagnation in politics." In regards to when they hope to see Kan step down, a combined total of 72 percent said either "as soon as possible," or "by the end of August."
Ryu Matsumoto, newly appointed by Kan as reconstruction minister, has also caused a stir. During a weekend visit to disaster-hit areas, Matsumoto repeatedly made high-handed remarks. After Matsumoto waited for a prefectural governor to appear in a reception room, he told the governor, "When a guest comes, you have to be present." If he thinks he is a "guest," he is wrong in his judgment.
No matter how feckless it is, the administration should not waste any more time doing nothing.
It is vitally important for the government and the ruling parties to seek cooperation of the opposition parties on high-priority policies and swiftly implement them.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada once again called on the LDP and Komeito to cooperate in the early enactment of a bill for a temporary law to allow the issuance of deficit-covering special public bonds, which Kan cited as one of the conditions for him to resign.
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Listen to opposition
Both the LDP and Komeito call for a drastic review of the child-rearing allowances and the settlement of the issue of how to secure state funds for basic pension benefits this fiscal year, as part of those funds have been diverted for reconstruction purposes in the first extra budget for fiscal 2011.
What the opposition parties are asserting is quite reasonable in the sense of holding down the deficit-covering special public bonds as much as possible.
To secure funds for reconstruction, the DPJ must retract nonessential policies contained in its manifesto.
A matter of particular urgency is relief for victims of the accidents at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, rather than "a bill concerning special measures on renewable energy sources," whose enactment Kan insists on. The legislators need to start deliberating a bill concerning a nuclear damage compensation support organization, to be created to pay compensation to victims.
The LDP wants to modify the bill to clarify the responsibility of the central government, rather than merely holding Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled plant, responsible for the damages.
Both ruling and opposition parties need to reach an agreement and try to get the bill passed into law.
China must show reciprocity through diplomatic action
It was good that the Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers frankly discussed a range of issues, but little progress has been made in resolving several pending issues--including China's maritime activities.
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, held a meeting in Beijing on Monday and agreed China would send a trade and investment mission to Japan as part of efforts to support Japan's reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake. They also agreed to bolster bilateral exchanges ahead of next year's 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations.
During their meeting in May, Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao confirmed the need for deepening "strategic and mutually beneficial" ties. The foreign ministers' meeting Monday was supposed to be the first step toward that goal. However, we have to say that it brought about only meager results.
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Early resumption of talks vital
Matsumoto called for the early resumption of negotiations on a treaty covering joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea. Yang avoided giving a clear commitment, merely saying that "working-level preparations will be made to resume the talks."
China unilaterally suspended negotiations over the signing of the treaty in retaliation against the arrest of the captain of a Chinese trawler that collided with two Japan Coast Guard patrol boats off the Senkaku Islands last September. To help restore the bilateral relations that soured due to this incident, we think China should comply with the Japanese request for an early resumption of the negotiations.
Concerning Chinese maritime activities that have caused friction with its neighboring nations, Matsumoto urged China to exercise self-restraint to prevent these tensions from escalating. Yang only said, "Disputes between two countries should be resolved peacefully between them."
To draw favorable responses from Beijing, the government needs to press China tenaciously in cooperation with the United States and Southeast Asian countries.
Matsumoto also called for the establishment of a multilayered crisis management mechanism to prevent any accidental contact of vessels from spiraling into a crisis. This is intended to defuse potential trouble involving Chinese naval ships, maritime observation vessels and fishing patrol boats.
This proposal is reasonable and should be implemented as early as possible.
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Stable govt key to diplomacy
The ministers did not reach an agreement on a concrete timetable for the fourth ministerial-level economic dialogue scheduled for this summer.
Repeatedly holding working-level dialogue could deepen bilateral trust and benefit both sides. Beijing's negative attitude toward even such dialogue raises doubts about whether it is seriously committed to promoting "mutually beneficial" ties with Japan.
China, for its part, might be intending to postpone full-scale negotiations on principal issues until after the Kan administration is replaced. With the Kan-led government in its final throes, we cannot help but recognize the increasing difficulty in promoting diplomacy vis-a-vis China.
Japan needs to have a stable government to maintain continuity during negotiations with foreign countries on key diplomatic issues.
Kan's interminable prolonging of his government is becoming a major encumbrance to Japan's diplomacy. Kan must wake up to this fact.
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