PRIME MINISTER Naoto Kan, under fire for his handling of Japan’s worst disaster since the second World War, has survived a no-confidence motion in his government, but will likely step down by the end of this month.
Mr Kan told parliament yesterday he will stay in power until he sees “progress” in bringing the Fukushima nuclear crisis under control and in rebuilding the country’s shattered northeast.
His announcement that he will quit once that task is achieved may have saved him from losing the motion after rebel lawmakers from his Democratic Party (DPJ) switched sides, leaving him with a comfortable win of 293-152 in Japan’s 480-seat lower house. It means he is living on borrowed political time, however.
The opposition immediately hailed the vote outcome as a victory. “We have forced the prime minister to announce he is resigning,” said Sadakazu Tanigaki, leader of the conservative Liberal Democrats. “It is the beginning of the end for the Kan administration.” Mr Kan’s decision was reportedly decided before the no-confidence debate began at a meeting with former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, who said Mr Kan had promised to go after passing emergency legislation.
The government is battling to clear a huge extra budget through parliament, along with new Bills to help reconstruct the northeast, devastated by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Mr Hatoyama said he was prepared to join the rebels to save the government from destroying itself. “The DPJ is on the brink of breaking up. The party should avoid indecision and focus on reconstruction, so I advised to step down.” He said Mr Kan could quit by the end of June – a year after he came to power.
The deal means Japan again faces a political vacuum as it struggles to recover from the disaster, which has left about 25,000 people dead or missing and more than 100,000 homeless, while more than 70,000 have been forced from their homes near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The DPJ has been badly weakened by internal bickering, and may not survive the summer. Former party leader and bitter Kan critic Ichiro Ozawa is likely to launch another attempt to become prime minister.
Mr Kan argued voters would not stomach another round of political combat and wanted the government to focus on helping the country get back on its feet. But his popularity was falling as criticism of his leadership sank in.
Many people believe he should have taken a harder line with Fukushima plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, which has angered the public with its lack of transparency about the nuclear disaster.
A poll this month by the Pew Research Center found 79 per cent of respondents unhappy with his handling of the nuclear crisis.