Mainichi has an editorial about the government's administrative reform proposals — discussed in this post.Most of the editorial simply summarizes the contents of the proposals, but includes a paragraph about opposition within the LDP to the proposals."Wholly negative opinions — 'Not realistic' — can be heard from within the LDP regarding the restrictions on direct …
Continue reading Is administrative reform a wedge issue for the DPJ?
As noted in this post, Tahara Soichiro thinks that Nakagawa Shoichi, instigator of the "True Conservative Policy Research Group," would make a fine leader in place of the current crop of party leaders and would be adept at addressing the many pressing issues facing the government.What, you wonder, does Mr. Nakagawa think about economic policy?Mr. …
The Budget Committee in the House of Councillors is currently debating the 2007 supplementary budget before moving on to the 2008 budget.The opposition, now in control of the HC, has been giving the prime minister and members of his cabinet a rough time in deliberations, at least according to Yamamoto Ichita, LDP HC member. Writing …
Since former prime minister Mori and Prime Minister Fukuda called attention to the crisis facing the LDP on consecutive days in mid-January — with Mr. Mori explicitly criticizing Nakagawa Shoichi's flirtations with Hiranuma Takeo — it seems that the ideological conservatives have backed out of the spotlight.Part of the reason, I think, is because of …
As the temperature in the debate over the temporary gasoline tax lowers and the parties prepare to negotiate, it seems increasingly likely that Prime Minister Fukuda will succeed in pushing a general election until "after the G8 summit."Mr. Ozawa admitted as much Thursday in a speech at his annual political workshop. He declared that the …
As noted by Jun Okumura, the Fukuda government has thrown down the gauntlet in the debate over the extension of the temporary gasoline tax. The LDP and Komeito agreed Monday to submit a bill to the HR Tuesday (and pass by Wednesday) that will extend the tax for two months, giving the government time to …
The Machimura faction, which just gained a new member to solidify its position as the LDP's largest, has delivered a proposal to Prime Minister Fukuda that calls for the drafting of new rules for Diet management in light of the divided Diet. The proposal, according to Asahi, points to a "structural deficiency in the constitution," …
Continue reading The Machimura faction tries to untwist the Diet
Over at Shisaku, MTC writes about l'affaire Ōe — Ōe being Ōe Yasuhiro, one of the three DPJ HC members who attended the gathering of prefectural assembly members mentioned in this post.Kan Naoto has called for Mr. Ōe to resign his seat. That is unlikely to happen: MTC notes that since Mr. Ōe was elected …
The government has submitted its bill extending the temporary gasoline tax for ten years as part of its bill related to the revision of the tax system. It is not clear, however, whether the government will give up on finding a compromise with the opposition and push for passage before the end of the month, …
Having just finished the process of using Article 59 to pass the new anti-terror law, the Fukuda government is once again debating whether to go through the process of rushing a desired bill (the extension of the temporary gasoline tax) through the House of Representatives in order to leave the government time to "re-pass" the …
Continue reading Another consequential decision for the government
Tobias S. Harris 