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Change Your Life! |
Ruling party chief named prime minister, replacing comatose Obuchi |
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News
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April 6, 2000
TOKYO, APR 5 (AP) - Ruling party chief Yoshiro Mori was elected Japan's prime minister Wednesday, ending a political crisis that began when Keizo Obuchi collapsed with a stroke that has left him in a coma.
Mori, a former trade minister, won solid majorities in both houses of Parliament following his installment earlier in the day as president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Obuchi held both posts, but as been in a coma since his collapse on Sunday.
In a tearful news conference Tuesday, acting Prime Minister Mikio Aoki announced the Cabinet had resigned en masse because it was clear the 62-year-old Obuchi would not be able to resume his duties.
That paved the way for Mori to assume the country's top post.
Mori needed 245 votes for a majority in the lower house, and received 335. A total of 488 votes were cast. In the upper house, Mori won 137 of 244 votes.
Mori was sworn in by Emperor Akihito later Wednesday evening.
The changeover was not expected to significantly effect Japan's national policies - Mori vowed to stick with the economic and political reform initiatives advocated by Obuchi. His new Cabinet was the same as the old, with only the top spot changed.
"I had prayed for the prime minister's recovery," Mori said in accepting the party presidency. "I will do my best to live up to the nation's expectations."
Mori said his greatest task would be to continue Obuchi's efforts to bring Japan's economy out of its decade-long slump.
There were signs of a slight improvement in Obuchi's condition Wednesday, said an aide to Tamisuke Watanuki, one of Obuchi's closest allies. The aide said movement had been detected in Obuchi's hand.
But Aoki said hospital officials reported no change. Obuchi remained in intensive care, joined by his wife, Chizuko, his three children and his brother.
Though the news of Obuchi's sudden collapse was a shock, and revelations of the government's failure to disclose it for nearly a day generated a good deal of anger, the transition Wednesday was met with a calm reaction on the street and in financial markets.
"I think he is more of a stand-in than anything else," said Makoto Wada, a 36-year-old salesman. "I don't think he will accomplish much."
The dollar rose slightly against the yen, and stock prices slipped Wednesday, but traders said the political situation was not much of a factor because most analysts believed economic policy would not change.
Mori emerged as the most viable replacement as soon as it became clear Obuchi's condition was grave. As LDP secretary-general, Mori was the party's second-in-command after Obuchi and has a solid power base.
A former journalist and trade minister, Mori, who like Obuchi is 62, is considered a conservative with considerable political savvy. But he is outspoken and has a tainted past - he was one of many politicians linked to an influence-peddling scandal in the late 1980s.
He is also not known for being strong on international affairs - a point on which he will soon be put to the test.
One of the new prime minister's first tasks will be a meeting in Russia with that country's newly installed President Vladimir Putin later this month. Tokyo's relations with Moscow are complex. Because of territorial dispute, the two countries have yet to sign a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities.
Another major test for Mori will come in July, when Japan is scheduled to host this year's G-8 summit of industrialized nations. President Clinton would be among the leaders attending that summit, and America's heavy military presence in Japan is expected to become an issue.
Mori will have a full plate of domestic issues to deal with as well.
The crisis comes as a continuing volcanic eruption in northern Japan has left 13,000 people in emergency shelters. Concerns were also being raised about the LDP's ruling alliance, which began to unravel just before Obuchi's stroke.
Immediately after being elected, Mori began discussions with coalition leaders.
The smaller of two parties with the LDP in a ruling coalition splintered, with part quitting the coalition altogether. That loss does not seriously threaten the Liberal Democrats' power, but could make it more difficult for them to pass legislation.
Opposition parties were likely to push for early elections to test Mori's public mandate, raising the possibility of a national parliamentary vote sometime in May or June.
Lower house elections must be held by October.
Mori's administration will also be getting underway amid criticism of the government's failure to disclose Obuchi's collapse for nearly a day. Officials initially provided false information indicating Obuchi was fine, then only grudgingly announced he was hospitalized.
Ironically, one of Obuchi's main concerns before his collapse was a reform of the national police force prompted by a scandal over how police had lied to the media about their handling of a kidnapping.
Obuchi became prime minister in July 1998 and proved an effective leader, helping stimulate the economy, boosting his party's dominant position in parliament and championing legislation that strengthened Japan's security role in Asia.
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