Japan's election battle escalates as lower house dissolved

• Source: Xinhua
• [08:54 July 22 2009]
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Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), passes by a campaign poster during a press conference in DPJ's headquarters in Tokyo, July 21, 2009. Hatoyama reiterated Tuesday the general election must be a "revolutionary" one to put an end to "bureaucrat-led politics and to make the public proactive." The DPJ has vowed to break the almost consecutive rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japanese politics. (Xinhua/Ren Zhenglai)

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday dissolved the House of Representatives, setting the stage for an escalated battle leading up to a final showdown in the unusual Aug. 30 general election.

At a plenary session of the lower house starting at 1 p.m., Speaker Yohei Kono read out the Imperial decree signed by the Japanese emperor, proclaiming the dissolution.

After dissolving the lower house, Aso told a televised press conference that he decided to dissolve the House of Representatives and seek a popular mandate "in order to make clear which political party protects Japan and protects the people's lives, to make clear the responsibility of politics."

He also said he and his party members must aim to become the biggest political party (in the election), and create "a safe and care-free society" in Japan.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has vowed to break the almost consecutive rule of LDP in Japanese politics since the World War II. Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the opposition party, reiterated Tuesday the general election must be a "revolutionary" one to put an end to "bureaucrat-led politics and to make the public proactive."

"We are determined to face it with a sense of historical mission." Hatoyama told a general meeting of DPJ lawmakers, according to local media reports.

Aso formally proposed the dissolution at a cabinet meeting earlier in the day, and all cabinet members signed the dissolution document, including Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who have both appeared dissatisfied with Aso's decision last week to dissolve the lower house.

Following the dissolution, members of Aso's Cabinet agreed to hold the House of Representatives election on Aug. 30, with official campaigning set to begin Aug. 18.

The lower house election will be the first since September 2005, when then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi helped the LDP secure more than 300 seats in the 480-seat chamber.

It is also the first time in Japan's post-war history that a general election would be held in August.

The House of Representatives has 480 members, 300 of whom are elected by simple majority vote in single-member districts. The remaining 180 members are elected by proportional representation from a list of candidates selected by the political parties. The term of office for representatives is four years.

The key question at the forthcoming election is whether the ruling coalition of Aso's Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito will be able to hold on to power, or if they will be replaced by anew government led by the opposition DPJ.

LDP currently has 303 seats in the 480-seat lower house, and its partner Komeito has 31. The DPJ has just 112.

But DPJ has been slapping LDP in the face by winning a string of local elections. Also on Tuesday, Aso apologized to LDP lawmakers for ruling party's defeats in the elections, especially the key Tokyo assembly election, and sagging support for the party.

Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), addresses a press conference in DPJ's headquarters in Tokyo, July 21, 2009. Hatoyama reiterated Tuesday the general election must be a "revolutionary" one to put an end to "bureaucrat-led politics and to make the public proactive." The DPJ has vowed to break the almost consecutive rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japanese politics. (Xinhua/Ren Zhenglai)

 In a Mainichi Shimbun survey released Monday, 56 percent of respondents said they want the main opposition DPJ to win the next House of Representatives election, compared with 23 percent of the respondents choosing LDP.

At a meeting with the lawmakers, Aso voiced deep regret while expressing his determination to remain in office.

He said that he has not been "good enough" to maintain solidarity within the LDP and that he has "caused trouble to many people as we failed to achieve our initial targets in a series of local elections, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly."

Aso is the third prime minister of Japan since 2005. Despite the rapid turn over of LDP prime ministers, Aso and others criticize the DPJ for inexperience in leading the country and claim it is therefore poorly qualified to handle the economic crisis.

Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano criticized Tuesday that a giddy DPJ was already "opening a bottle of champagne and celebrating" every night, charging them for putting politics ahead of the interests of the public, and challenging them to offer a detailed policy platform.