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On January 30, Diet Affairs Chair of the DPJ Caucus in the House of Councillors Susumu Yanase held his regular press conference and gave his impressions of the debate during the plenary session of the House of Councillors held that morning.
At the start of the press conference, Yanase announced that the DPJ had that very day submitted a counter-proposal to the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008, entitled, “Bill concerning exemptions made for transfers of monies from the Fiscal Loan Fund Special Account designated for fiscal management in the budget for fiscal 2008, and restrictions on the implementation of emergency lifestyle and economic measures in the aforesaid budget.” He said that the ruling parties’ intention of carrying out slipshod fiscal management had been revealed, and explained that since the treasure trove cited as the source of funds for the economic stimulus payments was not limitless, it was necessary to place restrictions on its use, and this had influenced the timing of the counter-proposal’s submission.
Yanase went on to explain that since the Minister of Finance was the minister primarily responsible for matters in both the Committee on Financial Affairs and the Committee on Budget, it would be necessary to consult the debate schedule of the House of Representatives Committee on Budget when convening the House of Councillors Committee on Financial Affairs. He said that handling of the DPJ counterproposal would be carried out after it had been considered by the DPJ as a whole.
Next, Yanase criticised the behaviour of ruling party Diet members during the questions delivered by Chair of the DPJ Caucus in the House of Councillors and Acting President of the DPJ Azuma Koshiishi. Without even listening to the content of the speech, they had engaged in heckling at such volume that it had been impossible to hear what Koshiishi was saying. Yanase commented ironically that “they are behaving like the opposition” and complained, “If they are going to heckle, then I would like them to do so after they have understood the content of the question.”
Yanase also referred to the question posed by the LDP’s Hidehisa Otsuji, saying that it was a direct rebuttal of the LDP style of governance practiced from the time of Prime Minister Koizumi. He added that the fact such a question had been delivered by a person with the stature of Chair of the LDP caucus in the Upper House, and that moreover, that question had been greeted with loud round of applause from the government benches, indicated that “It has become clear that the LDP, while being the party of government, is destroying itself from within.” He said that he found the contrast between the attitude of Otsuji, who had taken a stand and expressed his opinion that the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, which had strengthened the ideas of new liberalism and market fundamentalism within the LDP, should be dissolved, and Prime Minister Aso, who had simply behaved like a bureaucrat by repeating evasions in his speech, to be “extremely odd”.
Furthermore, Yanase said the fact that Otsuji had made the comment “Prime Minister, leaving office is not something to be ashamed of. Please proceed resolutely”, which could be taken as a suggestion that Aso should resign, was “extremely significant.” He said that “[it] revealed the frustration within the ruling party” at the stance taken by Prime Minister Aso of refusing to consult the will of the people, despite the fact that the people’s will had changed.
Yanase praised Otsuji’s comment, saying “I felt it was bold and expressed his true feelings,” and went on to call for early elections, as Koshiishi had in his speech, saying “Dissolving the Diet and holding a general election is itself the best economic stimulus measure, and we want [this] to take place as soon as possible.”
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