Japan’s chronically unpopular prime minister suddenly announced his resignation after less than a year in office yesterday, throwing the world’s second-largest economy into political confusion.
Yasuo Fukuda, in a hastily arranged evening news conference, said he was stepping down to avoid a “vacuum” as the deeply troubled government heads into a special session in the politically split parliament.
The 72-year-old leader made the announcement just days after unveiling ¥2 trillion (US$18 billion) in spending to shore up the flagging economy. Growth has stalled amid anemic consumer spending and rising fuel and food prices.
“I felt that we must particularly stress the importance of the economy,” Fukuda said in a nationally televised address. “If it will help even a little bit to make the parliamentary session go smoother, I decided that it might be better for someone other than me to lead.”
Fukuda suffered from persistently low support ratings as he presided over a split parliament. One poll published yesterday showed his support rating at 29 percent, down sharply over the past month.
Fukuda recently installed his most apparent successor, former foreign minister Taro Aso, as secretary-general of the ruling party in a Cabinet shakeup. Aso has kept a low profile during nearly all of Fukuda’s term and could be seen as offering a fresh start for the party.
The resignation prolonged the political uncertainty that has plagued Japan since the popular former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi left two years ago.
Koizumi’s hand-picked successor, Shinzo Abe, lasted only a year in office, resigning in last September for health reasons. Fukuda had been considered a steady elder who would lend stability to the office.
Fukuda, however, was never able to overcome the divisions in parliament, where his ruling Liberal Democratic Party controlled the lower house and the opposition dominated the upper house.
The opposition, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, repeatedly delayed Fukuda’s most closely watched legislative initiatives in parliament.
Looming economic problems have also troubled the government in recent months. The economy shrank sharply in the second quarter, effectively ending the expansion that began under Koizumi.
Fukuda alluded to his lack of popularity. He suffered throughout his term from a dowdy image in a country that had grown accustomed to Koizumi’s flash.
“You may say it’s irresponsible for me to resign at this time. Well, it would be good if parliamentary proceedings went smoothly if I stayed on, but in my case, I also had support ratings, along with various other problems,” Fukuda said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said last night that Taiwan-Japan relations would be unaffected by Fukuda’s resignation. Chen thanked Fukuda for his aid in facilitating amicable relations during his term.
MOFA trusts that Japan will not alter its attitude toward Taiwan with its change of prime minister, Chen said, adding that Taiwan would continue to enhance exchanges with Japanese allies and strengthen the two countries’ friendship.
Additional reporting by staff writer
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS