Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Friday bowed to criticism of his brief tenure in office but lashed out at the opposition for boycotting key debates in parliament.
“I have faced a lot of criticism. I would like to accept the criticism sincerely and humbly,” Aso told reporters in Peru, where he was attending a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.
Aso, who took office in September, most recently came under fire for criticizing the medical profession, saying that many doctors lacked basic common sense. He later apologized.
The outspoken conservative was also forced to retract remarks hinting at a review of privatization of the postal service — a key achievement of former reformist prime minister Junichiro Koizumi — as he had not consulted his party on the sensitive matter.
The Aso government’s approval rating has already plunged below 30 percent, emboldening the opposition, which is pushing him to call snap elections.
But Aso denounced the opposition, which controls one house of parliament, for refusing to begin debate on a bill to allow the government to inject public funds into small banks in the world’s second largest economy.
“How long does the opposition want to refuse to vote?” Aso asked. “The law on strengthening finances is significant. I’m sure the public will see a big impact if they go all the way with the opposition.”
He remained tight-lipped on elections, which must be called by September next year, saying: “I have not yet decided what should be the deciding factor.”
Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party has been in power for all but 10 months since 1955 but has gone through four prime ministers in the past two years amid a string of scandals, a troubled economy and legislative deadlock.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests. Analysis by London-based think tank Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island (Jhongjian Island, 中建島) on the southwest corner of the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), building what might be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery and sophisticated radar system. “By constraining the US ability to operate stealth aircraft, and threaten stealth aircraft, these capabilities in the South China Sea send
HAVANA: Repeated blackouts have left residents of the Cuban capital concerned about food, water supply and the nation’s future, but so far, there have been few protests Maria Elena Cardenas, 76, lives in a municipal shelter on Amargura Street in Havana’s colonial old town. The building has an elegant past, but for the last few days Maria has been cooking with sticks she had found on the street. “You know, we Cubans manage the best we can,” she said. She lives in the shelter because her home collapsed, a regular occurrence in the poorest, oldest parts of the beautiful city. Cuba’s government has spent the last days attempting to get the island’s national grid functioning after repeated island-wide blackouts. Without power, sleep becomes difficult in the heat, food
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