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Gaffes dog Abe's leadership
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Feb 07, 2007 02:54pm |
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| Category | Analysis |
| News Date | Monday, February 5, 2007 08:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | A series of inept remarks made by ministers of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet have undermined public support for his administration. Opinion polls show that public approval ratings for his Cabinet continue to fall.
Abe's leadership is in doubt while his administration faces a mountain of challenges such as educational and social security reforms. There is no magic bullet for bolstering his administration as it faces strong public criticism over the treatment of political funds.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa, in charge of policy to reverse the nation's falling birthrate, invited public outcry by labeling women as "child-bearing machines" in a speech. The remarks came just before Abe announced the creation of a government council for establishing comprehensive measures to boost the birthrate.
In December, administrative reform minister Genichiro Sata was forced to resign over accounting of political funds. His resignation was a serious blow to the administration, since Sata was in charge of civil-service and regulatory reforms, the key challenges for the Cabinet.
And Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma has stirred trouble when he criticized the United States in connection with a provisional plan for relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa to the city of Nago within the island prefecture.
Abe's lack of leadership no doubt is the key factor in falling popularity ratings. His predecessor Junichiro Koizumi drew public support to his reform campaign by labeling his foes in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as "resistance forces." Abe, however, gave the impression that the LDP had returned to its old ways by letting antipostal reform rebels rejoin the party. |
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