Abe's 'logic' for staying on
(From The Japan Times August 2 issue)

安倍首相続投の奇怪な論理

    His Liberal Democratic Party's massive defeat in the Upper House election notwithstanding, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that he will not step down. His far-from-convincing explanations for staying on, even when cursorily examined, sound like a quibble. By clinging to power, Mr. Abe will further deepen people's distrust in him, as expressed in the election, and cause additional harm to the LDP.

    After the election, Mr. Abe said: "While making an electioneering tour of Japan, I recognized that the election results would be very severe. But I didn't think I should run away from my duty, and a political vacuum should not be allowed to happen. So I have decided (to stay in power)."

    During the campaign, Mr. Abe emphasized that the key issue in the election should be the choice between him and opposition Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa. It is usually said that an Upper House election is not about choosing a government. But Mr. Abe, at least rhetorically, turned the election into a contest to decide the nation's next leader. The public will instantly notice a gap in his logic.

    Mr. Abe also insisted that, through the campaign, the people came to understand his administration's basic policy line of "reform." It is logically difficult to make his statement congruous with what happened in the election, in which half of the Upper House's 242 seats were contested. The LDP won 37 seats while the DPJ won 60 seats. The LDP's total strength in the chamber is now 83 seats against the DPJ's 109 seats. The governing camp has 105 seats against the opposition's 137 seats.

    He has instructed the LDP to seek a revision of the just-revised Political Funds Control Law — after displaying no political leadership in separating money from politics and letting a revision bill with a big loophole pass the Diet. Dismissal of his farm minister over political-funds allegations came too late.

    Mr. Abe said he will "direct light on the shadows" caused by "reform" policies. But his reliance on dicing up logic will lead many people to continue casting skeptical eyes on him.

    自民党は参院選で惨敗したが、安倍首相は退陣を拒否している。首相の説明は、どう見ても論理的でない。権力にしがみつくことにより、首相は国民の信頼を失い、自民党を傷つけるだろう。

    選挙後、安倍氏は、非常に厳しい結果にかかわらず、責任逃れによる政治空白は許されないので、続投を決意したと述べている。参院選は政権選択選挙でないが、安倍氏は、自分自身と小沢民主党代表のどちらを国家指導者として選択するのかが選挙の争点だと主張していた。

    安倍氏はまた、選挙運動中に、国民は政権の改革基本路線を理解していると主張していたが、選挙結果はそれを裏切った。民主党の獲得議席数は60、自民党は37で、自民・公明の与党の議席数は105、野党陣営は137となった。首相は改革の影の部分に光を当てるというが、怪しげな理屈は国民の不信を招いている。