Mr. Kan shows incompetent leadership during latest Diet session
(From The Japan Times December 4 issue)

菅内閣、臨時国会で主導権握れず

Although the Kan administration managed to get the fiscal 2010 supplementary budget enacted during the latest Diet session (which ended Dec. 3 after 64 days), Prime Minister Naoto Kan failed to help generate meaningful exchanges of opinion between the ruling and opposition forces on important domestic and diplomatic issues.

Mr. Kan and Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada demonstrated incompetence when it came to working out strategy and careful approaches to get cooperation from opposition forces, which control the Upper House. As a result, Mr. Kan had to give up on enacting bills to change the shape of the privatized Japan Post, the most important bills for his Cabinet.

Although the opposition forces share part of the responsibility for the poor performances of the latest Diet session, the main blame should be put on Mr. Kan and Mr. Okada, who have the responsibility to lead the Cabinet and the DPJ, respectively, when they cope with the opposition forces in the divided Diet.

Mr. Kan's incompetence as a government leader was clearly shown by his failure to make Cabinet members realize the simple fact that the Cabinet was facing a truly difficult situation in the Diet and to make them fully prepare themselves for expected offensives from the opposition forces.

Despite the difficult situation in the Diet, some Cabinet members obviously lacked prudence about their behavior and remarks. They made careless statements one after another. Justice Minister Minoru Yanagida was forced to step down over a statement in which he made light of his own job.

The Kan Cabinet's image of being weak helped the opposition forces become combative. They passed censure resolutions against Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku and transport minister Sumio Mabuchi. Even if Mr. Kan reshuffles his Cabinet, it will be difficult for him to restore trust in him and his Cabinet. His difficulty derives from the fact that he has no strong message with regard to what he wants to achieve as a leader — an extremely sad state.

菅政権は臨時国会で今年度補正予算を成立させたが、首相は国内外の重要課題について与野党間の徹底論議を促すことができなかった。首相と岡田幹事長は、参院で多数を占める野党の協力を得るための戦略構築と慎重な働きかけに失敗し、郵政改革法案は先送りされた。

内閣が国会において苦境に立たされており、野党の攻勢に対する十分な準備が必要であることを閣僚に認識させられなかったことも、首相の指導者としての能力欠如の表れだ。閣僚の失言も頻発、柳田法相は辞任に追い込まれた。野党は仙谷官房長官や馬淵国土交通相に対する問責決議案を参院に提出、可決した。菅首相が指導者として目指すものを明確に示せないことが、彼を苦境に立たせている。まことに情けない状況だ。