Groundless call for coalition
(From The Japan Times June 9 issue)

民主党の大連立呼びかけ

After Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived a no-confidence motion June 2, Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada started calling for the formation of a grand coalition between the DPJ and the Liberal Democratic Party.

It is irresponsible of Mr. Okada to make such a call. It appears that he has forgotten the simple fact that the DPJ came to power by beating the LDP in the August 2009 Lower House election with slogans that represented a rejection of LDP politics.

Mr. Okada's call for a grand coalition is tantamount to throwing down the drain the DPJ's basic policy ideas enscapsulated in "People's lives come first" and "From concrete to humans" — slogans that showed many voters a ray of hope.

Mr. Kan should step down soon to take responsibility for his administration's slowness in stabilizing the lives of the residents of areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, as well as those suffering from the accidents at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Mr. Okada should realize that his inability to make constructive deals with the opposition forces since the DPJ's defeat in the July 2010 Upper House election has led to the political paralysis. He has stressed the need for a short-term grand coalition to push reconstruction, but there is no guarantee that a grand coalition will work.

Mr. Okada's call for a grand coalition seems nothing more than an attempt to varnish over his inability as DPJ secretary general to move politics forward. Control of most Diet seats by the DPJ and the LDP runs against the principle of democracy anyway.

Taking lessons from the nuclear crisis, Mr. Kan has set a new goal of generating 20 percent of Japan's electricity from renewable resources by the early 2020s. The LDP, which had pushed nuclear power generation, could torpedo the new policy goal.

Since Mr. Kan says he will resign in the near future, the opposition is not likely to cooperate with a "lame duck." The DPJ should follow a normal path — electing its new leader soon and letting him or her, as prime minister, announce effective reconstruction policies in a timely manner while persuading the opposition to cooperate.

菅首相への不信任決議案が否決された後、民主党の岡田幹事長は与党と自民党の大連立を目指す意向を表明した。2009年の衆院選で自民党政治を否定して政権を奪ったことを忘れてしまったようだ。菅首相は震災対応の遅さに対して責任をとって速やかに退陣すべきだ。

岡田氏は昨年の参院選で民主党が大敗して以来、野党の協力を得ることに失敗し政治の停滞を招いたことを認識すべきだ。震災後の復興のために期限付きで大連立を組む必要性を強調しているが、大連立がうまくいく保証はない。

菅首相は2020年代に再生可能エネルギーを発電の20%に高める目標を立てたが、原子力を支持してきた自民党がそれを妨げるかもしれない。

退陣表明した首相に野党が協力する可能性は低い。民主党は早く新指導者を選び、効果的な復興策を発表して野党の協力を求めるべきだ。