Hatoyama eager to face off with Aso in Diet debate
Hatoyama's strategies seem to be pretty good. Placing the one he defeated in the leadership battle as second-in-command within a party or group is typical action for party unity and is also a test of success. If Okada refused, then their party unity will suffer a blow. However, not just that Okada had accepted the position as secretary-general, even his supporter Noda has taken the seat of acting secretary-general to back up Okada when necessary implies that Hatoyama has managed to gain party unity which is essential for a rebellion.
Considering that Hatoyama was less popular than Okada prior to the election Saturday managed to garner more than 40% of public approval, it generally implies that it has been a given that if the Democratic Party of Japan maintains their approach and stance for the next couple of months, Hatoyama will no doubt become the next prime minister replacing Taro Aso.
Only problem is that the DPJ have yet to come up with some clear policies since Ozawa had ditched most of the diet debates, especially the ones concerning how the DPJ will deal with Japan-US bilateral relations under the new leadership of Hatoyama. As of now, it appears that the DPJ intends on promoting the position of Japan to a more equal ground, such as becoming actual partners of the United States in dealing with global issues as to the position of a subordinate-type now. This is a very good proposal but will it actually work out?
American president Obama plans on keeping his focus on Afghanistan, where the Talibans are frequently setting roadside bombs killing many soldiers daily. However, the shadow minister whom Hatoyama-san had devoted his loyalty to, Ozawa had plans to withdraw the SDF from lending aid to the Americans in Afghanistan which will eventually harm ties with the Obama leadership, even though Ozawa had been comparing his leadership with Obama's. If this is the case, how will Japan-US relations improve without first suffering severe deteriorations?
Considering how good Okada is with money issues, it would be awesome to see him in the seat of the finance ministry; the new government will no doubt be a non-corrupted one. Maybe, he will even manage to come up with some good ideas to resolve the financial turmoil. More over, Okada seems to be in opposition to Ozawa's previous unrealistic financial proposals in which the source of the fundings necessary for his plans to work out was never clearly identified. It would be nice if the DPJ led by Hatoyama and Okada will manage to resolve all these questionable issues and come up with some clear-cut policies. When it comes to political competition, policy debates are vital to making things lively and interesting.
As of now, I see that the DPJ will most likely win the next general election and that Hatoyama will become the new prime minister. It seems that most people have become tired of the LDP who has already led the nation for more than 50 years in which the last few years consist of the one-year resignation prime ministers and a worsening economic situation generally implies that this new era is one of "change", like Obama's slogan. Actually, a change of government also benefits the Liberal Democratic Party depending on how well the new government of DPJ will work things out. If they do a good job, they will most likely extend their term. If they do a poor job, the LDP will no doubt win back the position of government. More over, there is no powerful candidate to replace Taro Aso in the LDP that wields awesome charisma and powerful policies. There is Koizumi Junichiro but it is obvious that he is too smart to take the helms of the LDP when it is already in a state of beyond repairs. Generally, anybody who replaces Taro Aso in the LDP right now will no doubt get piled by stress and unsolvable issues. This answers the question as to why Taro Aso is still in charge of everything, most people are simply avoiding the fate of dealing with the severe issues of the economy as well as other issues of importance. Thus, it is best for the LDP to finally pass the baton over to the DPJ and during the years in which Hatoyama leads a new government, the LDP should regain its strength and restructure the party so that it will focus on both party unity and some good policies, as well as find all the right candidates who can replace the current ones as next generation hawks. And thus, I support the ousting of the LDP by the Democratic Party of Japan in the upcoming general election. It is a win-win situation for both political parties in the long-run; the best solution if nothing goes wrong.
