Asia-Pacific

US Marine base row puts pressure on Japan PM

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-03-23 11:34
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TOKYO - Nearly half of Japanese voters think Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama should quit if he fails to resolve by the end of May a row over a US airbase that is eroding his ratings ahead of a mid-year election, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Adding to his woes, 92 percent of respondents to the Sankei newspaper poll said a series of financial scandals overshadowing ruling party lawmakers, including party No. 2 Ichiro Ozawa, would have an impact on the election, which is expected in July.

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With support for the cabinet down to 30.5 percent in the Sankei poll, compared with 42.8 percent in February, the two issues are undermining the Democratic Party's chances of winning the majority it needs in the upper house election to avoid policy deadlock.

Just over 29 percent of respondents said they would vote for the Democrats this time, compared with 24 percent for the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party.

Hatoyama raised hopes during his election campaign last year that the Futenma US Marine base could be moved off the southern island of Okinawa, but there is no sign of a feasible alternative plan two months ahead of the deadline he set himself.

More than 73 percent of voters polled by the Sankei said they were unhappy with his management of the problem.

Defence Minister Yoshimi Kitazawa, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano were set to pull together the government's proposals on Tuesday, but officials have said they would keep the ideas under wraps.

Nearly 85 percent of respondents said they were unimpressed with Hatoyama's leadership skills, while about three quarters said they wanted Ozawa to step down as party secretary general over a funding scandal in which three of his former and current aides were indicted.

The Democrats won a landslide victory in the lower house last year, but need a majority in the less powerful upper house to pass bills without delay, something that could be vital as they try to nurture the fragile economy and control public debt.
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