Japan’s gaffe-prone PM beats censure motion

A total of 134 lawmakers voted against the censure in the house, compared to 108 in favour. Seven members abstained. Three seats are currently vacant in the 252-seat house.

"I humbly accept this criticism," said Mori, thanking his colleagues for rejecting it. But the victory, a walkover because of the ruling alliance’s control of the house, was about the only piece of good news for the beleaguered Japanese leader.

Support for his two-month-old administration plunged to a staggering 12.5 per cent in May from 37.6 per cent in April, according to a weekend survey of 3,000 people by the conservative Sankei Shimbun. It was the lowest rate for any administration facing an election since former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, the current Finance Minister, who commanded just 6.7 per cent support in 1993.

Miyazawa suffered a stunning loss in general elections held in June of that year, the first for the powerful Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since its formation in 1955. Few pundits forecast a similar outcome this time, although the LDP-dominated ruling alliance with the Buddhist-backed Komeito Party and the Conservative Party is expected to lose a slew of seats.

The censure motion was moved by members of three key Opposition parties: The Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party. Immediately after losing, they were joined by the smaller Liberal Party in moving an identically-worded no-confidence motion in the more powerful lower house of parliament. The no-confidence motion may never come to a vote, said a Jiji Press report, because the LDP wanted to ignore it until the lower house was dissolved on June 2 for elections expected on June 25.

Even if there were a vote, the no-confidence motion stands little chance of success because the LDP alone holds 267 seats in the house. Mori has weathered a storm of criticism for declaring at a pro-Shinto meeting on May 15 that "Japan is God’s country, centred on the emperor," a statement reminiscent of Japan’s wartime past.

Shinto became the national religion in the 19th century and elevated the emperor to the status of a living god in whose name Japan pursued military aggression across Asia. The post-World War II constitution gives sovereignty to the people. Mori took over from former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who died on May 14, six weeks after suffering a massive stroke and plunging into a coma while still in office.

A memorial service for Obuchi is due on June 8, drawing world leaders such as US President Bill Clinton, and the expected election date of May 25 is the same as Obuchi’s birthday. But any chance of a sympathy vote had already been erased, said Tokai University politics professor Rei Shiratori, and the government was unlikely to change the election timing. "They would not dare to change the election date as it would inflict enormous embarrassment on the cabinet," he told AFP.