PM contender Noda urges national unity government

Japan should elect/select two PMs at a time, so when the first PM is out (within a year or so) next PM can takeover charge immediately (without wasting time and money).

Great, that way the stupity will be concentrated in one party rather than spread out among three. Should be a huge help in the re-building of Japan.

But his critics see him as a puppet of powerful finance bureaucrats as he sides with them in advocating significant tax increases.

"No" to Noda.

Another uninspired loser to take on the role of revolving door PM. This guy will just tax the hell out of us and feed his big biz and big govt. handlers all the money rather than doing anything good with it.

Japan is seriously in need a leader who is not beige, corrupt, pointless and clueless. Noda fails on all these fronts. Another boring beige inept bureaucrat to fill the office until they toss him out too.

Japanese governement, shame on you for failing your people.

We’d rather form a national salvation government

the whole 20yrs I ahve been here Japan has been in dire need of the above, and I aint seen even the tinniest hint of anything even remotely happening along those lines, what a joke!

Another thing, whoever is next in line to kick the can, you shudnt be the one getting on yr knees begging the ldp to step up.

It was the decades of ldp thieving & incest with the beaurocrates & business that has us where we are today, they are the one who shud be begging for forgiveness & liquidating their ill gotten gains to help pay for Tohoku.

Now if these idiots up next think they are going to pull off some magic I am dying to hear their plans the 1st week after they start for the grand rehab of Tohoku, but we will likely see nothing except hpw they will increase our taxes & behind the scenes how to pilfer those increases.

This is looking to get worse & worse

Naoto Kan himself proposed this very early on in the crisis, and was rudely rejected by the LPD.

1)I need to know his vision of Japan. 2)What did he accomplish as a politician in the past? 3)What is his qualification for this position? 4)If no vote for Noda, why so? 5)If yes vote for Noda, why so?

Is there anyone on JT who can answer to my questions? Thanks.

So... there would be no more elections because there is only one party, and that party could do whatever it wanted to 'make progress' in Japan?

And weren't people on here yesterday bragging about how much better Japan is than China?

So... there would be no more elections because there is only one party, and that party could do whatever it wanted to 'make progress' in Japan?

smith, only one party in Japan?

How about LDP, Komei Party, Party of Everyone, KokuminShinto,TachiagareNippon party, Communist Party..... I think the problem of Japan is too many parties with not enough voices to me.

globalwatcher: "smith, only one party in Japan?"

You miss the point -- this guy wants a 'national unity party'. I am well aware there are a bunch of parties out there at the moment, and agree they don't have enough voices (representation).

smith, understood. this guy wants a national unity party. Sounds like he is already stepping into a mud.

why cant they do that now????? unity smunity - they just want the title/power. poor japan and its revoving door.

I think Mr Noda is going to form a 'grand coalition of three parties government"(DPJ,LDP and Kometo) and that will lead Japan to a new era of 'infighting politics'! The infighting inside the government of the coalition that they have got to stuck with each other.

This is looking to get worse & worse

GW -- It took this to get you to realize the obvious? Japan is rudderless. Has been since Koizumi left office, and will only get worse because the Tohoku/Fukushima disaster has added more problems to a government incapable of even dealing with the day-to-day stuff. As soon as Koizumi left, the old-style fractional politics returned, so the country lost five years when it could have been solving some structural problems. But, as is way too often the case in Japan, they wasted the opportunity, and 3/11 has just magnified the problems. A classic example of the old saying: "We have seen the enemy, and it is us."

What's the point of Governing if it's not done properly, I was just on asahi's webpage reading about the school lunches that were tested for radiation and the tester said that the lunches were within the legal limit. So they are still serving radioactive contaminated food to the kids. In this case One party or Three parties doesn't matter it is still horrible.

Officials test school lunches to ease parents' fears

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201108115982

But, as is way too often the case in Japan, they wasted the opportunity, and 3/11 has just magnified the problems. A classic example of the old saying: "We have seen the enemy, and it is us."

@herefornow, glad to learn you share the same view as mine. Everything is not working in Japan.

Dear Lord - yet another charisma vacuum. Look at that face. Who is this man, and what suits him for the premiership? How dare this feudal bog call itself a democracy?

This is looking to get worse & worse

GW -- It took this to get you to realize the obvious?

Ah, no, pls read the part of my post BEFORE the ending about getting worse where I say:

It was the decades of ldp thieving & incest with the beaurocrates & business that has us where we are today, they are the one who shud be begging for forgiveness & liquidating their ill gotten gains to help pay for Tohoku.

kindly note the bit about decades

Noda urges national unity

Good luck with that.

Japanese is very famous in bullying "ijime".Nihonjin wa ijime suru wa tanoshii.Mr.Noda are you sure you can cope up with this?hmmmn?

there is trouble in the circus, send in the clowns

YuriOtani - Har!

I now understand,why after 3,11 the LDP leader refused to cooperate with Kan. Nothing to do with telephoning him or visiting in person- the powers behind the scene were anxious that a unified goverment driven by obvious urgency could unsettle them. Now however having taken all precautions to keep their grip on power, they even conceed to a coalition - and everything can go on as before. Unless the worried people themselves take the initiative.

The DPJ is basically becoming the LDP. Screw the ordinary people, all hail the bureaucrats and construction bosses!

Remember the old "Imperial Rule Assistance Association" during WW2? Wasn't THAT a "government of natinoal unity?

Let's hope that sounds less totalitarian in Japanese.

Kan needs to stay in office, he is still the PM and so he breaks his "word". Leaders are people too and he needs to see when he fell short. It takes experience to be good and with Japan it will take some time to change things. When things go wrong is not the time to change leadership. Keep fighting Mister Prime Minister!