Japanese Premier Quits After Scandals, Dispute Over Support For US Forces In Afghanistan

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

TOKYO: Weakened by scandal and failure at the ballot box, Japan's prime minister announced he will quit after only a year in office, bowing out amid a political brawl over the country's aid to U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

Shinzo Abe surprised members of his party and even his own Cabinet on Wednesday by deciding to resign only days after he pledged to stake his government on the success of legislation to extend Japan's naval mission in the Indian Ocean.

The nationalist Abe, whose government was severely damaged by a string of scandals and his party's loss of control of the upper house of parliament in July elections, said someone more politically viable should shepherd the Afghan measure that the opposition is trying to scuttle.

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The leadership change came as the government opened its battle in parliament over the Indian Ocean naval mission, which the opposition has vowed to defeat.

Japan's navy has been providing fuel for coalition forces in Afghanistan since November 2001 under an anti-terrorism law that has already been extended three times. The legislation is a key issue before the special parliament session that opened Monday.



Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/13/asia/AS-GEN-Japan-Abe.php

[Kagemusha]

1. Guess the effort to renew that law wasn't going so hot

esp. after Bush said he really wanted it done.

Kiss of death.