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Japan PM pledges tax cuts, hits opposition

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-29 15:00

TOKYO - New Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso pledged tax cuts on Monday, blasting the opposition for blocking policies and urging his rivals to help pass emergency economic steps.

Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso delivers his first keynote speech since taking office, during a plenary session at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo September 29, 2008. [Agencies]

Aso also said his diplomatic priority was to strengthen ties with close ally Washington while working with China and other neighbours for regional stability, and called for extending a naval mission in support of US-led operations in Afghanistan.

Aso, who took office last week after his predecessor abruptly quit, is expected to call an early general election to try to break a stalemate created by a divided parliament, where the main opposition Democratic Party and its smaller allies control the upper house and can delay bills.

But Aso's new cabinet was backfooted this weekend when his transport minister quit over a series of verbal gaffes after just four days in the job, giving the opposition fresh ammunition for an election already expected to be a close fight.

"The series of comments were extremely inappropriate and I apologise to the people and to those concerned," Aso said before reading his prepared speech.

In an attack on the opposition rare in such speeches, Aso accused the Democrats of putting party interests first.

"From start to finish, the Democratic Party's stance was to put political manoeuvring first and the people's livelihoods second and third," Aso told the lower house.

"The Democratic Party's motto is 'Politics is for the sake of protecting the people's livelihoods' ... To truly realise that aim, we must create rules to reach agreements," he said.

"Is the Democratic Party prepared to do that? Or, by refusing to make decisions in this session of parliament and once again putting the people's livelihoods second, will it betray its own principles?"

Opposition parties delayed a number of key bills in the last session of parliament and twice rejected the government's pick for Bank of Japan governor, leaving the seat vacant for weeks.

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