Perspectives

Former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama is surrounded by reporters after arriving at Fukuoka Airport on Saturday morning. (Mainichi)

The virtual dismissal of Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama on Friday marked a step toward the settlement of the dispute over the reappointment of Japan Post Holdings Co. President Yoshifumi Nishikawa.

The move came after Prime Minister Taro Aso announced that the government will allow Nishikawa to stay on for now, despite opposition from Hatoyama.

"It's regrettable that we've given the public the impression that the case caused confusion. I thought it should be settled at an early date," Aso claimed. However, the decision has come too late.

The dispute has dealt a serious blow to the Aso administration, with Hatoyama, a close ally of the prime minister, leaving the Cabinet. Moreover, by putting off any kind of decision until Friday, the case has underlined the prime minister's indecisiveness.

And even then, Aso has said the government will make a final call on whether Nishikawa should be reappointed to another term after considering whether he has fulfilled his responsibility as head of the company. One cannot help wonder whether Aso's latest action can be recognized as a "decision."

The dispute started in January, when Aso pointed out problems involving the postal company's sale of the Kanpo no Yado chain of inns to the private sector. Moreover, it emerged that Japan Post Service Co. workers had helped private firms to abuse a post service discount service for organizations supporting disabled people. Following these, as the Mainichi Shimbun has already argued, Nishikawa's reappointment should have been discussed from a management responsibility viewpoint.

However, the government failed to clarify Nishikawa's responsibility and Aso left the matter to be settled by the Cabinet ministers concerned, including Hatoyama -- which developed into an ideological conflict within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) over whether postal privatization should be promoted at all. This is the result of the LDP's failure to properly evaluate its landslide victory in the 2005 general election, in which a key issue was the pros and cons of postal privatization and how privatization should be carried out.

Many voters apparently believe that Hatoyama's argument is reasonable. However, it appears that Hatoyama was unable to persuade the Cabinet and LDP legislators to support his position, despite standing by it publicly in front of TV cameras. This gives rise to speculations that he has given up supporting Aso as the approval rating for his Cabinet has sunk lower and lower.

Aso apparently feared that if he had sided with Hatoyama and dismissed Nishikawa, it would have provoked protests from LDP legislators who are proactively supporting postal privatization.

The prime minister reportedly offered a compromise plan under which Nishikawa would stay on after apologizing to Hatoyama over problems involving his management. If he truly thought such a deal could settle the dispute, Aso should be criticized for ignoring public opinions. Voters will not be convinced unless Aso clearly expresses his views on the problems facing Japan Post Holdings.

The prime minister's indecisiveness and lack of governance ability have stirred criticism from within the ruling coalition. Prime Minister Aso is urged to dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election as soon as possible to rehabilitate Japan's politics as a whole, not just the Aso administration.