Hatoyama's 'plane' must keep wind at its tail

According to an Asahi Shimbun opinion poll, the public approval rating for the Cabinet of Yukio Hatoyama has dropped to 62 percent from 71 percent at the time of its inauguration. Two months have passed since Hatoyama took office. Now the support rate matches Hatoyama's age of 62. Setting aside whether the figure will keep getting "younger," I think it's time we look back on the new administration's ascent.

Preceding administrations led by the Liberal Democratic Party suffered dismal support ratings. If we liken the ratings to an aircraft, we can say it made an emergency landing in the wilderness, took off again and landed at an airport of regime change after flying at low altitude. It seemed to fly unsteadily and eventually surrendered to gravity. The support ratings for the new administration have also declined, but there is tension. It makes me think of an aircraft that is being thrust by ascending and descending air currents and gradually lowering its creaky body.

There is no end to downdrafts in the form of dubious political donations, a cooling Japan-U.S. alliance, the amakudari practice of offering cushy jobs to retiring bureaucrats and the government's silence over the Cabinet secretariat's secret funds, to name a few. Moreover, the prime minister uses polite but erratic "Hatoyama language" to explain them.

At the same time, there is a strong tailwind that supports the administration. Its attempts to cut wasteful government spending and end politicians' dependence on bureaucrats have left a strong impression on the public.

The 62-percent public approval rating must be a manifestation of support for that point. It is a wind of endurance, so to speak, on the part of the public that pins hope on the administration's efforts for more transparent politics.

Given these expectations, the decision by Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan to shy away from a one-on-one Diet debate between party leaders is all the more detrimental. It is unreasonable to unilaterally set such a short term of the Diet session and say the schedule is too tight to hold a one-on-one debate. If the government fails to show accountability and turns to bad "precedents" and Kasumigaseki bureaucrats for help, it will put a damper on ascending currents.

While the public looked to the new administration for its amateurish style in a good way, the new government in reality appears more immature than fresh. It is difficult for the new administration to make ends meet while making good on policy pledges. Perhaps it also has to deal with negative legacies left behind by previous administrations.

Still, the administration lacks stability commensurate with its majority in the Diet, not to mention the prime minister's inconsistent remarks and behavior. If it betrays the public again, there is no hope for Japanese politics. Already, the administration is facing a moment of truth.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 17(IHT/Asahi: November 18,2009)