Japanese Coalition Endorses Likely Premier

Japan’s ruling coalition formally anointed Ryutaro Hashimoto, the feisty international trade and industry minister, as candidate for prime minister Monday after smoothing over policy differences on everything from national war responsibility to the U.S. military bases in Okinawa.

Hashimoto, the sharp and seasoned president of the leading Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, is set to win election during a special parliamentary session Thursday. It will represent the crowning moment of his 32-year political career, in which the intelligent but widely disliked Hashimoto has been twice rejected for the premiership by his party cohorts.

“I feel a heavy responsibility on myself,” Hashimoto said in accepting the endorsement. He said he would work to improve U.S.-Japan ties and stimulate economic recovery.

But the move to succeed Tomiichi Murayama, the Socialist premier who suddenly resigned last week, could ignite turmoil if the leading opposition party resigns en masse, as it is threatening.

The opposition New Frontier Party is blasting the coalition for passing the premiership among its three partners--the LDP, the Socialists and New Party Harbinger--without seeking a mandate from voters. The New Frontier Party members are debating whether to resign en masse if the party’s demand for a snap general election is ignored, as appears likely.

LDP Secretary-General Koichi Kato and other coalition leaders have said they will not call an election until autumn at the earliest, in order to avert a “power vacuum” that would cripple resolution of such dicey issues as a bailout of ailing loan firms, the presence of U.S. bases on Okinawa and a lingering economic recession.

Critics, however, say the coalition is merely aiming to perpetuate its power until it can build greater support among the public--outraged over the $6.2-billion bailout plan for the housing-loan firms--and raise more money to win election under new rules.

The coalition moved to endorse Hashimoto, 58, after delicately papering over numerous policy differences. The coalition agreed to maintain an existing U.S.-Japan security treaty but said it would seek a settlement within one year of plans to streamline the force of U.S. soldiers in Okinawa--whose presence has come under growing attack since three U.S. servicemen were accused of raping a Japanese schoolgirl there in September.

The agreement fell short of Socialist Party demands for a concrete reduction in military spending.

Bowing to Socialist qualms over LDP desires to strengthen Japan’s global clout and seek a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, the coalition also agreed to “deal with the issue scrupulously, without hasty action.”

The issue of Japan’s deeds during World War II, thought settled by Murayama’s unprecedented declaration last year that they resulted from a “mistaken national policy,” appears back on the negotiating table. Many LDP officials, who believe Japan fought a just war, were upset by Murayama’s statement; the policy paper now says the coalition will “wrestle with resolving wartime problems” in “learning the lessons of history.”

On the problems related to housing loans, the coalition said it would review the nation’s financial oversight, “advance toward strengthening” the collection of bad debts and make clear who was responsible for the mess.