Cabinet minister remarks give Japan PM a headache

Tokyo, Jan 29: First, his defence minister risks offendingJapan's key ally, the United States, by calling the start of the Iraqwar a ''mistake''. Then, his health minister sparks a domestic fuss bycalling women ''birth-giving machines''.

Gaffes by cabinet ministers are giving Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe a political headache when his support ratings are alreadyslipping due to doubts about his leadership ability -- hardly cheeringahead of an upper house election in July.

''I want to make clear that our cabinet is not allowing people tojust say what they want,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozakitold a news conference today at which he was bombarded with questionsabout the comments by the two ministers.

Abe came under fire when he took office in September for creatinga 'crony cabinet'' of lawmakers who had supported his bid to becomeprime minister. Now, some critics say his choices are coming back tohaunt him.

''These people are not media savvy. They are feudal warlords whovoice their frank opinions,'' said Jesper Koll, chief economist atMerrill Lynch in Tokyo. ''He put them in the cabinet ... and now he'sstuck with them.'' Abe told parliament he had given a strong warning toHealth Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa about his ''inappropriate'' phrase,and Yanagisawa himself apologised for ''hurting women's feelings''.

Yanagisawa, 71, had been speaking to local lawmakers about Japan'srock-bottom birth rate, which has raised concerns about economic growthand the ability to fund ballooning pension costs.

''Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices isfixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head,although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines,'' Kyodoquoted Yanagisawa as saying.

Defence Minister Remarks

Shiozaki was also grilled about thelatest controversial remarks by Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma, who lastweek said US President George W Bush had been wrong to start the Iraqwar on the assumption that Baghdad had nuclear weapons.

Kyuma was quoted as saying on Saturday that Washington didn'tunderstand the need for ''spadework'' to win approval from the governorof Okinawa to relocate a US military base on the southern Japaneseisland in line with a US-Japan agreement.

''I am telling (the US side) not to say such patronising things,that I am talking to the governor, so please wait a bit and leaveJapanese matters to Japan,'' Kyuma was quoted as saying.

Shiozaki acknowledged that U.S. officials had contacted Japaneseauthorities to check on Kyuma's comments about the Iraq war, but addedthere had not been any criticism.

The fuss over cabinet ministers' remarks coincides with new public opinion polls underscoring the decline in Abe's popularity.

Support for his cabinet fell six points to 40 percent, while thatfor his Liberal Democratic Party dropped six points to 25 percent,according to a weekend survey by the Mainichi newspaper.

Still, the main opposition Democratic Party -- which is aiming todeprive the ruling coalition of its majority in the upper house --could take little consolation from the results, which showed itssupport rate fell four points to 13 percent.

The percentage of voters who said they backed no party at all rose 10 points to 49 percent, the newspaper said.

A defeat in the upper house election would not automatically forceAbe from office, but it would raise doubts about the longevity of hisadministration.

Reuters>