LDP Upper House Rebel Hints Support for Postal Bills

Tokyo, Sept. 9 (Jiji Press)–A key member of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party who last month helped defeat Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s postal privatization bills indicated Friday that he would vote for the bills if the LDP-led coalition emerges victorious in the upcoming parliamentary election.

“The popular will has to be respected,” said House of Councillors member Yoshitada Konoike during talks with Mikio Aoki, head of the LDP Upper House caucus.

Konoike, former state minister in charge of disaster prevention, signaled that he would vote for the privatization bills if they are resubmitted to parliament in the event of a victory for the ruling coalition in the election for the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament, on Sunday.

The bills, the centerpiece of Koizumi’s structural reform agenda, narrowly passed the Lower House in late July, but were rejected by the Upper House in early August due to a revolt by some members of his LDP, prompting the prime minister to call the snap general election.

Aoki welcomed Konoike’s change of heart, saying that Konoike has made a very good judgment.

Konoike is believed to have a strong influence over other LDP rebels against postal privatization.

LDP executives believe that about 10 of the 30 LDP Upper House rebels are likely to follow Konoike’s lead if another vote is held on the privatization bills, party sources said.

His switch may also affect other staunch opponents of postal privatization among LDP members of the Upper House, including former Education Minister Hirofumi Nakasone.

Nakasone and Konoike are believed to have been trying to form a study group to prevent the bills’ enactment.

In Friday’s talks, Aoki asked Konoike to give up the study group idea. Konoike replied that he will discuss the request with Nakasone.

Aoki and other leaders of the LDP Upper House caucus have already decided to urge opponents of the bills to leave the party before another vote is taken.

Those who stay in the party and vote against the bills will be expelled, according to the leaders’ plan.

Konoike’s move came as public opinion polls indicate a wide lead for the LDP over the main opposition bloc, the Democratic Party of Japan, in the final stretch to the election, which Koizumi casts as a referendum on postal privatization.

“LDP members have begun to realize that the public supports postal privatization,” Koizumi said Friday on a campaign tour to northern Japan.

Of the 114 LDP Upper House lawmakers, 22 joined opposition parties and voted against the bills on Aug. 8, while eight abstained or absented themselves from the balloting.

The bills would be rejected by the Upper House again if 17 or more LDP Upper House members vote against them, no matter what the results of the Lower House election on Sunday.END