Japan LDP Lawmaker Urges PM To Call Early Election

An election must be held by October and LDP lawmakers are expected to step up calls to replace Aso.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso should call an early election after an extra budget for the fiscal year from April, needed to tackle a deep recession, passes the parliament, a senior ruling party lawmaker said on Sunday.

The call for an early poll was made by Makoto Koga, head of election strategy headquarters for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as the unpopular Aso grapples with poor support and growing frustration among party lawmakers.

An election must be held by October and LDP lawmakers are expected to step up calls to replace Aso once the parliament enacts an 88.5 trillion yen ($906.7 billion) budget for fiscal 2009/10 by the end of March. [ID:nT124962]

Aso should fulfil his duties until he crafts an extra budget for the new fiscal year, Koga said, adding that the size of the extra budget should be around 20 trillion yen. This would be on top of a 75 trillion yen economic package already unveiled.

Other party members have urged the government to spend more to boost the economy, now facing its worst recession since World War Two. Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki wants an extra 30 trillion yen budget for 2009/10. [ID:nT167292]

"I will tell the prime minister honestly it would be time (to call an election) when he carries out all possible steps," Koga told Japanese television when asked if an election should be held in April or May.

Koga said he would urge Aso to hold the election before July, when a separate poll is to be held for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, because the LDP's junior coalition partner New Komeito does not want to face two elections at the same time.

Media have reported plans for Aso to visit China in late March, while a G20 summit meeting of leading and emerging nations is due in London on April 2. Aso also appears keen to attend a Group of Eight summit in Italy in July.

Aso won a party leadership vote last September but support for his cabinet is languishing below 10 percent in one poll and not much higher in others after a series of policy flip-flops and gaffes eroded his clout in the ruling party.