Most Japanese want a new prime minister to lead the massive rebuilding needed after last month's earthquake and tsunami, newspaper polls showed today, as the head of government was again scolded in parliament for his handling of the disaster.
Japan is also struggling to bring the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control after it was damaged by the March 11 natural disasters and began leaking radiation, a process that could take the rest of the year.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) said yesterday it hoped to achieve a cold shutdown to make the reactors stable within six to nine months.
Full recovery could take even longer, the government has said, while rebuilding the shattered northeastern coast has yet to begin.
The cost of material damages alone from the quake and tsunami has been estimated at $300 billion, making it the world's most costly natural disaster. More than 13,000 people have been confirmed dead, and tens of thousands made homeless.
Nearly 70 per cent of people surveyed by the Nikkei business daily said prime minister Naoto Kan should be replaced, and a similar number said the government's response to the nuclear crisis was not acceptable.
Mr Kan was criticised again in parliament today for his response to the nuclear disaster, with an opposition lawmaker suggesting he had been ill-prepared from the start, pointing to Mr Kan's admission that he could not recall the details of a drill last year that simulated a Fukushima-type incident.
"Prime minister Kan is working hard, and he must be experiencing difficulties. But many people have questions about prime minister Kan's leadership. Perhaps the premier himself thinks he has leadership, but unfortunately ... 70 to 80 per cent [of respondents to public opinion polls] say ... [he] lacks leadership," opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker Masashi Waki told the upper house budget committee.
Mr Kan has been derided for what many see as failure to lead.
"Japan has experienced many crises in the past, but I believe this is the biggest crisis in the 65 years since the end of World War Two," he told a parliamentary panel today.
"From now on ... we must persist with our strategy on two fronts, and I want to make every effort on both issues [recovery and the nuclear crisis]."
The government hopes to avoid issuing new bonds to fund an initial emergency budget, expected to be worth about 4 trillion yen ($48 billion), due to be compiled this month.
But bond issuance is likely for subsequent extra budgets and markets are worried that post-quake rebuilding may hamper Japan's efforts to rein in its debt, which already stands at twice the size of its $5 trillion economy.
"It is no doubt that a substantial amount of revenue sources will be needed for reconstruction," Japan's deputy finance minister Fumihiko Igarashi said today.
"I want to ask the people to share burdens broadly. While we review every spending and revenue to raise funds, everyone needs to share the pain."
Mr Kan's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was punished in local elections last weekend, losing nearly 70 seats.
More than half of the people surveyed by the Nikkei newspaper want the DPJ to team up with the LDP, and another poll in the Mainichi newspaper showed a similar result.
Mr Kan has already invited the LDP to form a national unity government, but the LDP has rejected the idea of a coalition and called for Mr Kan to resign. The DPJ controls parliament's lower house but needs opposition help to pass bills because it lacks a majority in the upper chamber, which can block legislation.
Analysts say that Mr Kan, who took office last June as Japan's fifth leader since 2006, is unlikely to resign readily, while opposition parties could be criticised if they try to take disaster budgets hostage in a political battle.
Support for Mr Kan's government stood at 27 per cent, up five points from February, in the Nikkei poll.
Most voters said Mr Kan has not shown leadership in response to the crisis. In the Mainichi survey, 58 per cent said they do not trust government information on the atomic accident.
Japan's economics minister warned last week that the damage was likely to be worse than first thought as power shortages would cut factory output and disrupt supply chains.
Hillary Clinton, the chief US diplomat, visited Japan yesterday, urging the country to remain active on the world stage and pledging support for a key ally in East Asia. Washington has deployed thousands of troops plus military aircraft and navy ships to help with relief work.
Neighbouring China and South Korea have become increasingly alarmed over the risk of radiation spreading from Japan, numbers of foreign visitors to Japan have crashed, and several countries have banned or restricted food imports.
Reuters