Prime Minister
In his first speech as Prime Minister on 2 September 2011, Noda confirmed that the Japanese government will continue to phase out nuclear power, by not building new nuclear power plants nor extending the life spans of outdated ones. In May, 2012, nuclear power plants which were sitting idle in the wake of the Fukushima disaster were restarted in order to help Japan's immediate demands for energy, despite the overwhelming public opposition.
Since becoming Prime Minister, Noda's most important initiative has been the inclusion of Japan in planning the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, which he announced on 11 November 2011. This has proved controversial and was widely discussed in Japanese society. Otherwise, he engaged in assisting Japan's economic recovery from the Tohoku earthquake.
During efforts to increase Japan's consumption tax from 5% to 10% Noda said that he "staked his political life" on the passage of the law. The bill passed through the lower house of the diet on 26 June 2012, and passed the upper house on 10 August 2012. On 10 August 2012, Noda survived a no-confidence vote after proposing a five-percent increase in the sales tax. During negotiations for the tax, Noda promised to call an early election "soon". Afterwards, he stated that he had planned to quit as a lawmaker if he had been unable to pass the consumption tax increase.
On 24 August 2012, Noda went on live television and vowed to appeal to the international community to support Japan’s claims to sovereignty over islands at the center of separate disputes with South Korea and China.
Speaking on the eve of a review of monetary policy by the Bank of Japan, Noda vowed to work with the central bank more closely to support the economy, using terms employed in the past to pressure the central bank into easing policy.
On 14 November 2012, Noda stated that the diet would be dissolved on 16 November 2012, and the election would be held on 16 December 2012. Given the DPJ's poor figures in the polls. many members of the DPJ were opposed to this, including General Secretary Azuma Koshiishi, and there was talk among some DPJ members of trying to oust Noda before the next election.
Read more about this topic: Yoshihiko Noda
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