Bickering among politicians over who should lead Japan as it tries to rebuild following the Great East Japan Earthquake is provoking fury and confusion among people hit by the disaster.
Bickering among politicians over who should lead Japan as it tries to rebuild following the Great East Japan Earthquake is provoking fury and confusion among people hit by the disaster.
As maneuvering continued against the Diet ahead of a no-confidence motion in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Naoto Kan on June 2, residents and local government officials in quake-hit areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures said their problems were being forgotten by representatives more interested in partisan advantage.
Shinichiro Matsukawa, 71, evacuated to an elementary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, after his two-story wooden home was swept away by the March 11 tsunami.
"All the evacuees here are wondering what they are doing in the Diet at this time. If they have that much time on their hands, they should be spending it on doing everything possible to deal with the disaster," he said.
"Facing a natural disaster on a scale that no one has ever experienced, I believe it was difficult for the government to move swiftly," Matsukawa said. "The prime minister is doing the best that he can. I think he should be allowed to continue for the time being."
Shizuo Watanabe, 59, a farmer from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, said: "The rebuilding will be delayed if they only engage in what appears to be factional fighting. They probably have no idea what the disaster victims are going through."
An 85-year-old fisherman from Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, who is living in an evacuation center, said, "When I see them take sides as the Democratic Party of Japan or the Liberal Democratic Party, I just lose all motivation to do anything."
He was not a supporter of the government: "The measures by the central government have been too slow. Even I want to submit a no-confidence motion against Kan."
But he said there were more important things for politicians to be doing than trying to unseat the government at this time.
Hidenobu Asada, the 61-year-old president of a building materials company in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, was evacuated to Iwaki city because of the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Namie is within the no-entry zone around the facility.
Asada said: "While there are problems with Kan's slow response, he should be allowed to remain in office so he can focus all his energy on providing support to the disaster areas. He can be asked to take responsibility when the situation has become more settled."
In Iwate Prefecture, the issue is more personalized because it is part of the stomping ground of Ichiro Ozawa, the DPJ power broker who has helped orchestrate moves within the party to unseat Kan. The coastal region of southern Iwate Prefecture was part of the electoral district that Ozawa represented before the single-seat system was introduced.
A 57-year-old man operating an evacuation center in Rikuzentakata said, "I cannot understand how Ozawa, who is from Iwate Prefecture, can be playing a central role in moves that ignore the disaster areas."
In Ofunato, a 58-year-old former construction company worker who has supported Ozawa for 30 years was more supportive of the rebels: "While it may slow down the distribution of subsidies to the disaster areas, it is better than proceeding down the wrong path."
Local political leaders in Tohoku are also perplexed by the maneuvering in Tokyo and worried that an unsettled political situation could slow down the second supplementary budget needed for the reconstruction.
On June 1, after the no-confidence motion was submitted to the Lower House, Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai told reporters: "The disaster areas must restore services and rebuild and they cannot afford to wait. I hope the ruling and opposition parties will cooperate and turn their eyes toward us in carrying out the work that has to be done."
Murai said: "With a mountain of things that have to be done, I believe every evacuee feels discussions should be pushed forward."
Toshitsuna Watanabe, mayor of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, where the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant is located, said: "Rather than spend all their time on political struggles, I hope they will work on measures to deal with the disasters. I feel all the local governments that have been hit by the disaster are of the same opinion."
Okuma residents and its town government have all been moved to Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. They don't know when they will be able to return.
Watanabe said: "I hope the government will do everything it can to respond to the feelings of evacuees who want to return to their homes as soon as possible."
The opposition LDP, which has taken the lead in submitting the no-confidence motion, has come in for criticism.
On June 1, LDP head Sadakazu Tanigaki was heckled when he gave a speech in Tokyo's Shibuya district to explain why the motion had been submitted. A 64-year-old unemployed man wearing a gray jacket shouted at Tanigaki: "Stop doing such a stupid thing. You have no pride as a Japanese. Foreign nations will laugh at us if you undercut each other at a time like this."
Outside Tohoku, many are also weary of the political squabbling. A 32-year-old man who works for a clothing company said: "This is not the time for blaming people. Regardless of party, priority should be placed on helping disaster victims rebuild their lives."
A 16-year-old girl at a high school in Tokyo said: "I want everyone to cooperate with Kan to resolve the problems. This is not the time for fighting."
A self-employed 59-year-old man from Saitama said all the parties should work together until the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant was stabilized.
"That is about the only thing today's politicians will be useful for," he said.
Nobuo Osawa, 63, who operates a restaurant in Tokyo's Musashino city, which Kan represents in the Lower House, said: "It will be the same no matter who serves as prime minister. I cannot understand why they are so determined to bring him down."
The 75-year-old owner of a sushi restaurant said: "He should not dissolve the Lower House. Now is not the time for an election."