Abe should resign (II)

William Pesek (Bloomberg News):

There's no better way to judge a man, the old saying goes, than by the caliber of his critics. Just ask Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (…)

What was unexpected was hearing Abe's political benefactor, Yoshiro Mori, appear to give up on him. In a speech over the weekend, Mori, 70, suggested Abe lacks experience and said future LDP leaders will need to have proven themselves in longer careers (…)

When even a dud like Mori is criticizing you, it's time to quit and write your memoirs.

Mori led the government from April 2000 to April 2001 -- hardly a proud period in Japanese history. Aside from overseeing an acceleration of Japan's slide into deflation and banking crises, he's best remembered for myriad gaffes.

When, as prime minister, Mori learned a U.S. submarine had accidentally rammed and sunk the Japanese fishing boat Ehime Maru, killing nine students and teachers, he famously continued his round of golf. He antagonized half of Japan's population by blaming over-education of women for the falling birthrate. He unnerved Asian neighbors still smarting from World War II by calling Japan a nation of gods with the Emperor at its center (…)

When someone with so undistinguished a tenure says Abe may not be up to the task, that's, well, saying something.

More: As Abe stays on, Japan loses (Bloomberg News 2007/07/29)