Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe tried and failed once again Wednesday to corner Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda into promising to dissolve the Lower House by the end of the year, continuing a seemingly endless power struggle that only lawmakers appear to be interested in.
Abe, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2007, faced off with Noda in a televised Lower House plenary session in an attempt to show voters how his party is more suitable than the ruling Democratic Party of Japan to run the country.
But even before he could begin his criticism of Noda, Abe said he owed an apology for abruptly quitting as prime minister for health reasons. Despite that, the LDP re-elected him as its president in September, triggering widespread criticism of the largest opposition party.