The ruling and opposition blocs are heading for a showdown in the general election as the opposition bloc in the Upper House on Tuesday passed a censure motion against Prime Minister Aso Taro and started boycotting all Diet proceedings. Separately, in the Lower House, the ruling bloc earlier in the day had voted down the opposition bloc's no-confidence motion against the Aso Cabinet.
On Monday, Mr. Aso had announced he will dissolve the Lower House next week and hold a snap election Aug. 30. The runup to the election will allow each group time to overcome its weakness and devise appealing and persuasive election promises.
What is unusual with regard to Mr. Aso's decision is that it is unclear what he wants to achieve if his party wins the election. In the wake of the retrenchment policy line pursued by the administration of then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the social security of the nation, including pensions and medical services, has weakened, creating anxiety among people about their future lives. The global financial crisis also has caused a downturn in the economy and made many people jobless.