Criticism by a Cabinet minister of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe¡¯s energy policies may say more about his own political prospects than it does about the country¡¯s debate over clean power.
Taro Kono, whom Abe appointed foreign minister last year, used a speech Sunday in the United Arab Emirates to dismiss as ¡°lamentable¡± Â鶹´«Ã½ clean energy targets. Kono¡¯s comments, which come just days after he told his own energy task force that touting ideals that don¡¯t match reality was like ¡°tending bonsai in the garden while your house overflows with trash,¡± have injected political tension into Â鶹´«Ã½ push to draft new energy policies.
The blunt speech fueled talk of an eventual leadership bid by the foreign minister, who has been mentioned as a possible Liberal Democratic Party chief since his surprise appointment in August. While Kono¡¯s enthusiasm for unpopular ideas like cutting spending on the elderly have led some to see him as an eccentric, the Georgetown University graduate¡¯s confidence on the global stage ¡ª and self-deprecating Twitter feed ¡ª have won fans. By wading into energy policy, Kono could tap into a potential base of political support while setting himself apart from other LDP members. Kono, 55, has campaigned for phasing out nuclear power ¡ª a topic of intense debate since the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns ¡ª in contrast to the drive by Abe¡¯s government to restart nuclear plants to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
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