Japanese PM to Resign

[Puppycow]

Story (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Abe.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin)

In Japan, when leaders fail, they fall on their swords.

In the US it seems like politicians never accept responsibility for their failures.

[Matteo Martini]

Story (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Abe.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin)

In Japan, when leaders fail, they fall on their swords.

In the US it seems like politicians never accept responsibility for their failures.

That is true.

[Caspian88]

My impression wasn't really that Abe was "accepting responsibility for his failures." If that were really true, I'd imagine that he'd have resigned earlier, immediately after the elections.

[Matteo Martini]

My impression wasn't really that Abe was "accepting responsibility for his failures." If that were really true, I'd imagine that he'd have resigned earlier, immediately after the elections.

A lot of ministers have been found out bribing.
About the 農水省　( Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries ), I think it was the 3rd to be found guilty.
All of them ( I think ) were chosen by 安部　首相　( PM Abe ).
The first one, committed suicide.
Another minister, the former 衛生省　（Minister of Defense ) Kyuma-san, was forced to resign after he said the dropping of them bombs in 1945, could not be helped.

[Caspian88]

A lot of ministers have been found out bribing.
About the 農水省　( Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries ), I think it was the 3rd to be found guilty.
All of them ( I think ) were chosen by 安部　首相　( PM Abe ).
The first one, committed suicide.
Another minister, the former 衛生省　（Minister of Defense ) Kyuma-san, was forced to resign after he said the dropping of them bombs in 1945, could not be helped.

I know this, but I've been hearing about these minister scandals for some time now, and I'd think, if he really, truly, accepted responsibility for these, he would have resigned earlier.

[Matteo Martini]

I know this, but I've been hearing about these minister scandals for some time now, and I'd think, if he really, truly, accepted responsibility for these, he would have resigned earlier.

I think he accepted responsibility, but that does not mean stepping down when they found one of their ministers guilty.
When the ministers they found guilty became 4 or 5, he decided that the responsibility was so heavy he had to resign.

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Why now? The Democrats took over, but he waits until now to resign?

[Puppycow]

It really has not been so long since the election. What has it been now, about 2 months? Now it seems that he is having actual trouble getting legislation passed, and he judged that it was time for a change. The precise timing does not seem to be a big issue to me. He waited until he was certain that he could not make a comeback (sometimes politicians can bounce back), and then finally admitted that it was time to step down and let someone else take over.