Hatoyama stands down as political crisis looms
Source: Agencies |
June 3, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
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Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama quit yesterday to improve his party's chances in an election next month, after his popularity plunged over his broken campaign promise to move a United States Marine base.
Finance Minister Naoto Kan, who has a clean and defiant image, emerged as a likely successor. Kan signaled he intends to run for leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan at a party meeting to be held tomorrow.
Hatoyama swept into office just eight months ago, defeating the long-ruling conservatives and capturing voters' imaginations.
He promised to bring change and transparency to government, as Japan grappled with a stagnant economy and an aging, shrinking population.
So when he failed to deliver on his pledge to move the US Marine air station of Futenma off the southern island of Okinawa and his staff became ensnared in a political funding scandal, his approval ratings rapidly sank, falling below 20 percent.
"Hatoyama could not live up to the huge expectations," said Tetsuro Kato, professor of politics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. "He just proved himself to be a rich kid without experience and leadership skills.
'Alien' nickname
"The expectations were so great; the disappointment was also great."
Hatoyama, a 63-year-old millionaire with a PhD in engineering from Stanford University, is the fourth Japanese prime minister to resign in four years. Viewed as somewhat aloof and eccentric by the Japanese public, he was nicknamed "Alien."
"Since last year's elections, I tried to change politics in which the people of Japan would be the main actors," Hatoyama told a news conference broadcast nationwide yesterday. But he conceded his efforts fell short and people stopped listening to him.
"That's mainly because of my failings," he said.
In recent days, calls grew within his own party for Hatoyama to quit or imperil its chances in Upper House elections likely to be held in July.
The grandson of an earlier prime minister, he acknowledged that he had disappointed the country on the Futenma issue and the funding scandal.
The DPJ's No. 2, Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa - seen by many as a "shadow shogun" - also resigned.
Huge challenge
The party will meet tomorrow to choose a new chief, who will almost certainly become the next prime minister because the Democratic Party of Japan controls a majority in the more powerful Lower House.
Analysts say the new prime minister faces an enormous challenge and an unenviable job of steering his party through an extremely difficult election and minimizing the damage.
The leader would have to woo a disenchanted public, disgusted over Hatoyama's indecisiveness and broken promises and also have to carry out the government's promise with the US to build a new base on Okinawa.
In Washington, the US State Department offered no comment.
Among the strong contenders as Hatoyama's replacement is Kan, 63, a former health minister, who has been popular with voters after exposing a government cover-up of HIV-tainted blood products that caused thousands of hemophilia patients to contract the virus that causes AIDS.
He has a reputation for speaking his mind and being hot-tempered.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, seen as mild and level-headed, is another possible candidate. But his involvement in discussions over the Futenma base issue might be viewed as a negative by voters.
Finance Minister Naoto Kan, who has a clean and defiant image, emerged as a likely successor. Kan signaled he intends to run for leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan at a party meeting to be held tomorrow.
Hatoyama swept into office just eight months ago, defeating the long-ruling conservatives and capturing voters' imaginations.
He promised to bring change and transparency to government, as Japan grappled with a stagnant economy and an aging, shrinking population.
So when he failed to deliver on his pledge to move the US Marine air station of Futenma off the southern island of Okinawa and his staff became ensnared in a political funding scandal, his approval ratings rapidly sank, falling below 20 percent.
"Hatoyama could not live up to the huge expectations," said Tetsuro Kato, professor of politics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. "He just proved himself to be a rich kid without experience and leadership skills.
'Alien' nickname
"The expectations were so great; the disappointment was also great."
Hatoyama, a 63-year-old millionaire with a PhD in engineering from Stanford University, is the fourth Japanese prime minister to resign in four years. Viewed as somewhat aloof and eccentric by the Japanese public, he was nicknamed "Alien."
"Since last year's elections, I tried to change politics in which the people of Japan would be the main actors," Hatoyama told a news conference broadcast nationwide yesterday. But he conceded his efforts fell short and people stopped listening to him.
"That's mainly because of my failings," he said.
In recent days, calls grew within his own party for Hatoyama to quit or imperil its chances in Upper House elections likely to be held in July.
The grandson of an earlier prime minister, he acknowledged that he had disappointed the country on the Futenma issue and the funding scandal.
The DPJ's No. 2, Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa - seen by many as a "shadow shogun" - also resigned.
Huge challenge
The party will meet tomorrow to choose a new chief, who will almost certainly become the next prime minister because the Democratic Party of Japan controls a majority in the more powerful Lower House.
Analysts say the new prime minister faces an enormous challenge and an unenviable job of steering his party through an extremely difficult election and minimizing the damage.
The leader would have to woo a disenchanted public, disgusted over Hatoyama's indecisiveness and broken promises and also have to carry out the government's promise with the US to build a new base on Okinawa.
In Washington, the US State Department offered no comment.
Among the strong contenders as Hatoyama's replacement is Kan, 63, a former health minister, who has been popular with voters after exposing a government cover-up of HIV-tainted blood products that caused thousands of hemophilia patients to contract the virus that causes AIDS.
He has a reputation for speaking his mind and being hot-tempered.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, seen as mild and level-headed, is another possible candidate. But his involvement in discussions over the Futenma base issue might be viewed as a negative by voters.
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