Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama to step down: NHK

[UpInArms]

Source: CBS Marketwatch

TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will announce his resignation at an emergency meeting of ruling Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers later Wednesday, national broadcaster NHK reported. NHK said Hatoyama conveyed his intent to resign to DPJ leaders.

Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/japanese-prime-minister-hatoyama-to-step-down-nhk-2010-06-01?siteid=bnbh

[godai]

1. His approval rating is down to 17%.

The Upper House elections are upcoming and Hatoyama's party will suffer many losses. Looks like the LDP is coming back. Hatoyama's Democratic Party won the previous election by promising to move the Futenma airbase out of Okinawa and, under US pressure, he had to go back on that pledge. One of his coalition members left the coalition as a result of the Futenma decision. This sealed his fate. He also had a funding scandal, receiving a large amount of money as a campaign contribution, from his mother.

I see Hatoyama as kind of the Obama of Japan, with the LDP being like the GOP here, trying to run down Hatoyama from day 1.

[Shadow Creature]

3. 17%

I think Satan has better approval numbers. lol.

[Art_from_Ark]

17. The Upper House elections aren't that crucial

Back in 1989, the LDP had three different scandals/problems at about the same time (Recruit, national sales tax and the Prime Minister's mistress), and they lost the Upper House elections by a wide margin, but they came back to win the subsequent Lower House elections.
It's the Lower House that selects the prime minister. The Upper House is essentially an elected House of Lords.

As for the main reason for the resignation, the Okinawa problem was the official reason. However, there was more going on behind the scenes, including friction between Hatoyama and Fukushima. The funding scandal also played a role, and Hatoyama probably didn't win much sympathy by seeming to place the blame on his secretary.

[Shadow Creature]

2. interesting

I can't claim to know much about Japanese politics, but I gotta imagine that if there are elections his party, even if he stepped down, would be crushed. Or will there not be elections from his resignation?

[godai]

7. Upper House elections next month.

DPJ holds a majority now but likely will lose that next month. There will be a new Prime Minister appointed in the next 2 weeks, by Hatoyama's DPJ.

[Shadow Creature]

19. okay, thanks

So after they lose the Upper House, will the new PM have to resign? hold new elections? or just try to govern until the next Lower House election?

[Art_from_Ark]

20. The ruling coalition will try to govern until the next Lower House elections

The Upper House elections are essentially a barometer of public opinion.

It is interesting to note that the Nikkei Average (Japanese version of the Dow) shot up on the news of the prime minister's resignation, then after the the 1 1/2-hour lunch break, the Nikkei crashed, and ended the day 108 points down.

[rurallib]

4. he's only been there a few months hasn't he?

[godai]

6. Since Sept 2009 n/t

[godai]

5. Live feed here, if interested...

http://jibtv.com/program/fullscreen.aspx?page=3

[craigmatic]

8. LDP is the only real national party of Japan. DJP was only there until they could regroup.

Japan has never been a progressive society on its own. It's too tradition oriented. The leftist parties also don't have enough governing expearience to run a successful government. The last time Japan had a progressive PM he was also out within a year over scandal and the perception of dithering.

[neverforget]

9. Japan's prime minister says he will resign

Source: MSNBC

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday he was resigning over his broken campaign promise to move a U.S. Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

The prime minister faced growing pressure from within his own party to resign ahead of July's upper house elections. His approval ratings had plummeted over his bungled handling of the relocation of the Marine Air Station Futenma, reinforcing his public image as an indecisive leader.

Hatoyama is the fourth Japanese prime minister to resign in four years.

Until Tuesday night, Hatoyama insisted he would stay on while intermittently holding talks with key members of his Democratic Party of Japan.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37458490/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

---

I don't know why the Marines couldn't just move to Kadena AB or to Guam with the ground pounders.....

[ZombieHorde]

10. An executive with integrity? I wonder what that is like. nt

[neverforget]

11. I have no idea.....our politicians cave at the first sight of a dollar

[Fool Count]

13. Integrity would normally mean keeping one's campaign promises,

not just resigning after violating them. Still something for US politicians to aspire to.

[AsahinaKimi]

12. I had heard he was very much respected

and very wise. I hope Japan can find someone just as good to take his place.

[Art_from_Ark]

16. Naoto Kan is being suggested as a replacement

Kan used to be the leader of the main opposition party a few years ago but was forced to resign because of failure to pay some taxes. Eventually, it came out that nearly all those politicians had done the same thing.

[Art_from_Ark]

21. Naoto Kan is the new prime minister

Maybe he will last longer than the few months that has become the norm recently.

[davidpdx]

14. I just hope when they have the next election they don't get a right wing nut in there

I hear even Japan has some right winger that could make you twinge. It looks like the liberals have already screwed the pooch so to speak. It wasn't a good situation to begin with from what it sounds like to me. The liberals are holding on for dear life now.

[Art_from_Ark]

18. There are some real far-right wingers in Japan

but the guys who end up getting the prime minister's job are basically the "steady-as-she-goes" types. The prime minister is elected from among the Lower House members of the ruling party, and they tend to pick a guy who's not going to make too many waves. So the chances of getting a far right winger in as prime minister are pretty low.

[Chulanowa]

15. A politician resigned, and a hooker wasn't involved?

The mind boggles at the wonders of the exotic east!