Meet Japan’s new PMJapan has been thrown into disarray with its PM quitting this week and now all eyes are on finance minister Naoto Kan. Will he be the first Japanese PM to come to power without a political family dynasty?
Yukio Hatoyama
Japan PM resigns, Obama to blame?
Has Japan PM Yukio Hatoyama — who announced he’s stepping down as PM — crumbled under Barack Obama’s icy glare? Steve Clemons examines Obama’s very different relationships with the PMs of Japan, Israel and China.
The ugly shirt that stopped a nation
Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama wore a rainbow checked shirt that was so horrendous, it’s created international ridicule. With just a 24% approval rating, is this fashion faux pas Hatoyama’s last straw?
The US military base that could bring down Japan’s PM
A US military base in Okinawa is proving to be political poison for Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. The locals loath it and everything it represents, but the US won’t relinquish such a strategically important station. Could the PM be felled by a single tiny airstrip?
Japan to cut emissions by 25%
Japan’s incoming PM Yukio Hatoyama has vowed to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the year 2020, putting the country at the forefront of the fight against climate change. Now Japan has made the first leap, will other countries in the region *cough*Australia*cough* follow?
Change Japan can believe in
After almost 54 years of uninterrupted rule by the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, the winds of change swept the Democratic Party of Japan to an overwhelming victory in yesterday’s election.
Meet Japan’s new Prime Minister
The Guardian profiles Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, heir to a political dynasty and now a strong mandate from the Japanese public. Yet, according to one expert, expectations are not high for him as a leader.
Sheridan: Japan’s election could be pivotal for Australia
Japan is Australia’s largest export market and the biggest Asian investor in Australia. Will Japan’s big moment of change be one for Australia, too? asks Greg Sheridan.
