Japanese Prime Minister may resign 'within 48 hours'

The Telegraph ^ | 6/1/2010

[bruinbirdman]

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama may step down within the next 48 hours amid growing public and political resentment at his handling of the relocation of a US Marines Corps base in Okinawa.

Japanese Prime MInister Yukio Hatoyama

Mr Hatoyama is scheduled to have showdown talks with Ichiro Ozawa, the secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, on Tuesday evening.

Mr Ozawa is widely considered to be the party's kingmaker and the meeting may well determine the prime minister's political fate.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Hatoyama said he was willing to stay on as prime minister, despite growing criticism within the ruling party of his failure to reach and stick to decisions on key issues.

"By holding discussions with Secretary General Ozawa and cooperating with him, I will stand up against this national crisis," Mr Hatoyama said.

"What matters is people's livelihoods.

"This administration was set up to substantially change policies and I want to continue acting in a way that fits this administration."

Elected with a huge majority in August, Mr Hatoyama's initial public support ratings of 75 percent have dwindled to 19 percent in a survey by the Yomiuri newspaper over the weekend.

That figure stands at a mere eight percent in Okinawa, which is at the centre of the political crisis.

On Friday, Mr Hatoyama announced that he would not be able to keep his pre-election promise to move the US Marines' Futenma Air Station out of Okinawa and that he was reverting to an earlier plan to shift it to a reclaimed site on the north-east coast of the island.

He then fired Mizuho Fukushima, minister of consumer affairs and head of the coalition's Social Democratic Party, after she refused to go along with the plan.

The SDP reacted

[gaijin]

Good news, but hey, the puzzling truth is that elected politicians don’t really control Japan. Not really.

Japanese are incredibly well-versed about the world, yet a very large % at any one time are not even aware of WHO their Prime Minister is.

And there’s a REALLY good reason for it.

Still, this is progress, yep. However symbolic...

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

That’s two consecutive resignations. Germany’s president resigned today.

[OCC]

You would think the Japanese have more immediate concerns than Marines on Okinawa.

[ItsForTheChildren]

That’s two consecutive resignations. Germany’s president resigned today.

Praying for the trifecta.

[uglybiker]

Yeah! Like Gojira! Mothra! H-Man! Gargantua! The list goes on!

[bruinbirdman]

". . . the puzzling truth is that elected politicians don’t really control Japan. . ."

Gaijin teases FReepers. Or is he not so anonymous that "politicians don’t really control" know him?

yitbos

[2ndDivisionVet]

Did they find out he was born in Kenya?

[Vigilanteman]

Actually, they do. The only ones who get upset about the Marines on Okinawa are three groups:

1. The Okinawans themselves.
   
2. Resort developers who see Okinawa as a low cost travel alternative to Hawaii but are limited in what they can develop due the the huge military footprint there.
   
3. An isolationist peacenik element who have a pipe dream that Japan should be the Switzerland of Asia. At most, this makes up 20% of the electorate.

The Okinawans and resort people's reasons are almost purely economic. Okinawa, at one time, was highly supportive of the military presence because they provided one of the few sources of jobs. Now, most of them realize that more revenue would be had catering to wealthy mainland tourists with far more money to spend.

Hatoyama's coalition didn't elect him Prime Minister because of his promises to move the military off Okinawa. He was elected because the economy sucked and he was the only viable alternative to the ruling party.

Like the Americans, the Japanese have seen his performance up close and personal and don't like what they bought. To their credit, it took them a lot less time. How much more will America have to suffer before Obama's approval ratings drop below where Hatoyama is now?

[DTogo]

Well, if a significant majority of Okinawans now want the base off the island, the pols in 霞が関 should get off their duffs and work with the Yanks to move it.

Never been there, better half's an 江戸っ子.

[devere]

I’m tired of Japanese complaining.

Let’s bring our troops home and let them handle North Korea and China on their own.

[MinorityRepublican]

Resort developers who see Okinawa as a low cost travel alternative to Hawaii but are limited in what they can develop due the the huge military footprint there.

Yep but that's a pipe dream now. We live in a dangerous world, after all.