Japan Elects Hatoyama as Prime Minister
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Historic landslide victory for Democratic Party of Japan.
Japan has broken a 50 year tradition of almost continuous Conservative government by electing leader of the opposition, Yukio Hatoyama as its new prime minister.
“I am excited by the prospect of changing history,” Mr Hatoyama said at a press conference, according to The Guardian, but the excitement may soon wear off, as Japan has a mountain to climb.
Like his American counterpart Barack Obama, Prime Minister Hatoyama has inherited a country in crisis, with an expectant public which needs its government to deliver on promises. The new prime minister is not likely to be given much of a honeymoon period to affect change, and will receive little leniency if he cannot make the impact he has promised.
Mr Hatoyama rose to power with pledges to bring change to stagnant government thinking and push a defibrillator into the national economy. Japan has been brought to her knees during the recession, with a record level of unemployment and dropping wages.
The main economic strategy to boost the flagging financial situation from the new Japanese leader is to halt planned tax increases which he hopes will revitalise trade. A tax freeze will put extra burden on public spending however, which will be strained with the current number of jobless citizens.
Mr Hatoyama also said that he would put an end to government wastage, with a huge shake-up of ministers expected in the pipeline. The prime minister was also determined to improve international relations with other Asian countries, such as China and South Korea.
“The battle starts now,” Mr Hatoyama said; a man under no illusion as to the enormity of the task set before him.
