REVOLVING DOOR

[Ganma]

Put your PM stories here.

Another astoundingly insightful poll says:
[SIZE="4"]Next Japan PM won't last long: Reuters poll
[/SIZE]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a fiscal conservative, is financial markets' preferred choice among candidates to succeed unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan, but whoever takes over is unlikely to last more than a year in the job, a Reuters poll showed.
Kan, who took office in June 2010 as Japan's fifth premier in as many years, has signaled that he will step down once parliament enacts key legislation, including a bill to allow the government to borrow more to fund this year's budget.
Parliament is expected to pass the pending bills next week and a ruling Democratic Party of Japan leadership election could be held as early as August 28, unless renewed bickering with the opposition causes delays.
The next prime minister must balance the need to fix Japan's tattered finances while rebuilding from the triple disasters of the March earthquake and tsunami and the nuclear crisis that ensued.
But Kan and his four predecessors have all struggled to achieve much in the face of a divided parliament, where the opposition controls the upper house.

I don't like the idea of Noda getting in at all. Isn't he uyoku?

South Korea on Tuesday blasted Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda for restating his view that Japanese Class-A war criminals convicted by an Allied tribunal were in fact not war criminals.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110817a2.html

He plans to form a grand coalition:

Forty-two percent of the 32 market participants surveyed by Reuters said Noda was their preferred candidate.
"Basically, Noda, who has raised the idea of a 'grand coalition' between the ruling and opposition parties is the most suitable," said Hideyuki Ishiguro, an investment strategist at Okasan Securities. "If a 'grand coalition is formed, Japan's ability to implement policies would be greatly improved."

A grand coalition...which basically means let's throw away any pretense of Japan being a democracy. Hey, people! Now you don't even need to vote!

[Yokohammer]

Yeah, Noda seems to be a bit hawkish. Definitely not my favorite candidate.

But then again, if you don't like the PM just wait a few months and there'll be a new one.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Noda may win the DPJ race, but Kaieda is poised to enter now and would also have to be a big chance. Both bad, but, as Hammer pointed out, just wait a while.

Top LDP members have already ruled out a grand coalition, so it aint gonna happen.

Considering most DPJ are former LDP anyhow, the cuntry's effectively continued its one-party rule since 1955 anyhow. In Japan's defense, though, how many opposition parties in other cuntries offer true alternatives to governing parties? The names may be different, but the actions tend to be pretty similar no matter who is on the throne and their supposed ideological stance or background. Democracies tend to be fairly reactionary when it comes to making major overhauls to political systems.

[Ganma]

Yeah, Noda seems to be a bit hawkish. Definitely not my favorite candidate.

But then again, if you don't like the PM just wait a few months and there'll be a new one.

Too true!

[Ganma]

Democracies tend to be fairly reactionary when it comes to making major overhauls to political systems.

Even when systems 'change' they pretty much remain the same. NZ changed from 'first past the post' to MMP in the early 90s however all we ended up with was more politicians and the same old in-fighting. It is a better system, at least on paper, but with the same old knobs in power the overall improvements are marginal at best. I'm out of touch with what's happening there now though... NZ politics looks like utopia from this side of the fence, but no doubt I'd change my mind if I went back.

[Ganma]

[Ganma]