August 25, 2009. Copyright 2009, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Can blue-blooded Hatoyama lead Japan out of the red?
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, August 25, Graphic News:  Yukio Hatoyama, the man likely to be voted Japan's next prime minister in elections on August 30, looks poised to break a half century of domination of politics by the Liberal Democratic Party. But that's the easy part.
 
Since Hatoyama -- the scion of a dynasty that has been compared to the Kennedy's -- became leader of the Democratic Party of Japan in May, he has seized the imagination of a people desperate for change. But no one knows whether he has the ability to meet the challenges of his debt-laden country as it grapples with the effects of a severe recession.
 
His decisive lead in the polls might suggest that many Japanese are excited about a new approach even as Prime Minister Taro Aso claims that his government's economic policies are finally paying off, but it's more likely that many voters are just heartily sick of a party that has become synonymous with a bloated bureaucracy, and clearly lacks fresh ideas.
 
Hatoyama, a soft-spoken former engineer with a degree from Stanford University in California, has pledged to shift the focus to consumers and workers, and to usher in a more "fraternal" society. He wants to strengthen the welfare system and cut bureaucracy. He intends to distance Tokyo from Washington, and to boost local governments.
 
His party has also vowed to end the policy of hereditary constituencies -- the practice of handing over an electoral base to a family member -- though few politicians can boast the pedigree of Hatoyama. Born in Tokyo on February 2, 1947, he is the grandson of former Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama and son of a former foreign minister. Hatoyama, whose family founded Bridgestone tyres, himself inherited his father's seat in Hokkaido. Critics say: he may have the background but does he have the experience to lead?
 
In 1993 Hatoyama left the LDP to form a new party, Sakigate, before breaking away to join the new DJP, whose mergers with three other groups have created an eclectic membership ranging from right-wingers to socialists. Hatoyama, dubbed "the alien" because of his striking facial features, took over after Ichiro Ozawa became embroiled in a funding scandal.
 
His wife Miyuki is a former actress turned lifestyle guru whose quirky personality and interest in spirituality have won her own following. Hatoyama, who met her at Stanford University, has publicly enthused about her energy and eternal "cheerfulness".
 
If he can find solutions to the challenges of an ageing population, inadequate welfare state and deepening economic woes, the pair might give Japan something to smile about.
/ENDS