June 21, 2010. Copyright 2010, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Can Kan bring stability to Japan?
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, June 21, Graphic News:  Japan’s new Prime Minister Naoto Kan ought to look forward to an extended honeymoon period given that he is his country’s fifth leader in four years -- and the revolving door politics are fuelling fears of a persistent vacuum in the Diet’s corridors of power.
 
Kan took over on June 8 following the sudden resignation of Yukio Hatoyama, who had been dubbed the “alien” for his unusual looks and aloof manner. Kan’s nickname is “Ira-Kan” or “irritable Kan” because of his short fuse, and his journey to the top has certainly shown human frailty: he became an MP only on his fourth attempt, quit as party leader because of unpaid pension dues and sparked scandal over an alleged extra-marital affair.
 
But what really distinguishes Kan from Hatoyama is his background: unlike so many before him he is not the heir to a political dynasty, but the son of a factory owner. His outsider status goes down well with voters tired of a class perceived to regard it as their inherent right to rule, whether or not they have the stamina for office. Like Hatoyama, Kan does not hail from the Liberal Democratic Party, the traditional party of power.
 
Born in southern Yamaguchi in 1946, Kan studied physics and ran a patent factory before turning to activism and politics, finally becoming an MP in 1980. In 1996 he co-founded the DPJ and, as health minister in a coalition with the LDP, he was praised for admitting the government’s role in a scandal involving transfusions of HIV-tainted blood.
 
However, in 2004 he gave up leadership of the Democrats after admitting he had missed 10 months’ pension payments while in office. To atone for his deeds he shaved his head, donned a Buddhist robe and toured temples on Shikoku Island. It was a little extreme, but the dramatic gesture struck a chord with those who like humility in their politicians.
 
At the moment, however, it is Kan’s pragmatism upon which hopes rest. He is admired as a straight talker after the indecisive Hatoyama, whose brief tenure was mired in financial scandal. Former finance minister Kan has put meat on his pledge to bring about “a strong economy, strong public finances and strong social security” by appointing fiscal hawks to key positions, and seems determined to end the political merry-go-round of recent years.
 
With an enormous public debt, ageing population and widespread disenchantment with all things political, Kan’s task is by no means easy -- he would be helped by a clear DPJ majority in upper house elections on July 11.
 
He is married to Nobuko and the couple has two adult sons. A main hobby is playing Go, a chess-like board game.
/ENDS