http://timesofearth.com/Worldnews/?NT=0&nid=23085 TOKYO — Japan's prime minister has announced his resignation after just eight months in office.
Yukio Hatoyama told a news conference on Wednesday that he would step down over his broken campaign promise to move a US military base off the southern island of Okinawa.
"Since last year's elections, I tried to change politics in which the people of Japan would be the main characters," he said in remarks broadcast nationwide.
But he conceded his efforts were not understood, "mainly because of my failings".
Hatoyama's approval ratings had plummeted after he backtracked last week on a pledge to move the US Futenma Marine Air Station off Okinawa.
His decision to keep the unpopular base on the island, despite strong local opposition, caused a split in his three-party coalition, with the small Social Democrat party quitting the government on Sunday.
The prime minister had faced growing pressure from within his own Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) for him to step down to revive the party's fortunes ahead of an election for the upper house of parliament expected on July 11.
With tears in his eyes, Hatoyama told party legislators that he, and Ichiro Ozawa, the party secretary-general seen by many as the real power behind Hatoyama's administration, would both resign.
"In order to revitalise our party, we need to bring back a thoroughly clean Democratic party. I would like to ask your co-operation," Hatoyama said.
A new leader will be chosen in a few days, a party official said, and analysts have tipped Naoto Kan, the finance minister, as the frontrunner to replace Hatoyama.
The Democrats swept to power in August after a landslide election win for parliament's more powerful lower house, ousting the conservative Liberal Democratic party (LDP) after more than 50 years of almost continuous rule.
But doubts over Hatoyama's perceived indecisiveness have eroded the government's approval ratings, with one poll showing support at just 17 per cent.
Some analysts said the change of the party's top two leaders would help restore the Democrats' popularity ahead of the election, although many voters had been outraged when two leaders of previous LDP-led governments quit abruptly after just a year in office.
Katsuhiko Nakamura, the director of research at the Asian Forum Japan, said "although getting rid of Ozawa and Hatoyama won't win back all that support, at least the Democrats will no longer have to be on the defensive during the campaign".
Hidenori Suezawa, the chief strategist at Nikko Cordial Securities, said the move "will put an end to downward trend in the popularity of Democrats", adding that "Ozawa must have made this decision to win the election".
Hatoyama is the fourth Japanese prime minister to resign in four years.
A political funding scandal embroiling Ozawa and some aides, along with Hatoyama's perceived inconsistency and indecision - particularly on the relocation of the US Marine Air Station Futenma on Okinawa - sent his approval rating plunging.
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Japan`s Crime Minister Hatoyama Commits Political Suicideby konohanoshiroikiba21,137 views
Yukio Hatoyama is one of the WORST PMs in Japan.
Bighead123320 1 year ago
@MasterM15 That can't be possible he quit where Hitler and Napoleon should have instead. A bad prime minister has to be thrown out and a terrible one would just take the country to war to cover the core of complaints. No one should ever accuse a random quitter of being a bad politician. (:
stubbornVN 1 year ago
He was the most terrible prime minister ever.
MasterM15 1 year ago