Finance Minister Kan Naoto has said that he wants to run for the post of leader of the Democratic Party of Japan and thus become prime minister. State Minister for Administrative Reform Edano Yukio has said he does not. Minister for Land, Transport, Infrastructure and Tourism Maehara Seiji is not sure.
Various groups (don't you dare call them factions) of the DPJ are holding evening meetings, weighing the options of putting up a candidate or declaring support for another group's likely candidate.
What do the citizens think? Though they have no vote in the DPJ's leadership election, the party membership has be thinking about which candidate is most likely to win the public's trust and fire the public's imagination. Who is it that the voters think is most appropriate to replace Hatoyama Yukio as PM? Who has momentum?
Though it is a very crude measure, the Kyodo News poll of Monday, May 31 gives some hint of the persons the public perceives as prime minister material. DPJ members are in bold; the number in parentheses is number from previous poll conducted over April 28-29.
Q: Who amongst politicians do you think is the best suited to be prime minister?
Mazuzoe Yoichi 15.7% (18.3%)
Kan Naoto 9.3% (5.6%)
Ishiba Shigeru 8.9% (6.2%)
Maehara Seiji 8.3% (10.6%)
Watanabe Yoshimi 7.8% (6.7%)
Okada Katsuya 6.5% (5.3%)
Hatoyama Yukio 3.5% (6.0%)
Ozawa Ichiro 2.7% (1.9%)
Edano Yukio 2.5% (1.1.%)
Tanigaki Sadakazu 2.0% (3.0%)
Hamaguchi Kazuhiro 2.0% (1.3%)
Yosano Kaoru 1.5% (0.9%)
Hiranuma Takeo 1.3% (1.3%)
Sengoku Yoshito 0.8% (0.7%)
Of course, the big favorite with the public was "Don't Know/Can't Say" -- with 23.9% (29.5%).
I really don't understand why Masuzoe is considered to be so popular. Was what he did during his time as Health Minister so amazing?
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, the next PM, whomever he might be, is basically doomed the moment a reporter asks, "So, what are YOU going to do about Futenma?"
Surprised these are not the list?
ReplyDeleteOsaka's Hashimoto
Highashi Kokubaru
Anon: I'm not. They are both totally focused on their respective domains, and the public knows it: Kokubaru in a positive manner ("I really want to do my best for Miyazaki"), and Hashimoto, not so much ("Screw the rest of the country. O-SA-KA! O-SA-KA! O-SA-KA!").
ReplyDeleteJoe appreciate that comment, interesting, but I'm afraid man the next PM will be none other than Kan---the sleepyhead
ReplyDeletethat's exactly who this will be guaranteed! This doesn't solve the problems that stand before him yet!
Changing the PM is not change at all (what power does he have? absolute zero!), so it's those ruling coalition, the dirty toilet that hasn't been cleaned kind of a bureaucracy that may be the real core of the problem here.
Ｍａｙｂe this Tarutoko guy perhaps?
ReplyDeleteAt least not Ozawa's puppet
Kan would be a bad choice because he's was under Hatochan's wing and he just rode along his coat tails.
We had dopey, now sleepy?? Gotta be kidding me lol
That's not change, it's more of the same dude!
Kan はだめだよ！ またかれもばかたれだ！
Or he may prove us wrong!
I fear most anyway yet another idiot mistake we'll all make, come on we can't be that dumb!
Japan hope you are smarter than that!
Hope it's a Yes he Kan and not a no he Kan't!
ReplyDelete