Naoto Kan Remains Japanese Prime Minister
- 14 years ago
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is hanging on to his job today. He managed to keep the favor of his ruling party's leadership, winning over half of the votes cast by parliamentarians. Here's more.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan will keep his job after an unexpectedly strong victory in a ruling party leadership vote on Tuesday. He must now strive to unify his party and forge deals with the opposition to pass laws in a divided parliament.
Kan, who took office only three months ago, received more support from party rank and file members and local officials, while power broker Ichiro Ozawa garnered nearly the same backing of MPs within the Democratic Party.
68-year-old Ozawa pledged to curb the yen's rise and launch economic stimulus plans, while the 63-year-old Kan pushed fiscal restraint to rein in a $10 trillion debt.
Kan won just over half of the votes cast by Democratic Party parliamentarians.
Voters had been put off by Ozawa's scandal-tainted image.
[Naoto Kan, Japanese Prime Minister]:
"Japan is in the midst of great troubles. Let's rebuild Japan into a healthy Japan to pass it on to the next generation. Thanks to your help and support I feel I have reaffirmed my will to tackle my job with all I have."
Kan also wants to debate raising the five percent sales tax to fund the growing social welfare costs of a fast ageing population.
The Democratic Party of Japan has struggled since sweeping to power a year ago, and the party and a tiny partner lost their upper house majority in a July election.
Kan took over in June as Japan's fifth leader in three years.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan will keep his job after an unexpectedly strong victory in a ruling party leadership vote on Tuesday. He must now strive to unify his party and forge deals with the opposition to pass laws in a divided parliament.
Kan, who took office only three months ago, received more support from party rank and file members and local officials, while power broker Ichiro Ozawa garnered nearly the same backing of MPs within the Democratic Party.
68-year-old Ozawa pledged to curb the yen's rise and launch economic stimulus plans, while the 63-year-old Kan pushed fiscal restraint to rein in a $10 trillion debt.
Kan won just over half of the votes cast by Democratic Party parliamentarians.
Voters had been put off by Ozawa's scandal-tainted image.
[Naoto Kan, Japanese Prime Minister]:
"Japan is in the midst of great troubles. Let's rebuild Japan into a healthy Japan to pass it on to the next generation. Thanks to your help and support I feel I have reaffirmed my will to tackle my job with all I have."
Kan also wants to debate raising the five percent sales tax to fund the growing social welfare costs of a fast ageing population.
The Democratic Party of Japan has struggled since sweeping to power a year ago, and the party and a tiny partner lost their upper house majority in a July election.
Kan took over in June as Japan's fifth leader in three years.