(Ozawa-san is the head of the DPJ-the largest opposition party, thus making him Japan’s version of Harry Reid).
Yasuo Fukada is Japan’s new Prime Minister. The S.O. has been keeping me up to date during our phone calls-and its a better subject than my mother’s nagging as to why she is not here.
Fukuda is the first prime minister whose father was also prime minister. Takeo Fukuda held the office from 1976 to 1978. It is also the first time since 1994, when Tomiichi Murayama became prime minister, that Japan will have a leader in his 70s. Murayama was 70 years old.
According to the S.O. its pretty clear there will have to be an election next spring. The Upper House signaled that concessions were not necessarily on the menu, by voting for DPJ head Ozawa to be Prime Minister. The Lower House voted for Fukuda- thus under Japanese law the lower house vote is the one that counts. Abe and his cabinet resigned to the Emperor yesterday.
Ought to make for some interesting reading on the flight home this weekend. If the S.O. is to be believed, the LDP may not want to make to many improvements to the Prime Ministers mansion just yet. She’s pulling for DPJ to win in the spring. Me? I just want the Yen to stop getting stronger against the dollar.