Grace period is over for Japan's PM

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan earned a reprieve six weeks ago when the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis diverted attention from a funding scandal and budget impasse, but his reprieve appears to be over: Kan's political party did poorly in local elections, and polls are showing that voters disapprove of his handling of the situation at the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant. "All the problems Kan had before the disaster are still lurking," said Jeff Kingston, head of the Asian Studies program at Temple University, Japan Campus. "The DPJ's divided. He's still got a respite, but only for another few weeks."
April 21, 2011 | Bloomberg