Japan needs a decisive leader. Does new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda fit the bill? Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan Campus, says Noda does not come across as a strong or bold leader: "He's a compromise candidate. He doesn't have his own independent power base. And he's not a particularly strong communicator. He's not a populist at all. He's sort of a typical throwback to the Japanese prime minister of yore, the faceless grey suits. Even in Japan his name recognition factor is quite low."