Voice of America - September 13, 2010
Voice of America
Japan is looking at the possibility of having its sixth prime minister in three years. Naoto Kan, in office for just three months, is fighting a challenge from Ichiro Ozawa, a long-time powerbroker in the Democratic Party of Japan. The rivalry threatens to rip apart the party. Jeff Kingston, of Temple University, Japan Campus, predicts that the Democrats will pay a heavy price if they choose Ozawa. "Electing him basically would be a disaster for the party because on a four-to-one margin the public favors Kan," Kingston said. "The Japanese people are fed up with this [Ozawa's] style politics. And if the politicians who owe Ozawa do give him the backing and hand him the premiership I think the voters will never forgive the DPJ."