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Article: The luckiest man in Japan. (Toshiki Kaifu)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 28, 1991
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE ONCE unthinkable is about to happen in Japan. Toshiki Kaifu, the mildly bungling backbencher who was plucked from obscurity two years ago to act as a stopgap prime minister, is almost certain to get a second term. Mr Kaifu's stint as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-and thus prime minister-comes to an end in late October. He looks like being made president for another year. That would put him among Japan's longest-serving prime ministers in recent years.
Few people thought Mr Kaifu would last even a few months, let alone a two-year term, before being forced to hand the reins of government back to political heavyweights within the party. He has ...