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Article: Japan's lost leader. (Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu) (editorial)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- October 12, 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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Why factional politics is a bad recipe for all our futures
THE most popular prime minister in Japanese history is about to lose his job. Toshiki Kaifu tried to win the Liberal Democratic Party's backing for electoral reform and so for a cleaner brand of politics. The party spurned him, and did not appreciate his angry reaction. Humiliated, Mr Kaifu then withdrew from the October 27th election to the party presidency-and to the prime ministerial term that goes with it. In Japanese politics, power and popularity are not synonymous.
That lesson may surprise naive gaijin; the Japanese take it as read. Corruption and backroom deals have always mocked the good ...