|
|
Article: And now for someone a little less principled. (new prime minister of Japan)
- 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)
|
BY NEXT month Japan will have a new prime minister, setting other world leaders the task of correctly pronouncing another Japanese name, as well as assessing the newcomer's strengths and weaknesses. Until recently it looked as though they would be spared all this. Toshiki Kaifu, a man they had come to know, and even to like, seemed set to remain prime minister for another year or two. And so he would have, but for a moment of misjudgment.
Mr Kaifu had set his heart on changing the way Japanese are elected to the Diet (parliament). Last week his reform bills were killed off, as indeed many political observers had expected them to be. Mr Kaifu was bitterly ...