Saturday, June 5, 2010
Naoto Kan was elected as the 94th Prime Minister (PM) of Japan on Friday. He replaces Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned last week as PM and as member of the Democratic Party of Japan.
Hatoyama’s cabinet resigned to allow the election of the new PM. Kan was elected as President of the Democratic Party and as official candidate to the position of Prime Minister. Later, an extraordinary session took place in the Diet, where Kan was elected with a large majority. PMs are formally appoited by the Emperor, but the Japanese Constitution requires him to appoint the person “designated by the Diet.” Emperor Akihito is expected to appoint Kan in mid-June.
Kan, who is 63, will have to face a growing public debt and an aging population, among other issues..