Word: hatoyamas
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...Hatoyama seems an unlikely choice to fix the mess. A politician for 27 years, he is as much a member of Japan's élite as the politicians he kicked out of office. The Hatoyamas are the bluest of bluebloods, with a long history in politics and big business. (His father served as Foreign Minister, while his mother's family founded tire giant Bridgestone.) The most unusual thing about him may be his wife Miyuki, who created an international stir by revealing she believed her soul was abducted by aliens and taken to Venus. Ironically, however, it is Hatoyama himself...
...Struggling for Approval During last year's election campaign, this mystery man sold himself as a change agent. Hatoyama has pledged a complete overhaul of decades of policy held dear by the old regime. He has vowed to break the grip of the all-powerful bureaucracy and place greater policymaking authority in the hands of elected politicians to make the government more transparent and accountable. As a guiding principle in economic affairs, he has revived another concept from his grandfather - fraternity - which has translated into a menu of new initiatives aimed at building a more extensive welfare system. That, Hatoyama...
...however, Hatoyama has struggled to satisfy Japan's high hopes. The Prime Minister has often appeared a weak, ineffectual leader, unable to provide a clear direction on policy or control a three-party ruling coalition that is a grab bag of politicians with contradictory ideologies, from relative conservatives to outright socialists. Open disagreements have broken out between Cabinet members, especially over the controversial privatization of Japan's postal system - a free-market initiative begun, not incidentally, during Koizumi's term as Prime Minister. "Whenever you try to get down to reforms you're bound to face difficulties," Hatoyama says...
...Matters won't get any easier. Economists worry that Hatoyama's social-welfare programs will only increase the government debt ratio, which is already more than twice that of the U.S. His reforms are also likely to face stiff resistance from the still powerful elements of the establishment, especially the government bureaucracy, which won't readily surrender its influence. Just like so many other Japanese politicians, Hatoyama has already been tarred by an alleged scandal, this one concerning campaign finance. (Hatoyama has publicly apologized for the scandal, though he has said he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.) His Cabinet...
...confusion within Hatoyama's government has complicated his relations with Washington. His administration "has yet to craft a clear vision of their strategy" on security issues, says Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. "They're working it out as they go." Nowhere has that been more apparent than in Hatoyama's handling of the status of American bases on Okinawa. That southern Japanese island, a famous World War II battleground, still hosts roughly 25,000 troops, almost all of them Marines, and the local Okinawans have long resented the heavy military...