Word: obuchi
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...sufferers and teachers. As for political courage, even friends say he has the heart of a flea. All of which makes Mori, 62, an ideal Prime Minister--at least in the eyes of the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party, which last week chose him to replace the incapacitated Keizo Obuchi at the helm of Japan's government...
Mori's first task will be to restore the public's faith in the government, which was badly shaken by the bumbling and deceitful handling of his predecessor's health emergency. It took 34 hours for Obuchi aide Mikio Aoki, who briefly stepped in as interim leader, to reveal the full extent of the Prime Minister's illness. Whether Mori can inspire trust and move the country along the path of badly needed financial and economic reforms remains to be seen. His 31-year career as a party apparatchik and former Education Minister and Trade Minister provides no evidence...
...only were there problems with Mori's selection, but the troubling state of the Japanese media was revealed as well. Immediately following Obuchi's stroke, there was a 22-hour media blackout about the prime minister's location and status. The press first reported that he was "studying policy," blindly accepting the briefings offered to them by party officials...
...Although Obuchi himself was a longtime party insider who made few significant reforms during his time as prime minister, he had established relationships with other G-8 leaders and a strong interest in improving the currently moribund Japanese economy. In the upcoming months, Japan faces major events such as hosting the G-8 conference and popular elections. Whether Mori will be able to establish himself as a leader while managing this important conference is still to be seen...
...things considered, the entire selection process was fraught with problems. Most disturbingly, interviews and polls of the Japanese public show little distress over either Obuchi's failing health or his replacement by Mori. Seemingly, the Japanese people have such little faith in their government that one party operative is equivalent to another. More than the back room politics and the spoon-fed media, the disillusionment of the Japanese people is disheartening. As the downward spiral of the Japanese government continues, economic recovery seems to slip farther and farther away. Without the support of the people, significant improvement is impossible...