Japan PM likely to resign on Aug 30

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Japan PM likely to resign on Aug 30

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Former foreign minister Seiji Maehara also decided to run for the premiership.

23 August,2011 11:15 am

Unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan will likely resign on Aug. 30, his economics minister said on Tuesday, but who will succeed him as Japan confronts a nuclear crisis and a long list of economic difficulties remained up in the air.The race to become Japans sixth leader in five years was blown wide open on Monday when former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, 49, decided to run.That cut sharply into the chances of Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, a fiscal conservative. The support base for the two men overlaps in the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) -- and whoever is elected next week as leader of the party with control of the lower house will become prime minister.Japans new leader will have to grapple with a soaring yen that threatens exports, step up efforts to rebuild from the March earthquake and tsunami and end a radiation crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant -- all while trying to curb public debt and cure the ills of a fast-ageing society.But concerns run deep as to whether the next prime minister will fare any better than his predecessors in the face of a divided parliament and ruling party split by policies and personal feuds.The chances of a stable government capable of doing the bold and decisive things needed to deal with the problems in Tohoku (northeast Japan) and revitalise Japan are very, very low, said Columbia University professor Gerry Curtis. He ssuggested the next government could also be shortlived.Kan, whose voter support has sunk below 20 percent, pledged in June to step down after achieving certain tasks. With key bills expected to pass this week, the DPJ is set to pick a successor on Aug. 29. One of those bills, to promote renewable energy sources such as solar power, was approved by a lower house panel on Tuesday.