Naoto Kan: Difference between revisions
Paragraphed and capitalized. Removed {{Japanese finance ministers}} template: he as FM was absent from G-20 meeting (4 -5 June 2010) to get ready for DPJ leadership election. |
→Prime Minister: Copy-edited. + numbers of votes, replacing some sources. "Emerged" is not the word for Kan, who has been Deputy PM in Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet. |
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:''See [[Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, 2010|Democratic Party of Japan leadership election, 2010]]'' |
:''See [[Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, 2010|Democratic Party of Japan leadership election, 2010]]'' |
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On June |
On 2 June 2010, [[Yukio Hatoyama]] announced his will to resign as the leader of the [[Democratic Party of Japan]] (DPJ) and as Prime Minister, also saying that he had urged his backer in the party [[Ichiro Ozawa]] to resign as Secretary General.<ref name="NYT02">[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/world/asia/04japan.html Finance Chief Chosen as Next Japanese Leader], by Martin Fackler, ''The New York Times'', 3 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-03.</ref><ref>[http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20100602p2a00m0na018000c.html Ozawa's resignation at strong urging of PM will lessen his influence on DPJ], ''The Mainichi Daily News'', 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-06.</ref> The Cabinet resigned en masse on the morning of 4 June.<ref name="NYT02"/> Foreign minister [[Katsuya Okada]] and Land and Transport Minister [[Seiji Maehara]], though once considered to be possible successors to Hatoyama, announced their support for Naoto Kan.{{Fact|June 2010}} Kan, at his age of 63, won the leadership of the DPJ with 291 votes to 129, defeating a relatively unknown Ozawa-backed legislator Shinji Tarutoko, 50,<ref name="NYT02"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20100604-00000013-maiall-pol |title=＜民主党＞新代表に菅直人氏 首相就任へ（毎日新聞） – Yahoo!ニュース |publisher=Headlines.yahoo.co.jp |date= |accessdate=2010-06-04|language=Japanese}}</ref> who was leading the environmental policy committee in the lower house of the Diet.{{Fact|June 2010}} |
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| ⚫ | Subsequently on 4 June, Kan was designated as Prime Minister by the Diet.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kan elected prime minister|url=http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201006040248.html|newspaper=[[Asahi Shimbun]]|date=4 June 2010}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Subsequently on 4 June, Kan was designated as Prime Minister by the Diet.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kan elected prime minister|url=http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201006040248.html|newspaper=[[Asahi Shimbun]]|date=4 June 2010}}</ref> The [[Constitution of Japan]] provides that Prime Minister shall be designated from among the members of the Diet by a resolution of the Diet, and that the Emperor shall appoint the Prime Minister as designated by the Diet. Kan is expected to be appointed as [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japan]]'s [[List of Prime Ministers of Japan|94th Prime Minister]] by [[Akihito of Japan|Emperor Akihito]]. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 05:13, 6 June 2010
 | This article may be affected by a current event. Information in this article may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (June 2010) |
Naoto Kan 菅 直人 | |
|---|---|
 Kan in 2007. | |
| Prime Minister of Japan | |
| Assumed office 4 June 2010 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Preceded by | Yukio Hatoyama |
| Member of the Japanese House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 22 June 1980 | |
| Constituency | 18th Tokyo District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 October 1946 Ube, Japan |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Tokyo Institute of Technology |
| Website | Official website |
Naoto Kan (菅 直人 Kan Naoto, born 10 October 1946) is the Prime Minister-designate of Japan.[5] In June 2010, as Finance Minister,[6] Kan was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and was designated by the Diet to be Prime Minister, in each instance to succeed Yukio Hatoyama.[7]
Early life and education
Born in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture as the son of a businessman, Kan graduated in 1970 from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Career
Kan opened a patent office in 1974. He actively engaged in civic movements for years and achieved a seat in the lower house in 1980 as a member of Socialist Democratic Federation (SDF) through a grassroots environmental campaign. He gained national popularity in 1996 when as health minister he exposed the minister's responsibility for the spread of tainted blood. At that time, he was a member of a small party forming the ruling coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). His action was completely unprecedented and was applauded by the mainstream media and the public.
In 1998, his image was affected by allegations of an affair – vigorously denied by both parties – with a television newscaster and media consultant, Yuuko Tonomoto.[8] After Yukio Hatoyama resigned as the leader of the party (Democratic Party of Japan, DPJ), Kan again took over the position. In July 2003, the DPJ and the Liberal Party led by Ichirō Ozawa agreed to form a uniformed opposition party to prepare for the general election that was anticipated to take place in the fall.
During the campaign of the election of 2003, the DPJ called the election as the choice of the government between the ruling LDP-bloc and the DPJ, with Kan being presented as the alternative candidate to then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. His face was used as the trademark of the campaign against the LDP.
However, in 2004, Kan was accused of unpaid annuities and forced to again resign the position of leader. On May 10, 2004, he officially announced his resignation and made the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
In mid-October 2005, Kan, who turned 60 in 2006, proposed the creation of a new political party to be called the "Dankai (baby boomer) Party." The initial intent of the party was to offer places of activity for the Japanese baby boomers – 2.7 million of whom began to retire en masse in 2007.
His hobbies are go, shogi and mahjong.[9] He has a wife and two sons, and lives in Tokyo.
Kan has earned the nicknames 'Ira-Kan' or 'Fretful-Kan' due to his reputed short temper. He believes the Japan Self-Defense Forces should play a more prominent role on the international stage.[10]
Finance Minister
On January 6, 2010, he was picked by Yukio Hatoyama to be the new Finance Minister, assuming the post in addition to deputy prime minister.[11] In his first news conference, Kan announced his priority was stimulating growth and took the unusual step of naming a specific dollar-yen level as optimal to help exporters and stimulate the economy. "There are a lot of voices in the business world saying that (the dollar) around ¥95 is appropriate in terms of trade," he said.[12] Hatoyama appeared to rebuke Kan. "When it comes to foreign exchange, stability is desirable and rapid moves are undesirable. The government basically shouldn't comment on foreign exchange," he told reporters.[13]
Prime Minister
 | It has been suggested that Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, 2010 be merged into this article. (Discuss) |
On 2 June 2010, Yukio Hatoyama announced his will to resign as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and as Prime Minister, also saying that he had urged his backer in the party Ichiro Ozawa to resign as Secretary General.[14][15] The Cabinet resigned en masse on the morning of 4 June.[14] Foreign minister Katsuya Okada and Land and Transport Minister Seiji Maehara, though once considered to be possible successors to Hatoyama, announced their support for Naoto Kan.[citation needed] Kan, at his age of 63, won the leadership of the DPJ with 291 votes to 129, defeating a relatively unknown Ozawa-backed legislator Shinji Tarutoko, 50,[14][16] who was leading the environmental policy committee in the lower house of the Diet.[citation needed]
Subsequently on 4 June, Kan was designated as Prime Minister by the Diet.[17] The Constitution of Japan provides that Prime Minister shall be designated from among the members of the Diet by a resolution of the Diet, and that the Emperor shall appoint the Prime Minister as designated by the Diet. Kan is expected to be appointed as Japan's 94th Prime Minister by Emperor Akihito.
References
- ^ "From physics to politics, Naoto Kan is no "silver spoon" politician – People's Daily Online". English.peopledaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "NEWSMAKER – Japan's Kan would be more pragmatic premier". Reuters. 2009-10-14. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ Tudor, Alison (2010-01-07). "Japan Taps Successor to Ailing Finance Chief – WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "NEWSMAKER – Japan's Kan would be more pragmatic premier". XE.com. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "PM-elect Kan's formation of Cabinet may be delayed until next week". The Mainichi Daily News. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ "Kan elected prime minister to replace Hatoyama". The Mainichi Daily News. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ "Diet votes in Kan as prime minister". The Japan Times. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ Landers, Peter (February 4, 1999). "Dream Deffered". Far Eastern Economic Review. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|name=ignored (help) - ^ http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20100605-220351.html
- ^ Power Players: Naoto Kan
- ^ McCallum, Kenneth (January 6, 2010). "Kan to Take Over as Japanese Finance Chief". wsj.com. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- ^ Takashi Nakamichi (January 7, 2010). "Kan Calls for Weaker Yen". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
- ^ Nakamichi, Takashi (January 8, 2010). "New Japan Minister Starts Talking Yen Down". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c Finance Chief Chosen as Next Japanese Leader, by Martin Fackler, The New York Times, 3 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
- ^ Ozawa's resignation at strong urging of PM will lessen his influence on DPJ, The Mainichi Daily News, 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
- ^ "＜民主党＞新代表に菅直人氏 首相就任へ（毎日新聞） – Yahoo!ニュース" (in Japanese). Headlines.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "Kan elected prime minister". Asahi Shimbun. 4 June 2010.
External links
| Empire of Japan, 1868–1947 |
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| State of Japan, 1947–present |
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Leaders of the Group of Seven | |
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1 President is a non-participant; Taiwan is represented as Chinese Taipei. |
