Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced he would step down (WSJ) nine months after taking office, amid criticism of his decision to keep a large U.S. Marine base on Okinawa. The unpopular deal, announced last Friday with U.S. President Barack Obama, was considered essential to thwarting security threats from North Korea and China. Hatoyama's already-low poll ratings fell in response to the pact, which broke one of his main campaign promises. He cited his failure to keep the pledge as the main reason for his resignation. Hatoyama and his Democratic party had set out to transform Japan's politics and policymaking after winning a landslide election last August, which ended half a century of rule by the Liberal Democratic party. He is the fourth Japanese prime minister to resign since 2007.

Political financing scandals are another reason Hatoyama cited for his resignation (NYT) and that of his chief political strategist, Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa.

Analysis:

In the Financial Times, Jonathan Soble says Japan's frequent ousting of its prime ministers boils down to "back-room dealing among the LDP's many deeply divided factions--a style of politics that Hatoyama's twelve-year-old Democratic party had pledged to end."

Michael Cucek tells WSJ.com that U.S.-Japan relations will "stay the same no matter who the prime minister is. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be good."

 

The deadly sinking of the South Korean warship blamed on North Korea overshadowed (AP) South Korea's local elections and bolstered support for President Lee Myung-bak's ruling conservative Grand National Party.

North Korea's alleged sinking of the ship could have been part of a legitimization process to prepare for a new leader to succeed the ailing Kim Jong-Il, says North Korea expert Victor Cha.

 

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