Naoto Kan
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese politician, and former Prime Minister of Japan
. In June 2010, then-Finance Minister Kan was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan
(DPJ) and designated Prime Minister by the Diet
to succeed Yukio Hatoyama
. On 26 August 2011, Kan announced his resignation. Yoshihiko Noda
was formally appointed as Prime Minister by the Emperor of Japan
on 2 September 2011.
, Yamaguchi Prefecture
, as the son of Hisao Kan, an executive for a glass manufacturer. He graduated in 1970 from the Tokyo Institute of Technology
and became a licensed benrishi
(patent agent/attorney) in 1971.
His hobbies are go, shogi
and origami
. Kan built a machine to calculate the complicated mahjong point system and applied for a patent in 1973.
movements for years and also served on election campaign staff for Fusae Ichikawa
, a women's rights
activist.
After having lost in 1976
, 1979 general elections
and 1977 Upper House election
, Kan finally achieved a seat in the lower house in 1980
as a member of the Socialist Democratic Federation
. He gained national popularity in 1996, when serving as the Minister of Health and Welfare
, admitting the government's responsibility for the spread of HIV-tainted blood
in the 1980s and directly apologized to victims. At that time, he was a member of a small party forming the ruling coalition
with the Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP). His frank action was completely unprecedented and was applauded by the 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, Yūko Tonomoto. After Yukio Hatoyama
resigned as the leader of the 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 united 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 10 May 2004, he officially announced his resignation and made the Shikoku Pilgrimage
. Later, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
spokesman apologized, saying the unpaid record was due to an administrative error.
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 – of whom began to retire en masse in 2007.
He believes the Japan Self-Defense Forces
should play a more prominent role on the international stage.
to be the new Finance Minister, assuming the post in addition to deputy prime minister. 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. 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.
announced his intention 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, Ichirō Ozawa
, to resign as Secretary General. The Cabinet resigned en masse on the morning of 4 June. 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. 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, who was leading the environmental policy committee in the lower house of the Diet.
Subsequently, on 4 June, Kan was designated Prime Minister by the Diet. On 8 June Emperor Akihito
formally appointed Kan as the country's 94th Prime Minister, and the 29th postwar Prime Minister.
Kan's approval ratings fell in the month of June after he proposed an increase in the sales tax rate from 5% to 10%. His sales tax increase proposal was opposed by Ichirō Ozawa
, amongst others in the DPJ, and the proposal was quickly scaled back by Kan. The botched sales tax increase proposal was partially blamed for the DPJ's disappointing results in the July House of Councillors election
, where the DPJ lost its majority and were forced to work with smaller, unaffiliated parties (such as Your Party
, the JCP
, and the SDP
) in order to secure passage of bills in the House of Councillors.
In August, Kan apologised to the Republic of Korea on the 100th anniversary of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty.
Ozawa challenged
Kan's leadership of the DPJ in September. Although it was initially believed that Ozawa had a slight edge among DPJ members of parliament, in the final vote Kan garnered the support of 206 DPJ lawmakers to Ozawa's 200. Local rank-and-file party members and activists overwhelmingly supported Kan, and according to opinion polls the wider Japanese public preferred Kan to Ozawa by as much as a 4–1 ratio.
After the leadership challenge, Kan reshuffled his cabinet, which left many prominent members of the pro-Ozawa faction of the DPJ without important posts in the new cabinet. The cabinet reshuffle also resulted in the promotion of long-time Kan ally Yoshito Sengoku
to Chief Cabinet Secretary. Sengoku has been labeled by the opposition LDP as the "second" Prime Minister of the Kan cabinet.
On 7 September a Chinese fishing boat captain was arrested by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG)
after his trawler had collided with JCG patrol boats
in disputed waters near the Senkaku Islands
. China protested the arrest, as it claims the islands as part of its sovereign territory
, and demanded the unconditional release of the captain. The captain was released on 24 September, after China had cut off all ministerial-level contacts with Japan and threatened further action. The incident brought Sino-Japanese relations to its lowest point since the Koizumi administration.
The Kan government intervened in mid-September to weaken the surging yen by buying U.S. dollars, a move which temporarily relieved Japan's exporters. The move proved popular with stock brokers, Japanese exporters, and the Japanese public. It was the first such move by a Japanese government since 2004. Later, in October, after the yen had offset the intervention and had reached a 15-year high, the Kan cabinet approved a stimulus package worth about 5.1 trillion yen ($62 billion) in order to weaken the yen and fight deflation. Kan also announced that further interventions are likely if the yen continues to rise.
In November, Kan spoke out forcefully in support of South Korea
and in harsh criticism of North Korea
in the wake of the latter's bombardment of Yeonpyeong
, meanwhile ignoring China's public comments which had not yet included denunciation of the North.
On 12 March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami in the northeast Japan
, Kan flew in a helicopter to observe the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
. Naoto Kan took an increasingly anti-nuclear
stance in the months following the Fukushima disaster. In May, he ordered the aging Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant
be closed over earthquake and tsunami fears, and he said he would freeze plans to build new reactors.
Despite falling popularity, Kan rejected calls to step down while the country continued to suffer from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crises of spring 2011. One year into his premiership on 2 June 2011, Kan proposed his resignation, hours before the Diet put forward a vote of no-confidence. The motion was defeated by 293 to 152, bolstering the Prime Minister's position.
In July 2011, Kan said that Japan must reduce its dependence on nuclear energy, breaking with a decades-old Japanese government drive to build more nuclear power plants in the country. "We must scrap the plan to have nuclear power contribute 53 percent (of electricity supply) by 2030 and reduce the degree of reliance on nuclear power," Kan told a government panel. Kan said Japan should abandon plans to build 14 new reactors by 2030. He wants to "pass a bill to promote renewable energy
and questioned whether private companies should be running atomic plants".
Kan announced his intention to resign on August 10, 2011. On August 26, with passage of a debt bill and the renewable energy bill as final conditions, Kan expected "to see his successor in office [within the] week, according to a Kyodo news report, which cited cabinet ministers". At the same time, Seiji Maehara
, who had supported Kan in 2010, was reported to have announced his intention to run to succeed Kan. Maehara is seen as the potential DPJ candidate most popular with the voters at the time. Several other cabinet members joined the race, and the election of the DPJ successor
was scheduled for 29 August. At that time, Yoshihiko Noda
, most recently finance minister, was elected as the new DPJ leader and, as leader of the largest party in the Diet, becomes prime minister as well.
. As the two are first cousins
, the engagement was met with parental opposition. They have two sons, Gentarō and Shinjirō. Gentarō is a civil rights activist and lost in elections for the Lower House in 2003 and 2005. Shinjiro is a veterinarian
and works at an animal hospital
in Nerima, Tokyo
.
Kan has earned the nicknames 'Ira-Kan', or 'Fretful Kan', due to his reputed short temper.
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Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese politician, and former Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
. In June 2010, then-Finance Minister Kan was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
(DPJ) and designated Prime Minister by the Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
to succeed Yukio Hatoyama
Yukio Hatoyama
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan between 16 September 2009 and 2 June 2010, and was the first ever Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan....
. On 26 August 2011, Kan announced his resignation. Yoshihiko Noda
Yoshihiko Noda
is the current Prime Minister of Japan, a member of the Democratic Party of Japan , and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...
was formally appointed as Prime Minister by the Emperor of Japan
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
on 2 September 2011.
Early life
Kan was born in Ube CityUbe, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 179,000 and the density of 622 persons per km². The total area is 287.69 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1921....
, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
, as the son of Hisao Kan, an executive for a glass manufacturer. He graduated in 1970 from the Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
and became a licensed benrishi
Benrishi
Benrishi is a Japanese legal profession specifically licensed to practice intellectual property law. Most benrishi specialize in patent law, but are also allowed to practice in copyright, trademark, unfair competition and trade secret law....
(patent agent/attorney) in 1971.
His hobbies are go, shogi
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...
and origami
Origami
is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
. Kan built a machine to calculate the complicated mahjong point system and applied for a patent in 1973.
Career
After graduating from university, Kan worked at a patent office for four years. He actively engaged in civic grassrootsGrassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
movements for years and also served on election campaign staff for Fusae Ichikawa
Fusae Ichikawa
was a Japanese feminist, politician and women's suffrage leader. Ichikawa was a key supporter of Women's Suffrage in Japan, and her activism was partially responsible for the extension of the franchise to women in 1945.- Early life :...
, a women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
activist.
After having lost in 1976
Japanese general election, 1976
General elections were held in Japan on 5 December 1976. The result was a victory for the Liberal Democratic Party, which won 260 of the 511 seats, but the election was overshadowed by the Lockheed bribery scandals. Voter turnout was 73.4%.-Results:...
, 1979 general elections
Japanese general election, 1979
Results of the 1979 general election in Japan for the House of Representatives. A total of 511 seats were contested:...
and 1977 Upper House election
Japanese House of Councillors election, 1977
Elections for the Japanese House of Councillors were held in Japan in 1977.Note that only half of this House of Councillors was up for election. The results show the whole legislature following the elections.-Results:...
, Kan finally achieved a seat in the lower house in 1980
Japanese general election, 1980
In Japan on 16 May 1980, Japan Socialist Party brought a no-confidence motion to the Diet, mentioning corruption and rises in public utility charges as reasons for the House of Representatives of Japan to withdraw its backing from the government...
as a member of the Socialist Democratic Federation
Socialist Democratic Federation (Japan)
The , also referred to in Japanese by the shortened , was a Japanese political party that existed from 1978 to 1994. It was formed from the merger of the and the .- Socialist Citizen Federation :...
. He gained national popularity in 1996, when serving as the Minister of Health and Welfare
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
, admitting the government's responsibility for the spread of HIV-tainted blood
HIV-tainted blood scandal (Japan)
, refers to an event in the 1980s when between one and two thousand haemophilia patients in Japan contracted HIV via tainted blood products. Controversy centers on the continued use of non-heat-treated blood products after the development of heat-treatments that prevent the spread of infection...
in the 1980s and directly apologized to victims. At that time, he was a member of a small party forming the ruling coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
with the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
(LDP). His frank action was completely unprecedented and was applauded by the 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, Yūko Tonomoto. After Yukio Hatoyama
Yukio Hatoyama
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan between 16 September 2009 and 2 June 2010, and was the first ever Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan....
resigned as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
(DPJ), Kan again took over the position. In July 2003, the DPJ and the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Japan, 1998)
The was a Japanese liberal party formed in 1998 by Ichirō Ozawa and Hirohisa Fujii. It is now defunct, having joined the Democratic Party of Japan in 2003....
led by Ichirō Ozawa
Ichiro Ozawa
is a Japanese politician. Formerly a chief secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party , he later defected from the LDP. He was the president of Japan's main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , from 2006 until May 2009, when he resigned over a fund scandal, and secretary general of the...
agreed to form a united opposition party to prepare for the general election
Elections in Japan
The Japanese political system has three types of elections: general elections to the House of Representatives held every four years , elections to the House of Councillors held every three years to choose one-half of its members, and local elections held every four years for offices in prefectures,...
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
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
. 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 10 May 2004, he officially announced his resignation and made the Shikoku Pilgrimage
Shikoku Pilgrimage
The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long history, large numbers of pilgrims still undertake the journey for a variety of ascetic,...
. Later, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
spokesman apologized, saying the unpaid record was due to an administrative error.
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
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
) Party." The initial intent of the party was to offer places of activity for the Japanese baby boomers – of whom began to retire en masse in 2007.
He believes the Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
should play a more prominent role on the international stage.
Finance Minister
On 6 January 2010, he was picked by Yukio HatoyamaYukio Hatoyama
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan between 16 September 2009 and 2 June 2010, and was the first ever Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan....
to be the new Finance Minister, assuming the post in addition to deputy prime minister. 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. 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.
Prime Minister
On 2 June 2010 Yukio HatoyamaYukio Hatoyama
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan between 16 September 2009 and 2 June 2010, and was the first ever Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan....
announced his intention to resign as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
(DPJ) and as Prime Minister, also saying that he had urged his backer in the party, Ichirō Ozawa
Ichiro Ozawa
is a Japanese politician. Formerly a chief secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party , he later defected from the LDP. He was the president of Japan's main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , from 2006 until May 2009, when he resigned over a fund scandal, and secretary general of the...
, to resign as Secretary General. The Cabinet resigned en masse on the morning of 4 June. Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada
Katsuya Okada
is a Japanese politician. A member of the House of Representatives of Japan, he is Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Japan and was previously its President. From September 2009 to September 2010, he was Foreign Minister of Japan....
and Land and Transport Minister Seiji Maehara
Seiji Maehara
is a Japanese politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives of Japan since 1993. He was the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan from 2005 to 2006, and later served as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Minister of Foreign Affairs under the cabinets...
, though once considered to be possible successors to Hatoyama, announced their support for Naoto Kan. 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
Shinji Tarutoko
is a Japanese democratic politician. In June 2010, he declared his intention to run against Naoto Kan for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan; had he won, he would have become the next Prime Minister of Japan...
, 50, who was leading the environmental policy committee in the lower house of the Diet.
Subsequently, on 4 June, Kan was designated Prime Minister by the Diet. On 8 June Emperor Akihito
Akihito
is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...
formally appointed Kan as the country's 94th Prime Minister, and the 29th postwar Prime Minister.
Kan's approval ratings fell in the month of June after he proposed an increase in the sales tax rate from 5% to 10%. His sales tax increase proposal was opposed by Ichirō Ozawa
Ichiro Ozawa
is a Japanese politician. Formerly a chief secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party , he later defected from the LDP. He was the president of Japan's main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , from 2006 until May 2009, when he resigned over a fund scandal, and secretary general of the...
, amongst others in the DPJ, and the proposal was quickly scaled back by Kan. The botched sales tax increase proposal was partially blamed for the DPJ's disappointing results in the July House of Councillors election
Japanese House of Councillors election, 2010
The for the upper house of the legislature of Japan were held on July 11, 2010. In the last election in 2007, the Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority to the Democratic Party of Japan , which managed to gain the largest margin since its formation in 1996. The House of Councillors is...
, where the DPJ lost its majority and were forced to work with smaller, unaffiliated parties (such as Your Party
Your Party
is a center-right Japanese political party. Led by Yoshimi Watanabe, who split from the Liberal Democratic Party , the party was founded on August 8, 2009 after then-Prime Minister Aso dissolved the lower house. A concept behind the party is to make the government more democratic, and to eliminate...
, the JCP
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
, and the SDP
Social Democratic Party (Japan)
The Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan (abbreviated to SDPJ or SDP in English) is a political party that advocates for the establishment of a...
) in order to secure passage of bills in the House of Councillors.
In August, Kan apologised to the Republic of Korea on the 100th anniversary of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty.
Ozawa challenged
Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, September 2010
A leadership election was held in the Democratic Party of Japan on 14 September 2010 after the incumbent party President Naoto Kan who served the remaind of Yukio Hatoyama's term came to an end at the same time Kan bets for his election...
Kan's leadership of the DPJ in September. Although it was initially believed that Ozawa had a slight edge among DPJ members of parliament, in the final vote Kan garnered the support of 206 DPJ lawmakers to Ozawa's 200. Local rank-and-file party members and activists overwhelmingly supported Kan, and according to opinion polls the wider Japanese public preferred Kan to Ozawa by as much as a 4–1 ratio.
After the leadership challenge, Kan reshuffled his cabinet, which left many prominent members of the pro-Ozawa faction of the DPJ without important posts in the new cabinet. The cabinet reshuffle also resulted in the promotion of long-time Kan ally Yoshito Sengoku
Yoshito Sengoku
is a Japanese politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan. He was born in Tokushima, Tokushima prefecture. While studying in the University of Tokyo, he passed the bar exam and therefore dropped out of the university...
to Chief Cabinet Secretary. Sengoku has been labeled by the opposition LDP as the "second" Prime Minister of the Kan cabinet.
On 7 September a Chinese fishing boat captain was arrested by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG)
Japan Coast Guard
The , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
after his trawler had collided with JCG patrol boats
2010 Senkaku boat collision incident
The 2010 Senkaku Boat Collision Incident occurred on the morning of September 7 2010 when a Chinese trawler, Minjinyu 5179, operating in disputed waters collided with Japanese Coast Guard's patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands...
in disputed waters near the Senkaku Islands
Senkaku Islands
The , also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea...
. China protested the arrest, as it claims the islands as part of its sovereign territory
Senkaku Islands dispute
The Senkaku Islands dispute concerns a territorial dispute on a group of uninhabited islands, the Senkaku Islands, which are also known as the Diaoyu or Diaoyutai Islands. These disputed islands are currently controlled and administered by Japan, and claimed by both the People's Republic of China...
, and demanded the unconditional release of the captain. The captain was released on 24 September, after China had cut off all ministerial-level contacts with Japan and threatened further action. The incident brought Sino-Japanese relations to its lowest point since the Koizumi administration.
The Kan government intervened in mid-September to weaken the surging yen by buying U.S. dollars, a move which temporarily relieved Japan's exporters. The move proved popular with stock brokers, Japanese exporters, and the Japanese public. It was the first such move by a Japanese government since 2004. Later, in October, after the yen had offset the intervention and had reached a 15-year high, the Kan cabinet approved a stimulus package worth about 5.1 trillion yen ($62 billion) in order to weaken the yen and fight deflation. Kan also announced that further interventions are likely if the yen continues to rise.
In November, Kan spoke out forcefully in support of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and in harsh criticism of North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
in the wake of the latter's bombardment of Yeonpyeong
Bombardment of Yeonpyeong
The bombardment of Yeonpyeong was an artillery engagement between the North Korean military and South Korean forces stationed on Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, 2010. Following a South Korean regular artillery exercise at waters in the south, North Korean forces fired around 170 artillery shells...
, meanwhile ignoring China's public comments which had not yet included denunciation of the North.
On 12 March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami in the northeast Japan
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
, Kan flew in a helicopter to observe the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
The , also known as Fukushima Dai-ichi , is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in the Futaba District of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. First commissioned in 1971, the plant consists of six boiling water reactors...
. Naoto Kan took an increasingly anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
stance in the months following the Fukushima disaster. In May, he ordered the aging Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant
Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant
The is a nuclear power plant located in Omaezaki city, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Japan's east coast, 200 km south-west of Tokyo. It is managed by the Chubu Electric Power Company. There are five units contained at a single site with a net area of 1.6 km2 . A sixth unit began construction...
be closed over earthquake and tsunami fears, and he said he would freeze plans to build new reactors.
Despite falling popularity, Kan rejected calls to step down while the country continued to suffer from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crises of spring 2011. One year into his premiership on 2 June 2011, Kan proposed his resignation, hours before the Diet put forward a vote of no-confidence. The motion was defeated by 293 to 152, bolstering the Prime Minister's position.
In July 2011, Kan said that Japan must reduce its dependence on nuclear energy, breaking with a decades-old Japanese government drive to build more nuclear power plants in the country. "We must scrap the plan to have nuclear power contribute 53 percent (of electricity supply) by 2030 and reduce the degree of reliance on nuclear power," Kan told a government panel. Kan said Japan should abandon plans to build 14 new reactors by 2030. He wants to "pass a bill to promote renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and questioned whether private companies should be running atomic plants".
Kan announced his intention to resign on August 10, 2011. On August 26, with passage of a debt bill and the renewable energy bill as final conditions, Kan expected "to see his successor in office [within the] week, according to a Kyodo news report, which cited cabinet ministers". At the same time, Seiji Maehara
Seiji Maehara
is a Japanese politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives of Japan since 1993. He was the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan from 2005 to 2006, and later served as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Minister of Foreign Affairs under the cabinets...
, who had supported Kan in 2010, was reported to have announced his intention to run to succeed Kan. Maehara is seen as the potential DPJ candidate most popular with the voters at the time. Several other cabinet members joined the race, and the election of the DPJ successor
Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, 2011
The 15th Democratic Party of Japan presidential election took place on August 29, 2011. The election chose Yoshihiko Noda as the successor to Naoto Kan as president of the Democratic Party of Japan; the designation of the new party president as prime minister in the Diet is planned for August 30 –...
was scheduled for 29 August. At that time, Yoshihiko Noda
Yoshihiko Noda
is the current Prime Minister of Japan, a member of the Democratic Party of Japan , and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...
, most recently finance minister, was elected as the new DPJ leader and, as leader of the largest party in the Diet, becomes prime minister as well.
Family
Kan married his wife Nobuko in 1970. Nobuko, born in Okayama Prefecture, entered a relationship with the Tokyo-dwelling Kan after entering Tsuda CollegeTsuda College
is a private women's college in Kodaira, Tokyo. The college was founded in 1900 by Tsuda Umeko as Joshi Eigaku Juku. The name was later changed to Tsuda Eigaku Juku and then Tsuda Juku Senmon Gakko and finally Tsuda Juku Daigaku in 1948....
. As the two are first cousins
Cousin marriage
Cousin marriage is marriage between two cousins. In various jurisdictions and cultures, such marriages range from being considered ideal and actively encouraged, to being uncommon but still legal, to being seen as incest and legally prohibited....
, the engagement was met with parental opposition. They have two sons, Gentarō and Shinjirō. Gentarō is a civil rights activist and lost in elections for the Lower House in 2003 and 2005. Shinjiro is a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
and works at an animal hospital
Animal Hospital
Animal Hospital was a television show starring Rolf Harris that ran on the BBC from 1994 until 2004. The story showed animal welfare stories from RSPCA hospitals.-Location:...
in Nerima, Tokyo
Nerima, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 , and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the...
.
Kan has earned the nicknames 'Ira-Kan', or 'Fretful Kan', due to his reputed short temper.
External links
- BBC NEWS – Profile: Naoto Kan
- Official Website
- Democratic Party of Japan
- Japan after Kan: Implications for the DPJ’s Political Future, Q&A with Richard J. SamuelsRichard J. SamuelsRichard J. Samuels is an American academic, political scientist, author, Japanologist, Ford Professor of Political Science and Director of Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.-Career:...
, August 2011
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