Yukio Hatoyama

The centre-left government of Japan's new Prime Minister Naoto Kan lost its majority in parliament's upper house in elections Sunday, media exit polls showed, spelling the threat of legislative paralysis. The government was not immediately threatened, because it holds a majority in the more powerful lower chamber, but the result makes it more difficult to pass laws and will force it to seek new coalition partners. The election result -- the first ballot box test since Kan's party swept to...Read Full Story

Japan's embattled prime minister insisted Tuesday he would stay in his job despite press speculation he may step down ahead of upper house elections next month. Centre-left leader Yukio Hatoyama, who took power in a landslide election last August, has seen his approval ratings slide below 20 percent amid a row over a US military airbase on the southern island of Okinawa. His U-turn decision to keep the unpopular base on Okinawa despite strong local opposition has caused a split in his three...Read Full Story

The centre-left government of Japan's new Prime Minister Naoto Kan lost its narrow majority in parliament's upper house in elections Sunday, spelling the threat of legislative paralysis. The government was not immediately threatened, because it holds a majority in the more powerful lower chamber, but the result makes it more difficult to pass laws and will force it to seek new coalition partners. The election defeat -- the first test at the ballot box since Kan's party swept to power under a...Read Full Story

Japan's new Prime Minister Naoto Kan, riding high on opinion poll ratings above 60 percent, was to unveil key posts in his centre-left party Monday, the eve of the formal launch of his government. He succeeded Yukio Hatoyama on Friday to become Japan's fifth new prime minister in four years after Hatoyama stumbled over a dispute about a US airbase and became mired in political funding scandals. Kan, who previously served as Hatoyama's finance minister, will formally launch his cabinet on...Read Full Story

Japan's embattled prime minister insisted Tuesday he would stay in his job despite press speculation he may step down ahead of upper house elections next month. Centre-left leader Yukio Hatoyama, who took power in a landslide election last August, has seen his approval ratings battered by a row over a US military airbase on the southern island of Okinawa. His U-turn decision to keep the unpopular base on Okinawa despite strong local opposition has caused a split in his three-party coalition...Read Full Story