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Hatoyama style is warm but fuzzy

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-17 09:39

TOKYO: For Japan's new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, it's all about love and brotherhood.

Hatoyama, leader of the decade-old Democratic Party, has put the fuzzy notion of "yuai", or fraternity, at the core of his political philosophy, puzzling many voters and raising eyebrows abroad when he twins it with criticism of global capitalism.

Some also wonder how different he will be from the aging politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which lost power to the Democrats in an August 30 poll after ruling for most of the last 54 years, given his grandfather helped found the LDP.

"He has not really shown much leadership quality, (or) whether he's got backbone," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Japan campus.

Hatoyama - once nicknamed "the alien", perhaps for his prominent eyes, perhaps for his other-worldly ideas - has attacked the LDP for letting elite bureaucrats control policy decisions.

"It won't be easy to change politics that depended on bureaucrats. It'll be a lot of trial and error," Hatoyama told party lawmakers a day before formally taking office yesterday.

"There's no question that big challenges await us, since we are embarking on a style of politics that's never been experienced before."

Scandal paved his way

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) picked the bouffant-haired Hatoyama, 62, to lead the party after his predecessor stepped down over a funding scandal.

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Supporters argued Hatoyama was best able to hold the sometimes fractious party together, even if he was less popular among ordinary voters than a rival for the leadership post.

"It's very important not to have enemies," said one Democratic Party source, explaining Hatoyama's victory.

His party leadership campaign slogan of "fraternity", a concept he inherited from his grandfather, sparked more bemusement than interest among voters more focused on economic woes and rising unemployment.

Though the concept is seen by some analysts as vague, Hatoyama uses the word to advocate closer-knit communities at home and better relations with countries abroad, especially East Asia.

Reuters