Ishiba Shigeru, Edano Yukio, and Maehara Seiji are still the top three in the preferred next PM stakes according to this jiji article (jp), at 10.6%, 9.6% and 9.3% respectively. How about the two leading old guard members of the LDP, current leader and President Tanigaki Sadakazu and Secretary-general Ishihara Nobuteru? How about Finance Minister Noda Yoshihiko, who many in the DPJ were touting as Kan’s replacement?
They are all much less popular than the kindly fellow below, who is about to go on trial:
The supposed PM-in-waiting Noda doesn’t even break half of Ozawa’s 5.7%.
My latest post on South Sudan and Japanese editorials at Japan Security Watch.
If you are wondering about Ozawa’s “limpet-like attachment” to the DPJ, this is as good a place to go as any.
can’t we just chose a foreigner? I mean, he doesn’t even have to reside in the country.
(And I do like Ozawa, btw).
That’s my wife suggestion too…I don’t share her confidence that her fellow nationals would be down with that, but I would like to be surprised.
For all his flaws it would not freak me out if Ozawa was PM and he certainly wouldn’t muck around! Definitely seems to be better to have him in the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in, which could apply equally to the DPJ as well as politics in general
Maehara is way better! Tanigaki? I don’t think so lol!
Taro, thanks for the comment
You might get your wish – while everyone has been caught up in their business the last few months Maehara has been manoeuvring around, doing his thing – I think of the top 5 in this list he has the best chance.
“10.6%, 9.6% and 9.3% respectively”
The top 3 by percentage….LOL.
You can read alot into those numbers
Since it’s Japanese politics I can easily give you sadder numbers than those – 36% of the population who didn’t support anyone when asked (or simply didn’t know/care), and 67% of the population who don’t support any political party. Over 80% of the population supports the PM’s plan to reduce reliance on nuclear power – but only 12% of the population support the current prime minister despite agreeing with at least a decent number of his policies, and 70% of people want him to quit within the next month. The next election is going to be an all out massacre of the political class if they keep fighting like children. Which might not be such a bad thing.