Outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was considered a rising star among conservatives, representing a new hawkish generation advocating revision of the pacifist Constitution and guilt-free patriotism so Japan could play a more active role on the international stage.</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>So what comes next for the hawks now that their star has been brought crashing down to earth and Yasuo Fukuda becomes prime minister on Tuesday?</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>Experts believe Fukuda will pick up foreign policy on China where Abe left off, continuing to mend relations strained by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's contentious visits to Yasukuni Shrine.</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>But in other ways, Fukuda is the antithesis of Abe. </PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>Often labeled a dove by the foreign media, Fukuda has hinted at softening Japan's tough diplomatic stance toward North Korea and has exhibited a cautious stance in pushing for constitutional revision. This is in clear contrast with Abe, whose lifetime political ambition has been to bring back a sense of national pride said to be lost after Japan's defeat in World War II. </PARAGRAPH>
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will surely mean a step back from constitutional revision," said political analyst Takao Toshikawa, editor of the newsletter TokyoInsideline.
That is as much due to timing as any personal convictions Fukuda may hold. Following the setback to Abe's LDP in the July election, the LDP-New Komeito ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper chamber, making it more difficult to drastically alter the Constitution or change long-standing basic defense policy.
"The current situation is not good for such moves. I wonder if I should talk about things that won't be realized," Fukuda said in an interview with Kyodo News last week.
Barring other political upsets, the political climate will remain unfavorable to the ultraconservative wing of the LDP for some time to come.
