Voters were mixed Friday on whether Naoto Kan would be a better fit than his Democratic Party of Japan predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, as the nation's leader.

As Kan was sworn in as DPJ president and later voted in by the Diet as prime minister, doubters wondered whether his emergence will make much difference in the country's governance.

"I have higher expectations of Kan because he seems more like an enthusiastic, proper politician, whereas Hatoyama was an 'alien,' " said Ayumi Sugihara, who works in the publishing industry. "I hope he can settle the issues Hatoyama left unresolved."