After months of mounting calls to step down from the opposition camp and even some fellow members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, it looks like Prime Minister Naoto Kan is finally ready to bow out.
And once again, the political hub of Nagata-cho has begun to buzz over who will be the next leader. Critics agree the most crucial job for the next DPJ president, who would become prime minister, is to stabilize the political situation amid a divided Diet and form ties with the Liberal Democratic Party, the largest opposition force.
"The next leader at the very least needs to be able to get in step with the LDP over policies, including tax reforms and reconstruction measures," said Kazuhisa Kawakami, a political science professor at Meiji Gakuin University. "Without the LDP's understanding, the new leader would run into deadlock . . . and then replacing (Kan) would become pointless."