Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's term in office is just about finished. He has had his summits, the budget has been passed, and he has completed one year in office. Gaffes notwithstanding, Mori can now step down with a clear conscience and some tangible accomplishments. Attention now focuses on picking his successor. It's a grim sign that some are asking if it matters who heads the world's second leading economy.

Ten prime ministers in 10 years. For many observers, the revolving door at the prime minister's residence is one of the main reasons for the economic stagnation that turned the 1990s into Japan's "lost decade." For more seasoned -- and cynical -- observers, the parade of politicians through the Kantei is an irrelevance. In Japan's "karaoke democracy," the actual officeholder is unimportant: The system runs on auto pilot and the man in charge must merely read from a prepared song book. As long as he gets the words right and sticks to the melody, everyone is satisfied. According to this school, Japan's ability to motor along throughout the last decade without encountering a real crisis is proof of just how irrelevant the prime minister really is.

Others claim that Japanese society impedes the emergence of real leaders. For example, Glen Fukushima argued in these pages ("Understanding leadership in Japan," March 28) that "Japanese -- used to conformism, groupism and surface harmony, at least in the postwar period -- so dislike the display of individual leadership traits that Japanese who exhibit them are soon forced to suppress them."