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Hatoyama to Resign Over Base Row
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| Parent(s) |
Candidate
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| Contributor | RMF |
| Last Edited | RMF Jun 01, 2010 09:33pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Yuka Hayashi and Jacob M. Schlesinger |
| Media | Newspaper - Wall Street Journal |
| News Date | Wednesday, June 2, 2010 03:30:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | TOKYO—A tearful Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he will quit less than nine months after taking office, a dramatic downfall that could fray ties with the U.S. and frustrate other allies seeking greater cooperation and leadership from Tokyo.
The Japanese leader's sudden resignation could stall a controversial deal he announced just last Friday with President Barack Obama to keep a large Marine base on the southern island of Okinawa, an agreement that both leaders had said was essential to show a unified front against regional security threats like North Korea and China—but proved deeply unpopular in Japan.
Mr. Hatoyama's already-low poll ratings fell further in recent days in response to the pact, and one of his ruling coalition partners left the government in protest. The prime minister had broken one of his key campaign promises in agreeing to the deal, and he cited his failure to keep that pledge as the primary reason for his resignation during his sudden Wednesday morning Tokyo announcement.
"I sincerely hope people will understand the agonizing choice I had to make," Mr. Hatoyama said, with tears welling up in his eyes. "I knew we had to maintain a trusting relationship with the U.S. at any cost, while seeking cooperation with" his domestic political partners. "I think I have to take responsibility" for the fracturing of the political coalition that resulted from the deal with Washington. |
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