Natao Kan slice in the political landscape

Strange Japan! Just put at its head a former activist in left, a tireless activist of associations of citizens in his youth, became a crusader against officials. The exact opposite of its very smooth predecessors

Naoto Kan, Minister of finance in the Government of Yukio Hatoyama appears as an atypical character. The costume he wears at the same time as President of party and head of Government is that of a man who is not an heir in politics. A kind of commoner among the Japanese housekeeper nobility.

Natao Kan slice in the political landscape. It grew out of an average family, registered to that has never run for elected. Intellectual rigour, he acquired it with an engineer training that made him a patent agent. Man however has militancy firmly instilled in the body and goes through, make his entry into politics. It is done through a microparti, he dissented from the Socialist Party. The man was outspoken and has gained popularity in the 1990s by recognizing the responsibility of the Japanese State in a case of contaminated blood tides. He then founded the Japanese Democratic Party along with Yukio Hatoyama.

This profile of troublemaker stands within the political class to the point that the establishment was recently concern risks to see this free electron access the highest functions.

The Japanese political system has this particular traditionally recruited its members and future leaders among the descendants of former Ministers. Yukio Hatoyama is grandson of Prime Minister and son of Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is also heir to an industrial dynasty, Bridgestone, the global leader of the tyre with Michelin. Before him, Taro Aso was, by her mother, grandson of a Prime Minister of the post-war period, and by his father, heir to an industrial group Aso Company. It was even related to the Japanese aristocracy and the imperial family. Yasuo Fukuda, and Shinzo Abe, its predecessors in 2007 and 2008, did not depart from this rule. Same Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006) to mention that the most recent was also from this political line on the scene for two generations. Dynastic status goes hand in hand with academic training of high level. The former heads of Government are all derived from the most prestigious universities starting with that of Tokyo (Hatoyama), Waseda (Fukuda), Seikei (Abe), Gakushuin (Aso), or Keio University (Koizumi). Diploma in hand, they typically hone their knowledge with training abroad. University of London for Koizumi, Stanford for Hatoyama and Aso.

Once installed at the top of the Executive, the dynastic heir is not so free. Japanese political life is dominated, or paralyzed by systematic research of the consensus among the various factions that make up the party, or worse, the Government coalition. The other Premiers facing problem of their difficulty to forge a national stature. From the benches of Parliament, they often keep eyes on their riding, where generally live their wife and where are their main relay. They were suddenly very difficult to take enough height to manage the Affairs of the State. Not to mention the international subjects of which they are most of the time, absent.

Ah! as it seems far to time of Junichiro Koizumi. The Prime Minister remained in post for five years and had all the time necessary to print its mark and push some reforms. No matter that most of them remained unfinished, it is another debate. The essential was to move the lines, to fly shattered political archaisms while showing that the country was not permanently immobile. This fan of Elvis Presley pushed though it has been a driving force for the Japan taking on a different path. Before him, he must go back to Yasuhiro Nakasone (1982-1987) to find such an imprint of a person in politics.

Since 2006, the machine is halted, the soufflé fell heavily. In question, the disconnection of the policies with the rest of the population and a real sense of widespread incompetence that emerges. It is this that Naoto Kan should be forgotten today. Not less than four heads of Government have prematurely worn to the Kantei, the Japanese Prime Minister's Office. Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda, Taro Aso and course Yukio Hatoyama. The latter had been brought to power with a huge hope of revival. Naoto Kan carries nothing, he succeeds simply. But it will have to quickly convince, show a clear strategy and reassure. If he does not want to also play the meteors in Japanese landscape.