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It appears that Fukuda kept to himself his decision to quit the most powerful office in Japan until the last minute. Barely a month ago he formed a new Cabinet and replaced more than half the ministers, indicating his resolve in the face of a tough parliamentary tug of war with the opposition.
In a move to tackle domestic politics and improve popular support for the government, which has faced a series of scandals affecting consumers, Fukuda even created a new Cabinet post for consumer affairs, assigning resolute but popular female politician Seiko Noda to the post.
At a late-night press conference Monday, asked whether his action was akin to irresponsibility, Fukuda countered, "I can judge things objectively."
Apparently he could foresee neither a smooth session in Parliament – where his ruling Liberal Democrats, a minority in the Upper House, have been unable to pass key legislation – nor a victory in elections demanded by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, whose leader Ichiro Ozawa declared earlier Monday he would "take over the government." Ozawa was announcing his candidacy for prime minister, as the head of his party.
According to the daily Sankei Shimbun Tuesday, Fukuda’s decision was partly influenced by the New Komei Party, the junior coalition partner in the government, which reportedly favors a new candidate for the elections.
Fukuda's term in office was dotted with important diplomatic events. Japan hosted the G8 Summit in Hokkaido in July and the African Development Conference as well, in which Fukuda held marathon sessions with 40 heads of state from Africa.
But perhaps most critically, Fukuda has been widely known as the most pro-China prime minister in a decade, particularly compared to his predecessors Junichiro Koizumi, who angered Beijing by continuing his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine while in office, and Shinzo Abe, whose conciliatory approach to Beijing only temporarily concealed his nationalist sentiments.
At Fukuda's invitation, Chinese President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to Japan, the first by a Chinese head of state in 10 years. Hu greeted an initially skeptical Japanese audience with friendly smiles. Mutual visits by both nations' warships were carried out for the first time. And in what has turned out to be a final touch to his China diplomacy, Fukuda attended the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony last month, as did several Western leaders.
But now Fukuda is out, and his most likely successor, Taro Aso, is known to be more principled than pragmatic. As foreign minister under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Aso promoted an international relations doctrine that he called the "arc of peace and prosperity," aimed at supporting emerging democracies around the world. The "arc" appeared to be aimed at encircling China and Russia.
In the last Cabinet reshuffle, Fukuda assigned Aso as secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, hoping he could help uplift the party's sinking popularity.
Aso's political capital consists, among other things, of his blood – he is the grandson of the late and legendary Shigeru Yoshida, who as prime minister signed the peace treaty between Japan and the United States, as well as many other nations, formally ending World War II.
Aso candidly admits he likes to read “manga” – popular comic books – saying they give him insight into the youth culture. He even elevated the status of the comic books, calling them a vital part of the country’s “soft power.”
Within the party, Aso is more closely aligned with former Prime Minister Abe, who is one of the country’s strongest nationalist leaders.
The LDP is expected to hold a party convention on Sept. 22, though the date has not been formally announced. In the meantime, the Chinese government must be keeping a close eye on political developments across the East China Sea.
