Naoto Kan (Kan Naoto, born 10October 1946) is the current Prime Ministerof Japan. In June 2010, as Finance Minister,Kan was elected as the leader of theDemocratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and wasdesignated Prime Minister by the Diet andlater by Emperor of Japan, in each instanceto succeed Yukio Hatoyama.
CareerAfter graduating from university, Kanworked at a patent office for four years.
He actively engaged in civic grassrootsmovements for years and also served on election campaign staff for FusaeIchikawa, a women’s rights activist.
After having lost in 1976, 1979 general elections and 1977 UpperHouse election, Kan finally achieved a seat in the lower house in 1980as a member of Socialist Democratic Federation. He gained nationalwide popularity in 1996, when serving as the Minister of Health andWelfare, admitting government’s responsibility for the spread of HIVtaintedblood in 1980s and directly apologized to victims. At that time,he was a member of asmall party forming theruling coalition withthe Liberal DemocraticParty (LDP). His frankaction was completelyunprecedented and wasapplauded by the mediaand the public.
In 1998, his image was affected by allegations of an affair, vigorouslydenied by both parties, with a television newscaster and media consultant,Y鹝o Tonomoto. After Yukio Hatoyama resigned as the leader of theDemocratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Kan again took over the position. In July2003, the DPJ and the Liberal Party led by Ichir?Ozawa agreed to forma uniformed opposition party to prepare for the general election that wasanticipated to take place in the fall.
During the campaign of the election of 2003, the DPJ called theelection as the choice of the government between the ruling LDP-bloc andthe DPJ, with Kan being presented as the alternative candidate to thenPrime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. His face was used as the trademarkof the campaign against the LDP. However, in 2004, Kan was accusedof unpaid annuities and forced to again resign the position of leader.
On May 10, 2004, he officially announced his resignation and madethe Shikoku Pilgrimage. Later, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare spokesman apologized, saying the unpaid record was due to anadministrative error.
In mid-October 2005, Kan, who turned 60 in 2006, proposed thecreation of a new political party to be called the “Dankai (baby boomer)Party.” The initial intent of the party was to offer places of activity for theJapanese baby boomers — 2.7 million of whom began to retire en massein 2007. He believes the Japan Self-Defense Forces should play a moreprominent role on the international stage.
