On June 2^nd, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (鳩山由紀夫 or Hatoyama Yukio) announced his resignation as Prime Minister. The former Prime Minister (pictured left) broke his promise to close an American military base in Okinawa (沖縄). Poor public opinion in the polls and with an upper house election coming up next month, Hatoyama was forced to resign.

So what does this all mean? It means that Japan has a new Prime Minister. His name is Naoto Kan (菅直人 or Kan Naoto) and he is part of the Minshutō (民主党) or the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Kan was a finance minister under Hatoyama and earned the nickname Irakan (いらかん) or Fretful Kan, for his short temper.

When Kan is appointed minister by the Emperor this June, he will become Japan’s 94^th Prime Minister. If he wants to stay as Prime Minister, Kan will have to tackle Japan’s economy and continue to secure the confidence of the Shūjīn (衆議院) or the House of Representatives. If he doesn’t, he will either have to resign or face the public humiliation of being ousted by Japan’s House of Representatives. Japan has had a high turnover of Prime Ministers, and just like Hatoyama, Kan is not immune to resignation.