Japan's parliament elected outspoken populist Naoto Kan as prime minister Friday, handing the political veteran the immediate task of rallying his party and reclaiming its mandate for change before elections next month. Kan succeeds Yukio Hatoyama, who stepped down Wednesday after squandering the public's high hopes with broken campaign promises, including moving a US Marine base off Okinawa island, and financial scandals. “My task is to rebuild this nation,” said Kan, who was Hatoyama's finance minister. In a statement Friday, Kan described the relationship with the US as vital, but also stressed the importance of Asian neighbors. He said he would honor the recent agreement between Tokyo and Washington reaffirming a 2006 deal to move US Marine Air Station Futenma to a less-crowded part of Okinawa. Hatoyama's failure to keep a campaign pledge to move Futenma off the island led to his downfall. But Kan faces intense opposition from island residents who want the base moved off Okinawa entirely, and some analysts have questioned whether the plan can actually be carried out. “This is an extremely tough issue that I must tackle firmly and patiently,” he said. Kan's first task will be to form a Cabinet. He said he would announce the members “early next week” after thinking about the posts over the weekend. “We will work together as one in the face of the tough political situation and the upcoming upper house elections and fight together unified,” he told party members. “Our first priority is to regain the trust of the people.” Kan, the country's sixth prime minister in four years, pledged to confront problems linking money and politics. He also stressed the need for fiscal discipline while trying to spur economic growth. Chosen Friday morning as new chief of the Democratic Party of Japan, Kan was voted into office a few hours later by the lower house, the more powerful chamber of Japan's parliament.
