Yukio Hatoyama

Under the U.S. occupation, Japan became a multiparty democracy in 1945. English-speaking, pro- American Catholic Shigeru Yoshida was its first noteworthy prime minister, serving from 1946-47, then from 1948-54. Japan’s postwar economic boom kicked off under Yoshida’s rule. So too did the long-running rule of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), though the LDP took its current form in 1955 under Ichiro Hatoyama, who ousted Yoshida in December 1954. The LDP has held power 53 of the 54 years since.

The LDP leader is Japan’s current prime minister, Taro Aso, Yoshida’s grandson. And for the first time in Japan’s post-war history, in eight days Japan will enshrine a genuine two-party system, when the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) takes over. The DPJ is headed by Yukio Hatoyama, Ichiro Hatayama’s grandson. Hatoyama is expected to prevail in the battle of grandsons, replacing Yoshida grandson Aso as prime minister, once the DPJ ousts the LDP.

Hatoyama, Obama-style, is running as the candidate of “change” (he uses the English word). Like Obama, he calls for expanding the social safety net, and blames “market fundamentalism” for Japan’s current economic problems. But Hatoyama’s main thrust is reforming Japan’s powerful but unpopular civil service. And a second goal, somewhat ironically given Hatoyama’s four-generation political lineage, is banning “hereditary” candidates; it’s a widespread LDP practice to pass Diet seats directly from father to son.