The Decline and Fall of Yukio Hatoyama

Eight months ago, Japan’s Yukio Hatoyama was a star. His leftist Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) had stormed to electoral victory, ousting a conservative party that had governed almost uninterrupted since the 1950s. Yesterday, he resigned after a massive collapse in popularity.

It’s true that Japanese prime ministers tend to have short tenures and resign when they lose public or party confidence. (In fact, Hatoyama is the fourth Prime Minister to resign in the last four years.) What is remarkable, however, is just how quickly the DPJ’s popularity collapsed after such a historic victory.