Well, Japan is bidding farewell to yet another Prime Minister, with Yukio Hatoyama’s announcement that he’ll be quitting the job after eight months, along with embattled kingmaker Ozawa. While the main reasons for Hatoyama’s departure are his failure to find an alternate location for the Futenma U.S. base in Okinawa and money-related scandals — he “forgot” to declare $10 million in payments he received from his mother, heir to the Bridgestone tire fortune — there are other reasons his cabinet lost public support. In order to get voters to to give them a majority, the Democratic Party of Japan had to make some big promises in their “Manifesto,” including paying families $250 per child per month and making all Japan’s toll freeways “free,” all of which would be paid for by canceling a few unnecessary public works projects. The reality has proved more challenging, and several campaign promises have been put on hold indefinitely. Who will replace Hatoyama as Japan’s top leader? Smart-looking Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada? National Policy Minister Yoshito Sengoku, with his cool-sounding name? The Star Trek fan in me is rooting for Finance Minister Naoto Kan, because no one would ever forget his name. KHAAAAN!
As soon as the next PM is chosen, we’ll open the poole on how many months he’ll last and what his reason for quitting will be (“bad health” etc.). 
Fade to Black: Hatoyama and Ozawa announce their resignation.
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