Japanese Government Again Rudderless

With the resignation today of Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the Japanese state finds itself once again struggling to find a charismatic leader to resemble the former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

As with Koizumi's hand-picked successor, Shinzo Abe, who resigned shortly after taking office due to health reasons, the departure of Fukuda leaves the shaky Japanese economy in a state of continued turmoil, exacerbated by another power vacuum at the top.

With the Japanese Parliament evenly divided between Fukuda's party and the opposition party, a genuine unifier and political healer will be necessary to stem the tide of turmoil that has been the recent hallmark of Japan's economic downturn.

With China's rising influence in the region, as demonstrated by their recent extraordinary performance in hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Japanese must come together to shake off their malaise both economically and politically before it is too late.