Japan’s New Prime Minister--Friends and Foes at Home and Abroad

JAPAN

“The story of Kiichi Miyazawa’s ascent to the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (and to be prime minister) shows that a politician, even though he is not too popular among his colleagues, may have a chance to win the coveted post if he has the health to outlive his rivals and some luck comes his way.”

--Asahi Evening News

“I was in agony. I had never had such a hard time (making up my mind) before.”

--Shin Kanemaru, LDP politician, on voting for Miyazawa

“Miyazawa is said to have promised that he would leave party politics to (Noboru) Takeshita’s faction (in the LDP) if he could be prime minister. (Miyazawa’s) faction has been criticized as lacking in talent, so Takeshita’s people think he’ll also have to turn to them for his Cabinet.”

--Focus, a weekly magazine

“The last election of the LDP presidency, insipid as it was . . . still gave some hint of robustness relative to (Miyazawa’s) election.”

--Asahi Shimbun

“Miyazawa is regarded as intellectually arrogant and as a cold fish in the LDP. He sneers when other LDP members discuss the economy.”

--An LDP member, in Nikkei Weekly

“(Miyazawa’s) political enemies ask how a person who cannot manage his own personal crisis can manage a national crisis.”

--Daily Yomiuri

TAIWAN

“The Miyazawa Cabinet should be quite friendly.”

--Central Daily News columnist

“What puts the minds of Asians relatively at ease is that Miyazawa has always been considered by the Japanese to be a dove. He’s not like the other politicians, who have a latent militaristic mind-set.”

--China Times

HONG KONG

“The great hope must be that whatever else he achieves, Miyazawa will make many more of his fellow citizens realize that they have much to gain by being less exclusively Japanese--and that better communication with outsiders does have its advantages.”

--South China Morning Post columnist

THAILAND

“The next Japanese government led by Miyazawa will most likely continue to involve Japan in world affairs because of Miyazawa’s keen interest and experience in international relations.”

--Editorial in the Nation

“Corruption is a serious wrong in this country. It exists not just in the police department. It exists in many areas and on many levels. But I can assure you we don’t have a monopoly on corruption here. I lived in New York City for 12 years.”

--Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun

SINGAPORE

“The hard-won camaraderie working women today enjoy with their male colleagues could be lost if more males grow wary that a casual remark, even a flattering one, might one day return to haunt them when they are in more exalted positions.”

--Straits Times columnist on Clarence Thomas hearings