Not Lincoln, Just Abe

Whereas we saw Blair as smarmy and insincere, here in Japan people are condemning Abe for being a child of privilege, son of a former prime minister, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, without the toughness, character and understanding of human nature to handle such a job.

People point to the string of scandals among ministers, one of which led a cabinet minister to commit suicide, as a symptom of Abe’s lack of grip.

They are also ridiculing Abe for the manner of his going, checking into a hospital from which he has still not emerged.

Pulling a sickie (asashoryu suru in Japanese) as an excuse for ducking responsibility, is being ridiculed as undignified, and undignified is not a good thing to be in Japan.

The new prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, seems to have the popular touch. Standing outside Shinjuku station he stated: “I’m not much well-spoken of in Nagato-cho (the Diet building) but I’ve received an enthusiastic welcome everywhere in the streets”.

Fukuda is also the son of a former prime minster but, at 71, is a much more experienced and hardened politican than Abe. "

"I won't be providing the same sort of leadership as Mr Koizumi", Fukuda drily joked, contrasting himself with Abe's predecessor as prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, who was flamboyant, principled and reformist.

Fukuda is, by all accounts, a dour, machine politican, much wedded to the politics of the pork barrel.

Japan is bracing itself for a lot of unnecessary construction projects.