Naoto Kan elected new Prime Minister of Japan

June 5, 2010

Naoto Kan was elected as the 94th Prime Minister (PM) of Japan on Friday. He replaces Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned last week as PM and as member of the.

Hatoyama's cabinet resigned to allow the election of the new PM. Kan was elected as President of the Democratic Party and as official candidate to the position of Prime Minister. Later, an extraordinary session took place in the, where Kan was elected with a large majority. PMs are formally appointed by the, but the requires him to appoint the person "designated by the Diet." is expected to appoint Kan in mid-June.

Kan, who is 63, will have to face a growing public debt and an aging population, among other issues..