Japan: Prime Minister Naoto Kan Resigns

First Steve Jobs, now this? Kyodo News reports that Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has resigned. This resignation, too, was expected: Kan first indicated he would step down three months ago, not long after the 3/11 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear contamination crisis.

In his final months, Kan articulated a vision for a nuclear-free Japan that struck a popular chord with a nation reeling from the Fukushima nuclear disaster and its still-unfolding consequences. What becomes of that no-more-nukes vision depends in part on who succeeds him. That person will be Japan's sixth PM in five years.

The Democratic Party of Japan's election for a new party president, who then becomes prime minister, is expected to take place Monday.

Japan: Prime Minister Naoto Kan resigns

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