Taro Aso

Taro Aso, an outspoken nationalist and avid fan of Japanese animation characters, was chosen Monday by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to become Japan's third prime minister in less than two years. Aso, 68, will replace Yasuo Fukuda, who quit this month amid lingering economic woes. Aso won in a landslide vote over several other candidates, including Yuriko Koike, the first woman to run for the nation's highest office.

Every Aug. 15, the normally serene Yasukuni shrine in the center of Tokyo becomes the setting for a stakeout. The watchers are Japan's media. And they're watching for politicians, keeping count of who does and who does not show at this shrine to the war dead on the emotionally charged anniversary of Imperial Japan's surrender in World War II. With its soothing lanterns and elegant rice-paper walls, the 140-year-old Yasukuni is a place of contemplation and contention. The Shinto shrine is the repository for the souls of the roughly 2.5 million soldiers who died in the emperor's wars, and supporters say it serves the same purpose as Arlington in a country that has no national war cemetery.

The scramble to replace weary and beaten Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began in Tokyo's political corridors today, with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party questioning whether their salvation lies in choosing a leader who provides experience and continuity, or finding one who offers change. They have little time to make up their minds. Abe's sudden decision Wednesday to walk away from politics has cast the once-indomitable LDP adrift.

Taro Aso, an outspoken nationalist and avid fan of Japanese animation characters, was chosen Monday by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to become Japan's third prime minister in less than two years. Aso, 68, will replace Yasuo Fukuda, who quit this month amid lingering economic woes. Aso won in a landslide vote over several other candidates, including Yuriko Koike, the first woman to run for the nation's highest office.

Every Aug. 15, the normally serene Yasukuni shrine in the center of Tokyo becomes the setting for a stakeout. The watchers are Japan's media. And they're watching for politicians, keeping count of who does and who does not show at this shrine to the war dead on the emotionally charged anniversary of Imperial Japan's surrender in World War II. With its soothing lanterns and elegant rice-paper walls, the 140-year-old Yasukuni is a place of contemplation and contention. The Shinto shrine is the repository for the souls of the roughly 2.5 million soldiers who died in the emperor's wars, and supporters say it serves the same purpose as Arlington in a country that has no national war cemetery.

Kudo lost both his job and his home on the same cursed day. His construction boss told him to pack his things and clear out of the company dorm that very afternoon. Just like that, the single 30-year-old from the northern island of Hokkaido joined the ranks of Japan's burgeoning economic underclass. He slept on the subway and camped out at a Denny's, pretending to read a book while sneaking catnaps. He spent his days at a pay phone, dialing for work.

One of Japan's most heated elections in years got underway today, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the unusual position of playing underdog amid a surge of support for a conservative opposition group. No clear successor was waiting in the wings, although Foreign Minister Taro Aso was seen as the most likely to step forward should Abe find his hold on power untenable.

Japan's transport minister has resigned over a string of gaffes, according to Kyodo News agency. Nariaki Nakayama's resignation will be a major blow to Prime Minister Taro Aso, who took office Wednesday. Nakayama handed in his resignation before a Cabinet meeting today. He had called Japan's largest teachers union "a cancer" and described people who opposed the construction of Narita international airport as "more or less squeaky wheels," according to local reports.

Outspoken conservative Taro Aso took office as Japan's prime minister, promising "emergency measures" to revive the economy and vowing to keep Tokyo in the fight against global terrorism. Lawmakers elected Aso, 68, after quelling an attempt by the upper house to install a rival as premier. He stacked his Cabinet with fellow right-leaning veterans. The former foreign minister replaced Yasuo Fukuda, who struggled during his year in office with a politically divided parliament and chronically low public support ratings.

A Japanese consular official who committed suicide in Shanghai in May 2004 was blackmailed by Chinese intelligence agents who set him up with a woman in an attempt to obtain classified information, Japan's foreign minister said. The Foreign Ministry had previously said only that the official's death could be attributed an unspecified diplomatic incident with a Chinese intelligence official.

The scramble to replace weary and beaten Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began in Tokyo's political corridors today, with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party questioning whether their salvation lies in choosing a leader who provides experience and continuity, or finding one who offers change. They have little time to make up their minds. Abe's sudden decision Wednesday to walk away from politics has cast the once-indomitable LDP adrift.

Japan's top opposition leader announced that he would resign to keep a political funding scandal from pulling down his party in upcoming parliamentary elections. Ichiro Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan, said at a news conference that he had decided to resign because he did not want the scandal involving one of his aides to cloud the vote, which must be held by Sept. 10. "I deeply apologize," he said. "I must do this for myself, for the people and for my party." The announcement was a major embarrassment for the Democrats, who surged ahead of Prime Minister Taro Aso's ruling party in recent polls and had been pegged by some analysts as being in good position to win -- and possibly take over power -- if parliamentary elections are called soon.