NEW YORK, Aug. 29 Kyodo
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal said that Noda, who has advocated a temporary tax hike to finance reconstruction from the March 11 disaster, is seen by economists and political analysts as a ''steady hand.'' His stance was welcomed by the bond market, which saw a downgrading of Japanese sovereign debt last week, it said.The two papers said Noda will likely see improvements in the running of Diet affairs because of his willingness to cooperate with the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition forces, which are capable of blocking most bills due to their control of the House of Councillors.of Japan, The New York Times reported Monday.''Mr. Noda will take over the daunting tasks of leading Japan's recovery from the deadly earthquake and the clean-up of radiation from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, while also overcoming the challenges of two decades of economic stagnation, an aging population and the rise of neighboring China,'' the daily said in its electronic version.It said that Noda, who lacks a large power base within the party and was seen running a distant third before the DPJ's lawmakers voted Monday, scored a ''surprise victory'' and that the DPJ was apparently signaling an ''effort to move beyond deep divisions that have undermined the party.''Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who has been elected to lead the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, is a relative political unknown who faces heavy responsibility as the next prime minister
But on the diplomatic front, Noda could increase frictions with China and other Asian countries because of his position that Japan's wartime leaders were not war criminals, the reports said.
