Getting your player ready...
Three days ago, Prime Minister Naoto Kan was fighting for his political life. Now, the success of his government might hinge on how he responds to what he calls Japan’s biggest crisis since the end of World War II.
The earthquake Friday struck hours after Kan, 64, had begun attempting to defuse a scandal over a political donation he received. He mobilized 100,000 soldiers and pledged an emergency spending package to cope with the disaster.
A bungled response could draw the kind of criticism heaped on President George W. Bush for his fumbled reaction to Hurricane Katrina.
“This is Kan’s Katrina moment,” said Jun Okumura, a consultant at the Eurasia Group risk-consulting firm in Tokyo and a former Japanese trade official.
