Japanese Prime Minister to resign over Okinawa U.S. air base

Tokyo - For the fourth straight time a Japanese leader has resigned after only being in office for less than one month. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will resign over disputes of the U.S. base that has brought an unfavorable opinion among the Japanese.

According to NHK World English, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced during a news conference that was broadcasted nationwide on Tuesday that he will be resigning his post as Prime Minister. Hatoyama took office eight months ago when his Democratic Party won overwhelmingly. The Prime Minister’s approval rating has declined over the last several months due to the country’s national public debt and the issue of relocating the United States Air Base in Okinawa in the southern region of Japan. The party’s executives will now meet to discuss a new leader and how to handle the matter. The Associated Press reports that members of his own party had urged him to resign before the July elections.