Over the past few days, pressure had been building on Japanese prime minister, Mr Hatoyama, to resign, from within the party as well as from the wider public. It was his failure to resolve the issue of the US military bases in Okinawa, that ultimately led to his resignation. The junior partner in the coalition, the Social Democrats, withdrew their support after the government decided to move a US military base within the main island of Okinawa. He had promised, and staked his government’s reputation, to move the base in Futenma elsewhere, outside the prefecture, hopefully outside the country. Mr Hatoyama could not find an acceptable solution for the people of Okinawa or for the American government.
Japan PM resigns
2 June 2010