Japanese PM Naoto Kan quits

After five months of record-low approval ratings since Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced his resignation. The country is now set to get its seventh leader in six years when the governing Democratic Party of Japan elects its new leader next Monday. Former foreign minister Seiji Maehara is the most likely successor, though he could face up to five opponents, according to Japanese media. Kan was criticized for the way he handled the country’s nuclear disaster and resulting humanitarian emergency after the tsunami.

Sydney Morning Herald