A fish called Noda

By H.T. | TOKYO

THERE is not a lot that instantly stands out about Yoshihiko Noda, who was chosen in an internal ruling-party election on August 29th to become Japan's seventh prime minister in only five years. But at least two things can be said for him before he is dismissed as yet another here-today, gone-tomorrow face in some G8 summit's photo: he has a healthy sense of crisis, and a nicely self-deprecating sense of humour.

In mid-August, he wrote a blog post (sorry, Japanese only), referring extensively to our cover story of July 30th, “Turning Japanese”, which is about debt and politics in the West. As Japan's finance minister, he could have focused on the debt issue alone, but instead he chose to translate—and echo—our lament about Japan's long-standing political paralysis. “I feel very keenly the eyes of the foreign media on our country. And I think a lot of Japanese people feel that things are not working the way they should.” He added, “When the time comes, I will put myself forward.”

At the time, some people would have shuddered at the thought that such a little known politician—and one closely aligned with that bureaucratic powerhouse, the ministry of finance—might replace the woefully uncharismatic Naoto Kan. But there is at least one thing to be thankful for in today's victory: Mr Noda sidelined one of the main forces of paralysis in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Ichiro Ozawa, who continues to head the largest faction within the party though he has been indicted in a money scandal and his party membership is suspended.

Mr Ozawa backed Banri Kaieda, a trade minister who looked increasingly in danger of becoming a puppet for the backroom fixer. But though the first vote put Mr Kaieda in front, thanks to the support of Mr Ozawa's cronies, it was not enough to win him an outright victory. In the run-off, Mr Noda's supporters joined forces with those of Seiji Maehara, another anti-Ozawa candidate who lost in the first round (and whom we had thought would be the front-runner, because of his support among the electorate at large). Mr Noda won with 215 votes to Mr Kaieda's 177. It is the second time this year—the first was a no-confidence vote against Mr Kan in June—that Mr Ozawa has failed to impose his will on the party, though that is not to say that he will stop making mischief for the new leader.

Mr Maehara's performance, at first glance, was disappointing. The pro-America former foreign minister could have used his popularity among the ordinary electorate to galvanise people's interest in politics after so many weak prime ministers. But he failed to excite his fellow lawmakers and has had funding irregularities of his own, which he admitted during a weekend of campaigning. There is some gossip that he and Mr Noda, who was his senior at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management when they both studied politics, may have struck a deal to defeat Mr Ozawa and his allies. If true, that would make his defeat look less embarrassing.

But Mr Noda deserves credit, as much as anything, for outshining his rivals in an impassioned 15-minute speech just before voting began. In it he told a very human story about how he had come from nowhere(well, the eastern prefecture of Chiba in fact, but that, to many Tokyoites, is the same), without political connections, and how he stumped on the streets for days at a time trying to drum up political support.

Deftly, he drew attention to what some people regard as his weakest point—that he does not look like a prime minister. “There is no point in a loach trying to mimic a goldfish,” he said, comparing himself to the whiskered, mud-dwelling fish. He then promised, in a loose translation, to “stink like mud” in trying to push the country forward. Neither did he flinch from warning the Japanese that they may have to shoulder a heavier burden (ie, pay higher taxes) because of the nation's budgetary and debt problems.

These were nice touches, especially after Mr Kaeida's empty rhetoric. It is hard to get excited, however. A few weeks ago, Mr Noda entangled himself in what could potentially be a point of tension with neighbouring South Korea when he reiterated his long-held view that Japan's war criminals are not actually criminals. And he has done a less-than-spectacular job as finance minister, though he has been a steady one. The problems he faces are mostly the same as those faced by Mr Kan: the need to clear up a huge natural and nuclear disaster with only a split party, a divided parliament, and no common idea of what the priorities should be. It is a relief to see that he has a flair for oratory. But what he most urgently needs to do is to make the rest of Japan's political class shut up and get to work.