Japan elections (1940 -) The grandson of Shigeru Yoshida, who laid the ground for conservative dominance of Japanese post-war politics, Aso has an elite political and business pedigree and in the 1970s led the flagship family corporation Aso Cement. As foreign minister under Junichiro Koizumi and his successor Shinzo Abe, Aso was known as a nationalist keen to take a hard line on North Korea and China.
In 2008, Aso’s image as a populist with a dry sense of humour and a well-publicised enthusiasm for comic books helped him win election as LDP leader and thus to became Japan’s fourth prime minister in three years. However, a series of gaffes and policy flip flops combined with an economic slump of historic proportions sent his popularity ratings tumbling. His decision to call the general election for August 30 was widely seen as primarily intended to head off attempts by party colleagues to replace him as LDP chief before the vote
