The resignation on Monday of Yasuo Fukuda, prime minister of Japan, was dramatic – but the outcomes will not be. Mr Fukuda came to power only last year, after the resignation of Shinzo Abe, and his resignation will, eventually, lead to the appointment of a new prime minister. But the government is, in truth, taking drastic steps to change as little as possible.

Japanese politics is a stable game. Mr Fukuda’s Liberal Democratic party is the dominant force in political life. Backed by a once-formidable coalition of farmers, civil servants and businesspeople , it has been out of power for only 11 months since 1955. Debates occur within the LDP rather than between parties. The government’s policy options are also curtailed by the civil service, which is a powerful – and conservative – interest.