Can Japan’s Kan Hold On?

Just as President Barack Obama is nearing the half-way mark of his first term in office, Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, recently passed the half-way mark of his premiership, six months after succeeding ex-premier Yukio Hatoyama.

Okay, that was kind of snarky. Unlike Obama, Kan doesn’t have a fixed term, save that of parliament itself which has about …