
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 7, 1993                   TAG: 9308070030
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: TOKYO                                LENGTH: Medium

JAPAN GETS NEW PRIME MINISTER

A new era of Japanese politics officially began Friday night as the national parliament handed the reins of government to Morihiro Hosokawa, a political maverick who rose to the top by challenging the nation's entrenched bureaucracy and the conservative power structure that has run the country for four decades.

Hosokawa flashed a smile and then offered a deep bow as the lower house of the Diet, or parliament, elected him prime minister. He is the first premier in 38 years who does not represent the Liberal Democratic Party. "One era has ended," he said after the vote. "A new chapter of history begins."

In a further symbol of the winds of change sweeping through Japan's political world, the traditionally conservative and male-dominated Diet elected Takako Doi, a fiercely liberal female member of the Socialist Party, to be the speaker of the House.

The transformation of power was carried out with great verve and lots of noise in the lavish mahogany-paneled lower house chamber. Members of the seven-party coalition that Hosokawa heads were in a celebratory mood; members of the Liberal Democratic Party, which lost its governing majority in last month's national election, were alternately sullen and raucous during the Diet session that officially ended their long period of control.

The Liberal Democrats, signaling their intention to be belligerent in their new role as the opposition, had blocked the election of the new prime minister Thursday and tried to do so again Friday night. The LDP members rose to their feet and roared with outrage over a minor procedural error by a house clerk, but the ploy only delayed Hosokawa's election for an hour.

Because of the Liberal Democrats' successful delays Thursday, there was no government in place Friday. That meant there was no Cabinet member to attend a crucial annual event in Japan - the memorial ceremony honoring the victims of the atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima 48 years ago Friday. Television commentators generally blamed the Liberal Democrats for this lapse, suggesting that the party is not benefiting from its aggressive opposition stance.

Hosokawa is scheduled to announce his Cabinet Monday, drawing members from the diverse seven-party coalition known in the press here as the "Not-LDP." A long weekend of intra-coalition negotiations is expected to settle the key appointments.

The 55-year-old Hosokawa - the name means "Narrow River" - is youthful by the standards of Japanese politics. His ascendancy has caught the fancy of the popular media in a big way because he is the direct descendant of a famous clan of feudal lords. He is considered so handsome and aristocratic that just four years ago he was cast in the heartthrob role in a hit samurai movie.

In the voting for prime minister Friday night, Hosokawa won 262 votes for an easy victory over the new Liberal Democratic Party leader, Yohei Kono, who received 224.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers commented Friday, "We look forward to working with the new prime minister. . . . We look forward to a continued good relationship. And as the president has said many times, it's as important as any relationship we have in the world."

by CNB