Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has a new year’s resolution, and that is to leverage social media to help improve his reputation amongst the people of Japan.
Apparently Mr. Hatoyama is the most popular politician on the block. But I will say that because he’s turning to Twitter and blogging, I’m going to chalk him up to the perhaps the smartest politician on the block!
Here’s the links to the Japanese PM’s Twitter and blog:
The Twitter account is https://twitter.com/hatoyamayukio, while his official blog is at http://hatocafe.kantei.go.jp/
Here’s the Twitter profile translated into English using Google Translator.
“Happy New Year everyone,” he said in his first tweet, stressing that he had written it himself. “My target is to send one tweet a day for now until I get used to it.”
Here’s more about Mr. Hatoyama from the AFP:
“Support for Hatoyama’s cabinet has dipped below 50 percent for the first time according to major opinion polls released last month. Voters criticised his lack of leadership and a funding scandal.
In his blog, Hatoyama apologised for a political funding scandal that has embroiled a former aide, saying: “I gave a lot of trouble to many people last year. Listening to the people’s voice, I want to do my best to fulfil my duty.”
Prosecutors indicted Hatoyama’s former aide, Keiji Katsuba, in late December for allegedly misreporting millions of dollars of donations, but did not indict the prime minister due to a lack of evidence.
The indictments came after a difficult first 100 days in office for the political blue-blood, whose August election victory ended more than half a century of almost unbroken conservative rule in the world’s number two economy.
Online political activity remains rare in Japan as the law prohibits campaigning on the Internet ahead of national elections.”