Japanese prime ministers aren't known for the impact they make with their words, or straight talk with the public.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had his simplistic, short-lived "beautiful country" slogan, which his successor, Yasuo Fukuda, criticized, but then followed up by repeatedly stressing, in equal vague measure, the importance of "the public viewpoint" — hardly the stuff of enduring inspiration.

And now we have Taro Aso, whose words have indeed made headlines, but not for their greatness. He is best known for stumbling over the pronunciation of kanji and his flip-flops on key policies.