With the Futenma debacle just the latest of the Democratic Party of Japan's broken pledges, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is increasingly being seen as a liability as his party faces July's Upper House election.
"The outcome of the Futenma issue is an indication of how Hatoyama is merely a greenhorn," Keio University professor Fukashi Horie said.
The expert on politics, who criticized the prime minister for his lack of knowledge during political negotiations, said Hatoyama must take much of the blame for the administration's disappointing performance.