Inheriting a mountain of problems from his predecessor's administration, newly elected Prime Minister Naoto Kan appears to be clear about one thing: something must be done about the snowballing government debt and moribund economy.
"Japan's economy will grow again if (policies follow) the right direction," Kan told reporters Thursday at the Democratic Party of Japan headquarters to announce his bid for the party presidency. Kan was elected DPJ president and prime minister Friday.
"As for fiscal reconstruction, this is a very difficult issue. I won't say it can be solved in a short time," Kan said. "But at least I think I can change the previous system, that is, the quagmire where the government debts kept increasing endlessly."