Former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi died on Sunday without having regained consciousness after he was seriously incapacitated by a stroke April 2. He was 62. Mr. Obuchi's death came before he could realize his cherished dream of hosting the annual G8 meeting in Okinawa and also before being able to confirm the sustainable recovery of the Japanese economy on which he had staked the fortunes of his administration.
In July 1998, when Mr. Obuchi took power as the successor of Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto, his Liberal Democratic Party was only a plurality force in the Upper House, although in the Lower House it had managed to gain a majority by drawing in unaffiliated Diet members who had won in the 1996 general election. The LDP had failed to get a majority in that poll.
In such a Diet, even a bill cleared by the Lower House could be killed by an alliance of opposition parties in the Upper House. Upon assuming power, therefore, Mr. Obuchi was confronted with the difficult task of dealing with this handicap in order to attain as many goals as possible in the Diet.