Gov. Wataru Aso of Fukuoka Prefecture has been elected to a third two-year term as head of the National Governors' Association, at a time when the nation is suffering from a deep economic downturn and is in the grip of a new influenza virus. In combating these and other problems, the head of the nation's 47 prefectural governors has a heavy responsibility. It is hoped that Mr. Aso will live up to his slogan — "A governors' association that acts and changes Japan" — and help the governors exert a positive influence on politics.
Behind his election was the apparent preference among many governors for a leader who places more importance on coordinating different opinions than on exercising strong leadership. More than 20 prefectural governors are former bureaucrats. Mr. Aso himself was a bureaucrat with the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
But the association is undergoing change. The governors of Yamagata, Chiba and Akita prefectures were elected to their office this year for the first time. A total of 19 governors are serving their first term.