Released: September 22, 2008

A New Leader for a Chronically Gloomy Japan

With international financial markets in turmoil, it was not surprising that the selection of Taro Aso as the new leader of Japan's long-time ruling party played out against a backdrop of national apprehensiveness and pessimism. Yet even if international financial markets had not been in turmoil, it would have been surprising if Monday's selection had been framed by anything other than a backdrop of national apprehensiveness and pessimism.

Read the full commentary at pewresearch.org