Fukuda Takes Office as Japanese Prime Minister
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

TOKYO — Yasuo Fukuda took office as Japan’s prime minister today, promising to use his skills as a negotiator to win approval for extending Tokyo’s contentious mission in support of American troops in Afghanistan.
The 71-year-old, who studied backroom politics at the knee of his prime minister father, cast himself as the steady hand Japan needs after the scandal-scarred one-year term of his youthful predecessor, Shinzo Abe, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago.
“There is room for discussion with our opponents, if they are willing to engage with us,” Mr. Fukuda said yesterday in his first news conference after winning election in Parliament. “I believe the government and all parties can come together to the negotiating table.”