Tokyo: The Japanese government Wednesday
congratulated David Cameron on becoming Britain`s new prime
minister following last week`s general election.
"I`d like to congratulate (him) from the bottom of my
heart," Hirofumi Hirano, the government`s top spokesman, said
at a regular news conference in reference to Cameron, who
became Britain`s first Conservative prime minister in 13 years
yesterday following the resignation of Gordon Brown.
Hirano said it is worth watching carefully whether the
launch of a coalition government in Britain is "a trend of the
times or a temporary phenomenon."
The British political system has traditionally been
viewed as an ideal example of a mature democracy by a number
of Japanese politicians, including many Democratic Party of
Japan lawmakers hoping to see the country`s politics evolve
into a two-party system.
However, the long history of two-party politics ended in
Britain after the Conservatives, who won the most seats in
Thursday`s general election, fell short of a majority and
agreed on a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.
This is the first time since World War II that a
coalition government has formed in Britain.
PTI
