Japanese are reacting with bewilderment to the news that their prime minister, Keizo Obuchi, is in a coma and in critical condition after suffering a stroke early Sunday. It's not Obuchi's condition that has people shaking their heads, but the fact that the government chose to keep silent for 22 hours before going public with the news. "Why did they hide the crisis?" wondered the Asahi, one of Japan's leading dailies. Obuchi, 62, is on life support at Tokyo's Juntendo University Hospital. A senior Cabinet minister, Mikio Aoki, has taken over as acting prime minister.
Japan PM Stricken
Japanese are reacting with bewilderment to the news that their prime minister, Keizo Obuchi, is in a coma and in critical condition after suffering a stroke early Sunday. It's not Obuchi's condition that has people shaking their heads, but the fact that the government chose to keep silent for 22 hours before going public with the news. "Why did they hide the crisis?" wondered the Asahi, one of Japan's leading dailies. Obuchi, 62, is on life support at Tokyo's Juntendo University Hospital. A senior Cabinet minister, Mikio Aoki, has taken over as acting prime minister.
