A portrait of John F. Kennedy stands in Goshi Hosono¡¯s office as a reminder to the prospective leader of the opposition of the need to be ready for a crisis.
¡°I put the picture up as it forces me to ask myself if I have the strength and drive to make important decisions at crucial times,¡± Hosono said yesterday of the painting of the former U.S. president during the Cuban missile crisis. ¡°A situation where you shoulder the burden of the nation could occur at any time.¡±
Hosono, 43, likened the pressure of his role as minister for nuclear policy in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns to that of Kennedy in 1962. ¡°I was directly involved in deciding what work was needed on-site and the role of the Self-Defense Forces,¡± he said in an interview in his office adorned with maps of the area around the devastated plant.
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