There is no limit on the number of terms a Prime Minister can serve in the United Kingdom. A political party can stay in power for a maximum of five years before they have to call an election. If the party get re-elected, then the leader of the party will remain Prime Minister .
There is no requirement for a leader to stand down, therefore a Prime Minister can stay in office for the rest of their life, as long as they keep getting re-elected every five years.
Resignation: Yasuo Fukuda has been in office less than a year
Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda quit yesterday after barely a year in office.
The surprise move threw the world's second-largest economy into political confusion.
He said he was stepping down to avoid a 'political vacuum' as the deeply troubled government heads into a special parliamentary session later in the month.
The 72-year-old resigned days after unveiling £9billion in fresh spending to shore up the flagging economy. Inflation has hit its highest in nearly 11 years.
Growth has stalled amid anemic consumer spending and rising fuel and food prices.
'I felt that we must particularly stress the importance of the economy,' Fukuda said in the nationally televised address.
'If it will help even a little bit to make the parliamentary session go smoother, I decided that it might be better for someone other than me to lead.'
Fukuda, whose father also served as prime minister, suffered from persistently low support ratings as he presided over a parliament split between the ruling party and the opposition.
One poll published Monday showed his support rating at 29 percent, down sharply over the past month.
Fukuda recently installed his most apparent successor, former Foreign Minister Taro Aso, as secretary-general of the ruling party in a Cabinet shakeup.
Aso has kept a low profile during nearly all of Fukuda's term and could be seen as offering a fresh start for the party.
The resignation prolonged the political uncertainty that has plagued Japan since the popular Junichiro Koizumi left the premiership two years ago.
Koizumi's hand-picked successor, Shinzo Abe, lasted only a year in office, resigning in September 2007 for health reasons.
Fukuda had been considered a steady elder who would lend stability to the office.
Fukuda, however, was never able to overcome the divisions in parliament, where his ruling Liberal Democratic Party controlled the lower house and the opposition dominated the upper house.
The opposition, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, repeatedly delayed Fukuda's most closely watched legislative initiatives in parliament, such as the renewal of Japan's anti-terror mission in the Indian ocean and the selection of a new central bank governor.
Looming economic problems have also troubled the government in recent months.
The economy shrank sharply in the second quarter, effectively ending the expansion that began under Koizumi.
Fukuda alluded to his lack of popularity. He suffered throughout his term from a dowdy image in a country that had grown accustomed to Koizumi's flash.
'You may say it's irresponsible for me to resign at this time. Well, it would be good if parliamentary proceedings went smoothly if I stayed on, but in my case, I also had support ratings, along with various other problems,' Fukuda said.
Fukuda, however, attacked the opposition for creating gridlock for political gain.
'It is a fact that it took very long to decide on anything,' Fukuda said. 'It is unacceptable at this point to make a political deal or create a political vacuum.'
'I am hopeful that we can create a strong leadership and move forward to realize our policies and objectives,' he added.
Opposition leaders criticized Fukuda for stepping down, arguing that he should have called general elections instead.
The opposition triumphed in upper house elections in 2007, and have clamoured since for an early ballot for the more powerful lower house.
'He should have called elections,' said Yukio Hatoyama, a DPJ leader. 'It is irresponsible for him to simply resign.'
Fukuda did not specify when the resignation would take effect, but presumably he will stay in office until the ruling Liberal Democratic Party can select a new leader to put before parliament for a vote.
It took about two weeks for the party to choose Fukuda after Abe announced he would resign last year.
The support rate for Fukuda's Cabinet was at 29 percent in a survey conducted over the weekend, down 9 percentage points from the previous poll conducted shortly after Fukuda reshuffled his Cabinet in early August, according to a joint survey by the Nikkei business daily and TV Tokyo.
The disapproval rating was at 63 percent, up 14 points in the telephone survey from Friday to Sunday.
Ito Hirobumi started his third term as Prime Minister of Japan on January 12, 1898.
3-5 years long
Emperor Akihito
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Noda Yoshihiko was the Prime Minister of Japan at the start of 2012. Abe Shinzō became the Prime Minister of Japan on December 26.Noda replaced Naoto Kan as leader of the Democratic Party of Japan and the Prime Minister of Japan on 2011 September 2. Noda was previously the Minister of Finance. Noda's significant legacy has been to increase consumption taxes for better fiscal stability, but slower growth. Largely due to this measure, the DPJ were defeated heavily in the 2012 December election and Noda ended his term on 2012 December 26. Noda is also a martial artist and he has a black belt in judo.Abe led the Liberal Democratic Party to victory in the 2012 December election. He was previously the Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 September 26 to 2007 September 26. His policies are that of a right-wing conservative nationalist.
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