Japanese asked to head IMF

Japanese asked to head IMF

MANILA (AP): Asian nations were building a consensus Friday
around supporting a Japanese candidate to head the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), signaling a resurgent confidence on the
world stage after two years of being humbled by economic crisis.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus
Japan, China and South Korea were conferring ahead of an informal
ASEAN summit this weekend on the idea of Eisuke Sakakibara, a
former vice finance minister for international affairs, to head
the IMF.

Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan of Thailand was asked by The
Associated Press in an interview whether a consensus was emerging
to support the Japanese for the post, which has traditionally
been held by a European.

"There seems to be," Surin said. "Certainly, there have been
some positive responses."