This week’s Fun Link Friday comes from Japan Probe’s posting of an online poll from Sankei Shinbum in a leadership series on January 2nd. The poll asks participants to rate who they thought were ideal leaders and the worst leaders, past and present.

Sakamoto Ryōma 坂本龍馬 (1836-1867), the rebel leader who attempted to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate, is at the top of the ideal leader list and maintains a wide popular appeal.

Oda Nobunaga 織田信長 (1534-1582) appears on the best list at number 2 and also the worst list at number 6. You can’t have it all, I suppose, when you change the face of warfare both effectively and brutally, but at least in burning things to the ground and conquering half the provinces back in the day you can say you’ve been decisive.

Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 (1543-1616) rounds out the top best three as the type of cunning leader who makes sure he’s in the right place at the right time with the right people.

An overwhelming majority of participants in the poll answered “yes” when asked if there is a greater need for strong leadership in today’s government. Having these iconic historical figures at the top three may certainly be a reflection of that. Is there a government leader from the last few years who could be called the “Ryoma of Heisei”? The poll results seem to answer with a resounding “no.” The top 3 worst leaders selected are the some of the most recent prime ministers, with Hatoyama Yukio taking the top spot. If you want to see the full translated list of the best and worst voted, check out the translations provided by Japan Probe.

Have a great weekend!