The 2011 TIME 100 Poll

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes that you think are the most influential people in the world. Though official voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list has now closed (with Rain as the 2011 readers' choice), users can continue to vote for their favorites until the final list, selected by our editors, is revealed on Thursday, April 21st

TIME 100 Candidates

Naoto Kan

By TIME StaffMonday, Apr. 04, 2011
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Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Age: 64
Occupation: Prime Minister of Japan
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0

Even before Japan was devastated by a succession of disasters, Prime Minister Naoto Kan was vulnerable, his administration dogged by funding scandals and a wilting economy. During the recent crises, he has called for calm and pledged to guide the island nation in a reconstruction effort of postwar proportions. But popular criticism of Kan's low public profile and sluggish emergency response leaves doubt as to whether Japan's latest leader will recover with his country.

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