Japan PM struggles to find new policy cure

Hatoyama asks voters to be patient, says more fiscal discipline needed

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, his ratings sliding ahead of a key election, admitted on Friday his novice government had made mistakes but asked voters to be patient while he pursued his agenda of change.

Hatoyama gave few concrete clues, though, as to how his six-month-old administration would resolve thorny policy problems, like keeping costly campaign pledges without inflating Japan's massive public debt and settling a row with security ally Washington over a military base without upsetting residents.