Question

The politician who had been Prime Minister for the longest period since the Second World War was:

• A. Hirohito
• B. Kakuei Tanaka
• C. Nakasone
• D. Eisaku Sato

Hint:

When comparing time periods in such questions, always look for explicit numerical or descriptive duration clues in the passage.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The passage states that Eisaku Sato served as Prime Minister for eight uninterrupted years during the 1960s and early 1970s.
This tenure was the longest since the Second World War, so long that it led to fears about excessive concentration of power in one leader’s hands and resulted in the Liberal Democratic Party adopting a two-year term norm for its leader.
Option (a) Hirohito — is incorrect because he was the Emperor, not a Prime Minister.
Option (b) Kakuei Tanaka — served as PM but not for the longest time; his career was cut short by a bribery scandal.
Option (c) Nakasone — served for 5 years, which was unusual in length but still shorter than Sato’s tenure.
Thus, (d) is correct.