The Post Office Election

12 September 2005



Japan’s Koizumi Wins Re-Election in a Landslide

Junichiro Koizumi already has a record as one of post-war Japan’s more effective prime ministers. He’s managed to get the economy to grow, he’s managed to deploy military forces abroad despite a constitution that circumscribes such use of power, and he’s served longer than anyone else in the job for two decades. However, his election victory over the week-end will change not only the Japanese economy for the better, but it has also changed the ruling Liberal Democrats sedate, rural focus.

The snap election came after the Upper House of the Diet decided to reject the prime minister’s proposed privatization of the Post Office. The PO in Japan is a Godzilla of banking and putting it in private hands will reduce the influence of politicians in the economy. Mr. Koizumi’s solution to the rebels' stand was to go over their heads to the electorate. It was a gamble that paid off in spades.

In the Lower House, there are 480 seats, meaning 241 is a majority. The Liberal Democrats secured 296 seats, and their coalition partners, the New Komeito Party, won 31 seats. The 327 combined total is good for 68%, more than the two-thirds needed to over-ride the Upper House. And the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, Katsuya Okada, retains his dignity by taking responsibility for the crushing defeat by resigning.

However, Mr. Koizumi went even farther than crushing the opposition, he also took on his own party’s rebels. He withdrew party support from them, put up his own hand-picked candidates (which the Japanese media dubbed “assassins”), and proved that not only is all politics local, it’s also very personal. The Prime Minister can now privatize the PO and do just about whatever he wants.

But what else does he want? He said as the counting of votes came to an end, “I intend to push forward policies on other issues of concern to the people, such as social insurance, in parallel with postal reform.” But he was light on details. One thing he did say quite clearly, he was going to quit in a year, as he always has promised. “I have said I have no intention of staying on as party president and prime minister [beyond September 2006], and there is no change to that.” Which means all eyes move to Shinzo Abe, tipped to succeed Mr. Koizumi. What reforms does Mr. Abe want, and how much of Mr. Koizumi’s mandate will transfer to him?


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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