Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won an overwhelming victory in the country's 44th parliamentary elections on Sept. 11. The LDP and its coalition partner New Komeito will continue their political cohabitation to rule the nation.
The recent election's show-stopper was the debate over whether to carry out the privatization of Japan's postal service, which was Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's big election gamble. The election result shows that Koizumi was right to bet on appealing directly to voters to back his reform agenda.
Japan Post is not simply a postal company, but rather a financial services giant that includes a savings bank and insurance business with a combined US$3.2 trillion in assets. The figure is equal to 25 percent of Japan's total savings and two-thirds of its GDP. Thus, Japan Post is what may be regarded as the world's biggest financial institution, whose interest on postal savings is tax-exempt. Eradicating corruption in Japan's postal system and the "black-box" or non-transparent use of savings has been the key to Koizumi's structural reforms since he was head of the postal services agency. His party's victory will further cement his position as prime minister, and leave him free to enact reforms. As a result, postal reform -- which Koizumi believes will establish his place in history -- will be realized.
Three factors helped Koizumi break the political deadlock. First, the reason he was able to fight his way back from what looked like certain defeat was his demand that the issue of postal privatization be put before the people through dissolving the lower house and letting the public decide whether or not they support postal reform. Culturally and historically speaking, Japan is a strongly idealistic nation, so its people generally admire brave warriors who charge forward despite difficulties. Hero worship has long been a mark of the Japanese people, and Koizumi's "epic" stand on reform has impressed the public.
Second, his decision to dissolve the lower house was made at a good time, since it deflected attention from the controversy over whether he would visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15. He did not end up visiting the shrine on that day, at a separate government-sponsored memorial service he offered an apology for Japan's wartime aggression and vowed that the country would never wage war again. This move was admired by the public, and it has paid political dividends by giving Koizumi a five percentage point gain in popularity.
Third, his party's tactic of nominating what the media called "assassin" candidates, especially women, proved a powerful propaganda weapon. This policy has convinced many voters that he's serious about change. The LDP also established a "headhunting unit" to encourage members of the social elite, including celebrities, to run for election. Their participation greatly increased Japan's usually low voter turnout, and helped bolster Koizumi's triumph in parliamentary polls.
Koizumi is one of a small number of strong post-war prime ministers, and his victory indicates a longing for a leader to push through reforms. Japanese society now suffers from a lack of focus, which could arise from public dissatisfaction with Japan's economy and political corruption. It could also be caused in part by anxieties over the pressure from the economic boom in neighboring nations, which has underlined their own loss of national status and lack of direction. But another result of Koizumi's tough stance could be a more aggressive foreign policy, and this is something that should also concern us.
Li Ming-juinn is the chief-editor of the Japanese edition of Issues & Studies, which is published by the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University.
TRANSLATED BY LIN YA-TI
On March 22, 2023, at the close of their meeting in Moscow, media microphones were allowed to record Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) telling Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, “Right now there are changes — the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years — and we are the ones driving these changes together.” Widely read as Xi’s oath to create a China-Russia-dominated world order, it can be considered a high point for the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea (CRINK) informal alliance, which also included the dictatorships of Venezuela and Cuba. China enables and assists Russia’s war against Ukraine and North Korea’s
After thousands of Taiwanese fans poured into the Tokyo Dome to cheer for Taiwan’s national team in the World Baseball Classic’s (WBC) Pool C games, an image of food and drink waste left at the stadium said to have been left by Taiwanese fans began spreading on social media. The image sparked wide debate, only later to be revealed as an artificially generated image. The image caption claimed that “Taiwanese left trash everywhere after watching the game in Tokyo Dome,” and said that one of the “three bad habits” of Taiwanese is littering. However, a reporter from a Japanese media outlet
Taiwanese pragmatism has long been praised when it comes to addressing Chinese attempts to erase Taiwan from the international stage. “Taipei” and the even more inaccurate and degrading “Chinese Taipei,” imposed titles required to participate in international events, are loathed by Taiwanese. That is why there was huge applause in Taiwan when Japanese public broadcaster NHK referred to the Taiwanese Olympic team as “Taiwan,” instead of “Chinese Taipei” during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. What is standard protocol for most nations — calling a national team by the name their country is commonly known by — is impossible for
The Iran war has exposed a fundamental vulnerability in the global energy system. The escalating confrontation between Iran, Israel and the US has begun to shake international energy markets, largely because Iran is disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow waterway carries roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil, making it one of the most strategically sensitive energy corridors in the world. Even the possibility of disruption has triggered sharp volatility in global oil prices. The duration and scope of the conflict remain uncertain, with senior US officials offering contradictory signals about how long military operations might continue.
RSS