Word: koizumi
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...After the announcement of his new cabinet Monday, a somber Abe appeared before reporters Monday night to show that he too was a changed man. The Prime Minister who swept into office carrying the reform torch of his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi described the changes as "unfortunate" and painful, but necessary. Moreover, during the 20-minute press conference, he wholly ignored the subject of constitutional amendment, and mentioned his other favorite subject, North Korean abductions, only after a reporter's prompting. "I believe the new cabinet has appropriate people placed in appropriate places," he told reporters. Jun Iio, a political science...
...Japan. Throughout most of the postwar era, entrenched bureaucrats and the LDP élite plotted the course of the country through backroom deals and alliances. But in recent years the country's political landscape has begun to change, thanks largely to the dynamic style of Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who bypassed the old guard and took his case for reform directly to the voters. That was progress, but what's still missing is an alternative to the LDP, something that is needed even more now that the ruling coalition is in danger of unraveling...
Virtually anything could happen over the coming weeks - one Tokyo TV station has even helpfully spliced its election coverage with dramatizations of the various scenarios, from Abe resigning to former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi entering the picture, with look-alike actors playing the roles of Abe and Ozawa. But what is certain is that Abe's vision of a stronger, more assertive Japan is finished for now. In one of the election's biggest surprises, the LDP's usually reliable coalition partner Komeito performed well under expectations - in part, suggests Jun Iio of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies...
...Perhaps the most optimistic outcome would see reform-minded young members of both parties join forces to form a new coalition ready to tackle Japan's problems, but the revolution seems unlikely. Less than two years after Koizumi electrified the nation by calling a snap election to defend his reform plans, voters seem resigned to the return of Japanese politics as usual. Back at the Minato welfare office, 71-year-old Asako Hamada sees little reason for hope. "I don't know anything about politics, but I know things are not well at the present moment," she says. "That neither...
...That disengagement-and his own conciliatory nature-might have led Abe to take too light a hand with his ministerial team. Despite promises that he would centralize power in the Prime Minister's office, bureaucrats have recovered some of the influence they'd lost under Koizumi's reform-minded administration. Abe's own ministers have fallen into scandal after scandal. By July 8 even one of Abe's substitute ministers-Agriculture Minister Norihiko Akagi, named to replace the late Matsuoka-was mired in a fresh campaign-funding scandal. "He's just not any good at picking his team," says...