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Journalism of Courage
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s long-ruling party won a stunning landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, Japanese media said, giving the US-ally a broad mandate to press on with reforms.
The Liberal Democratic Party, which has been governing in coalition, won 296 seats in the 480-seat chamber. The main Opposition Democratic Party struggled, finishing a distant second with 113 seats.
Before the 480-member lower house was dissolved, the LDP held 249 seats, coalition partner New Komeito had 34 and the Democrats 175. But 37 LDP rebels who voted against postal reform were refused a place on the party ticket by Koizumi.
The result was a striking victory for Koizumi, a media-savvy maverick who gambled his career in a populist appeal to voters to back his plan to privatise Japan’s postal system, a financial services giant that includes a postal savings bank and insurance business with $3 trillion in assets.
The 63-year-old Koizumi, a telegenic veteran with a knack for punchy slogans but a mixed record on implementing change, called the election after LDP lawmakers helped the Opposition defeat bills to privatise Japan Post in the upper house.
The victory for Koizumi’s coalition will please Washington, where he is seen as a staunch friend for backing the US-led war on Iraq, and will be welcomed by investors. —Reuters
