Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed on Monday to press ahead with postal reforms, dismissing criticism that he has few other concrete plans on his policy agenda.Koizumi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) took a landslide 296 seats in the 480-seat Lower House of Parliament, the first time it has won a majority in 15 years—a victory cheered by financial markets. An official tally is due on Friday. Coalition partner New Komeito took 31 seats, allowing the ruling bloc to dominate the chamber with majorities in all committees and override the Upper House if need be.The landslide vindicated the media-savvy Koizumi’s gamble to appeal directly for voters to back his plan to privatise Japan Post. Analysts said he could come under pressure to stay on after his term as LDP President ends in September 2006, but he reiterated that he had no plan to do so.Pressure to move ahead on other policy fronts will be intense, from both financial markets and voters, but Koizumi dismissed criticism that he lacks a concrete agenda. ‘‘I intend to push forward policies on other issues of concern to the people,’’ he said.The devastating defeat for the Democratic Party, which lost 62 of the 175 seats it had when Parliament was dissolved, has raised concerns about the future of a two-party system in a country where the LDP has ruled for most of the past 50 years. —ReutersNorth Asia uneasy with Koizumi winSEOUL: Junichiro Koizumi’s landslide election victory does not bode well for Tokyo’s soured relations with its Asian neighbours, newspaper editorials from the region said. South Korean daily Joong Ang Ilbo predicted problems in international ties. It said Koizumi was likely to bolster Japan’s military, with China and North Korea in mind as the main enemies. The editorial also saw Japan pressing forward with plans to revise its pacifist constitution so it could widen the scope for sending troops overseas. —Reuters
