A Growing Concern in Japan

The question of who will succeed presiding Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is on the minds of the Japanese people due to the decline of his popularity with the public including members of his own party. Known as a reformer, Koizumi focused on restructuring the long-running Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), decreasing government debt, and achieving the privatization of the national postal service.This has led him to be regarded as a controversial yet at times popular figure, one who really wants to make a change. However, because of his insistence on progress and actions taken toward reform, the prime minister has been much opposed by traditionalists, who can remove him from office and have him replaced.Outside of Japan, Koizumi’s reputation has been quite negative. The prime minister has been long criticized for visiting the Yasakuni Shrine, a controversial Shinto shrine built in honor of Japanese soldiers of World War II. Though he claims that he visits to pray that Japan no longer has to go to war, neighboring nations like China, North Korea, South Korea, and the Philippines protest him for honoring war criminals that have destroyed the lives of their nation’s people.Since Koizumi has received much opposition from his own party, the LDP and other parties in Japan’s bicameral parliament, known as the Diet, are seeking a replacement. Candidates include Taro Aso, who once ran against the prime minister in general party elections but lost. He is known to be a right-wing thinker but is trusted to not visit the Yasakuni Shrine as Koizumi does, which may improve foreign relations. He has also mentioned that if appointed to office, he’ll dedicate his energies to social rules and manners in early education. He believes that to be a key aspect in addressing the concern of future generations.