Koizumi Reelected, but

will there be any real change? According to all of the pundants---especially foreign journalists, Koizumi won in a landslide because the Japanese want change and action. However, he focused on reforming the Post Office this time. That is understandable, but his postal reforms are so watered down that it will not be until 2017 that most changes take effect and that leaves plenty of time for evasion of even these small changes.

The LDP---Koizumi's party---has been in power since 1955 except for very brief intervals. Some of the so-called opposition parties are ex-LDP members who pretty much agree with the LDP. Every time the LPD has won an election in the past 5-10 years, foreign "experts" have claimed that somehow the LDP victories were showing that the party was weakening and Japan was moving towards a real 2-party system. Most Japanese whom I told about this (or who could read the articles) laughed at such idiocy.

Now the LDP has won a huge landslide. So now many of these foreign experts are claiming that the LDP itself is bringing "change" to Japan (lead by Koizumi). Koizumi has said he will retire next September. The LDP is still led by 70-85 year-old retro-grouches. Change? Reform? Don't hold your breath for this one.