shiporeo.blogg.se

The Asahi Shimbun survey has highlighted the growing public debate in Japan about the impact of market reforms and deepening social inequality. In addition, 58 percent said they were unhappy with society’s tendency to cast people as “winners” and “losers” according to their personal wealth. Some 81 percent of those surveyed stated that they now worried about becoming hard up for money. Its survey last month on inequality in Japan found that 74 percent believed that the income gap between rich and poor was growing. The Asahi Shimbun pointed to a major source of opposition. Disapproval ratings rose from 34 percent to 43 percent over the same period. A Nihon Keizai Shimbun poll published in early February found that his approval rating had slumped from 59 percent in December 2005 to 45 percent. Six months later, polling by major newspapers shows that Koizumi’s support has collapsed dramatically. The victory, he claimed, was a mandate to continue his economic restructuring agenda. As he had done before, Koizumi postured as an anti-establishment “reformer” and focussed entirely on the single issue of selling off Japan Post. Koizumi expelled 37 upper house “rebels” from the LDP who voted against postal privatisation and ran high-profile candidates, dubbed “assassins”, against them. Alongside the promotion of Japanese nationalism and militarism, the privatisation of Japan Post and other state assets has been a major policy plank since Koizumi became prime minister in 2001. Koizumi called the snap election after the upper house of the Diet rejected his bill to privatise Japan Post, a key component of the government’s economic restructuring program.

He emerged victorious, with his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) winning an absolute majority in the lower house of the Diet (Japan’s parliament) for the first time in 15 years.

Following last September’s election in Japan, the political fortunes of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appeared to be riding high.