[MadIvan]

Japan shows precisely the danger of having a single party in power for too long. And because Koizumi had a "funky" hair style the voters thought, somehow, he might be different even though he was part of that party. Forget it - Japan needs a change in a big way.

Regards, Ivan

[nopardons]

When government ( as in Japan ) is the partner of commerece, and banking, there is always a disaster. Japan was never truly Democratized, nor Westernized ; not to mention modernized. Most of it was just superficial.

Now comes the reckoning.

[altair]

because Koizumi had a "funky" hair style the voters thought

Japan has a parliamentary system and the Prime Minister is not elected. Koizumi was selected by the LDP members in the lower house after PM Obuchi died.

[stilts]

As much as the party is a problem the bigger issue is the triangle formed by business, ministers and politicians. By having all three headquartred in Tokyo, there is an old boy network among these three that starts in "preschool" and has continued for decades. Too much incest among these factions!

The result is that as a group they strive to maintain the power structure as long as possible and do not want any reformative change.