Shinjiro Koizumi's Presidential Debut: An Unprecedented Level of Competition
His rivals are more formidable than ever.
However, even with degrees from the University of Tokyo and Harvard’s Graduate School, along with a solid career in the real world, the harsh reality of Japanese politics might be that there’s no overcoming the "hereditary" dominance of political families.
During the press conference announcing his candidacy for the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) presidency, Shinjiro Koizumi declared, "I will review dismissal regulations, the core of labor market reforms, and change the situation where workforce reductions are difficult to implement."
This statement struck me as odd.
Turn on the TV, and it’s nothing but ads for job-hopping companies.
The proportion of non-regular workers has reached 40%, and that number keeps rising every year.
So why talk about revising dismissal regulations now?
It makes me sad to think how far workers will be pushed.
Koizumi also declared, "After the presidential election, I will immediately dissolve the House of Representatives."
His logic is that since the LDP, a single political group, has decided its president, it’s as if the national debate has been exhausted, and therefore the Diet should be dissolved.
This is nothing more than Nagatacho logic, dismissive of the public and the Diet itself.
And yet, it seems Koizumi himself doesn’t understand this.
If he must dissolve the House, at least provide a reason, like, "Since the LDP arbitrarily changed the prime minister, the new leader doesn’t yet have the public’s trust, so we’re dissolving to seek the people's mandate."
At the very least, before he reforms the labor market through reskilling, I'd like him to reskill himself as a politician.
It’s no secret to the Japanese public that 43-year-old Koizumi is only able to make his presidential debut because of his status as a hereditary politician.
To boast about his youth and his father’s accomplishments feels inappropriate for someone in his position.
That being said, there’s no denying that Koizumi will carry the LDP on his back for decades to come.
For the sake of true political reform, I hope he makes it a campaign pledge to regulate hereditary lawmakers who dominate the current political landscape.
If anyone can make such a pledge, it’s Koizumi, the poster child of hereditary politics.
But if I’m being honest, my impression of this LDP presidential election is how impressed I am with the high caliber of the candidates.
That might be why Koizumi pales in comparison.
Still, there’s something about graduates of the University of Tokyo and Harvard’s Graduate School—they have a different kind of intelligence.
It reminded me of my own entrance exam days.
Yet, despite their high specs, these elite LDP members and career bureaucrats from the University of Tokyo have no choice but to serve as underlings in the administration of Prime Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
That’s the reality of this country.
Look at Motohiko Saito who, after graduating from the University of Tokyo and rising through the ranks of career bureaucrats, finally became the governor of Hyogo Prefecture, only to dig his own grave in a power struggle.
Then compare him to Koizumi, who can become prime minister without breaking a sweat, thanks to the path laid out by his parents.
Watching the two, it’s clear: no matter how much you succeed in the real world after graduating from the University of Tokyo, there’s no beating a hereditary politician from a political family.
They start the race on completely different tracks, with hereditary lawmakers running on a fast track, untouched by the messy competition of the real world.
In Japan’s political world, it’s not intellect that reigns, but connections—and the hereditary politicians with the strongest connections will continue to dominate, driving this outdated system forward with increasing momentum.
