Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Who Will Suceed Koizumi?
According to Tom Plate in the Korea Times, Japan is feeling neglected these days, as the focus in Asia moves to China. Nevertheless, Japan still has the world's second-largest economy and far exceeds its "big brother" in economic might. With Prime Minister Koizumi scheduled to step down in September, interest in potential successors is building. Although Shinzo Abe has the strong will of Koizumi, he is also burdened by his apparent intent to continue the practice of war-shrine visitations that has cost Japan diplomatically. Abe has recently been ambiguous on these visits, but there is a sense in the Japanese public that Yauso Fukuda -- "an older, quieter, more diplomatic transition figure" -- may be more appealing at this stage of Japan's history. On the downside, Fukuda is likely to be a less compelling and hard-driving leader than Koizumi, while Japan still requires a strong prime minister to push through substantial reform.

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