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Article: Shaking things up in Japan.(Junichiro Koizumi elected prime minister)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- May 7, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TOKYO--From his shock of permed salt-and-pepper hair to his suppressed ambition to be an opera singer, there is something clearly different about Japan's new prime minister. Following a succession of dull and forgettable leaders, Junichiro Koizumi, 59, swept to power last week following a rank-and-file revolt within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "Koizumi appears to have toppled the government," says political editor Seikaku Kishii. "It's nothing short of a coup d'etat."
Such hyperbole aside, Koizumi does promise to shake up Japan's sclerotic political and economic order. Last week, he ignored the LDP's powerful factions, which usually carve up cabinet ...