When he became prime minister in April 2001, Junichiro Koizumi boasted high public support, portraying himself as a lone wolf fighting old-guard politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party.
"Anti-Koizumi factions are trying to come up with candidates, but they can't even decide on a single one," Koizumi said last week, referring to moves by rival forces in the LDP to field someone to run against him in the party's presidential election on Sept. 20.
Confident of re-election, he said the major goals he plans to pitch in the LDP poll will be privatization of the postal services and public expressway companies -- bastions of old-guard politicians' vested interests.