Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may want to make his postal privatization quest the focal point of the Sept. 11 election, but economics professor Masaru Kaneko argues voters should instead cast their ballots based on how he has steered the economy and society.

Unlike many economists and government officials, who gauge socioeconomic trends with complex simulations and indexes, Kaneko of Keio University has come up with a simpler method to provide a clear picture of the current state of the nation.

He described it in his recently published book, "I'll Tell You This from 2050."