Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration should be given high marks for having addressed issues untouched by its predecessors, but there is still more to do, according to the chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai).
"Instead of resorting to lavish government spending to stimulate the economy, Mr. Koizumi has been working to reduce inefficiency in the public sector," Kakutaro Kitashiro, also chairman of IBM Japan Ltd., said during a recent interview. "Reform efforts have led to some progress in various fields."
Unlike the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), Doyukai is not openly endorsing any party. But in general it has been supportive of Koizumi's moves to streamline the government by shifting some of its responsibilities to the private sector and local governments.