Two months have passed since the inauguration of the popular administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Thanks to the prime minister's enormous popularity, the Liberal Democratic Party easily triumphed in this week's election for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, which was the first test for the new government. The Democratic Party of Japan, the top opposition party, also put up a good fight, but the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party both suffered stinging defeats.
Having safely crossed this first hurdle, Koizumi is visiting the United States this weekend to have his first summit meeting with President George W. Bush. When he returns, he again will begin an electoral campaign, this time for the next House of Counselors election. Voting is scheduled to take place July 29. The election for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly was no more than a prelude to this main battle. It will be the Upper House election that will test the true worth of the Koizumi administration and influence its destiny.
With his affable personality and crisp language, his dedication to structural reform on the domestic political front and his appeals on the economic front, Koizumi has gained the overwhelming support and sympathy of the people. On the diplomatic and security fronts, however, the government has yet to proclaim any clear policy. Not long after the inauguration of the new administration, discord flared up between Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and the bureaucracy of the Foreign Ministry, leaving the impression that Japanese diplomacy does not exist at the moment.