LONDON -- Why can't Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi carry out his promised reforms of the Japanese economy? Some may argue that he never really intended to reform the system and that his promises were all sham designed as a political boost. I don't agree, although I do question whether he and his close supporters have really thought through how to achieve reforms while ensuring that the Japanese economy recovers from the deflation that has followed the bursting of the bubble.
His real problem lies in the Japanese political and bureaucratic system, which effectively limits the prime minister's ability to execute his will.
In any democratic system there must be limits on the exercise of arbitrary power. Most important is Parliament's power to question and hold the executive to account. Another restraint is public opinion and the media. In these respects, Koizumi is in a position similar to that of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.