Ever since his administration took power in April 2001, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been asking the Japanese public to endure the pain associated with structural reform. This request is justified only when all Japanese equally share the pain.
During the Pacific War, the slogan for all Japanese was "We shall give up all material needs until we win the war" -- not unlike Koizumi's appeal. The implication was that all Japanese should equally share pain until they won the war.
The problem with Koizumi's reform agenda is that the losers in market competition -- the majority of the Japanese -- are forced to suffer from his market principle-based reform while only a small number of winners enjoy the fruits of "increased efficiency."
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