Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration, which had been sailing smoothly until a few months ago, now faces strong head winds amid a series of scandals. The first scandal to hit was the disclosure late last year that a certified architect had falsified building data on earthquake resistance. Since the beginning of this year, the administration has been roiled by the Livedoor case, the import of banned U.S. beef parts and bid-rigging cases involving the Defense Facilities Administration Agency.
All this raises questions anew about last September's general election in which the Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide. The LDP, riding on the wave of Mr. Koizumi's reform initiative, secured a solid majority of 296 seats in the Lower House.
During the campaign, Mr. Koizumi focused on the privatization of postal services, putting aside virtually all other issues. In this sense, the LDP victory was largely a reflection of voter support for his postal reform agenda -- or at least for his enthusiasm for reform.