Koizumi's "Small Government" and Japan Post's Privatization: Political Reform without Substance
Abstract
In April 2005, the Koizumi cabinet submitted a bill to the Japanese Diet that generated great debate within the Japanese government and the public alike. The bill called for the privatization of Japan Post, which is the main body of the Japanese postal service. In July 2005, the House of Representatives passed a bill by 5 votes in favor of the privatization of Japan Post. In August, the House of Councilors voted down the bill by 17 votes, regardless of an admonition by Mr. Koizumi of a possible call for dissolution of the Diet. As a result, Prime Minster Koizumi dissolved the House of Representatives and called for re-election over this contentious issue. On September 11, 2005, Japanese nationals re-elected Prime Minister Koizumi to another term in office. Although Mr. Koizumi personally believes that the privatization of Japan Post is an essential part of the central government reform he has been pursuing since the beginning of his term, there are currently many other pressing policy issues in Japan that need to be addressed. The aging of society and the decreasing birth rate should be priorities on the cabinet's agenda, as these are the primary concerns of the people. An opinion poll conducted by Jiji Press LTD shows that the public considers the most pressing issues to be social security reform, including action on pension plans, and Medicare reform. The issue of Japan Post privatization ranked 12th out of 16 issues, and was identified by only 6.7 percent of the people as their number one priority. Regardless of public opinion, Mr. Koizumi made the privatization of Japan Post his political mission, and the September election was centered entirely around this contentious issue. In this article, the author highlights the issues surrounding the September re-election of Mr. Koizumi, particularly Mr. Koizumi's argument for privatization, and what Mr. Koizumi neglected to discuss openly -- the potential risks and downsides of privatizing Japan Post.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA521153
Entities
People
- Izumi Wakugawa
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School