Send him in to clean up the banks, and pretend to grumble while he ropes the opposition Democrats into going along. If the reforms are popular or successful, then Koizumi is a hero and the LDP looks golden for the crucial Lower House elections in 2004. If the reforms are unpopular or unsuccessful, why, Koizumi is the perfect fall guy. Dump him and move on. For Japan, the remainder of this year appears to be one of those rare times when conventional politics may produce unconventional policies.
Japan is at an inflection point.
And cross your fingers. More from National Journal. More on politics and society in Atlantic Unbound and The Atlantic Monthly. Jonathan Rauch is an opinion columnist for National Journal. Why Washington Stopped Working.