People are beginning to realize -- Akahata editorial, February 3, 2002

The approval rate for the Koizumi Cabinet is sharply plunging. Many media surveys show that the rate has already fallen around 30 percentage points. Such a sharp decline is almost unheard-of as far as approval ratings for past cabinets are concerned.

The replacement of former Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko is obviously the immediate cause.

It has been revealed that Japan's foreign policy is influenced by a Liberal Democratic Party member of parliament who represents special interests and that the foreign minister who took issue with such practices was dismissed. This is what happened, and many people now understand that what is touted as the Koizumi "reform" is no different from past LDP politics which was influenced by special interests.

What lies behind 'reform'

The Koizumi Cabinet's approval rating used to be as high as 70 to 80 percent because the people pinned their hopes for political change on a prime minister who showed determination to carry out "reform" and even said he would bust the LDP if it stands in his way. Many media reports depicted the Koizumi "reform" as if it would have leverage to change LDP politics.

That did not happen. The Koizumi government has encouraged corporations to carry out their restructuring and has compelled major banks to write-off bad loans. These policies have led to more bankruptcies and unemployment, made the household economy more precarious, cut welfare services, and disrupted the nation's economy. The Koizumi Cabinet has also carried out a hawkish policy of sending the Self-Defense Forces to participate in a war alongside the U.S. Forces in violation of the Constitution.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro is the most obstinate opponent of reform of LDP politics which is characterized by its submission to the United States and service to large corporations.

Once the people realize that this prime minister is following exactly the same old LDP politics in the guise of "reform," people will naturally turn their back on the Koizumi Cabinet.

The forced resignation of Tanaka Makiko as foreign minister gave the people a chance to think again and turn away from the Koizumi Cabinet.

It is important to note that people have every reason to backpedal rapidly due to the anger boiling over at hardships they cannot endure any longer in the Koizumi "reform."

The Koizumi Cabinet encouraged large corporations to carry out restructuring and worker dismissals, while doing nothing to stop the increase in the unemployment rate which has been breaking records for months. The Cabinet has dismissed reports on bankruptcy increases as evidence of the structural reform being in progress. This is precisely the Koizumi "reform" that has given rise to a cycle of falls in income, personal consumption, and production. This cycle is leading the Japanese economy to the verge of ruin.

A Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted on February 2 showed that only 13.6 percent of the respondents said that they think the economy will recover under the Koizumi Cabinet, with 68.2 percent thinking otherwise. These figures are symbolic. Many people have come to realize that the Koizumi government is only making the bad economy worse and disrupting their living conditions.

Despite a sharp decline in his approval rating, Prime Minister Koizumi insists on staying the course. If he continues to implement the failed policy, public mistrust and anger will be on the rise and make his political power base more unstable.

Some media attribute the sharp fall in Koizumi's support rate to "setbacks in the reform," and call for contingency legislation to be enacted and for the medical insurance system to be adversely revised to make the people pay more under the name of "reform." This is exactly an upside down logic.

Fundamentally, the Koizumi Cabinet is trying to use what it calls "reform" to continue with misgovernment that imposes even heavier burdens on the people, which even past LDP governments didn't dare to do. The only way to serve the people's interests is to stop the Koizumi "reform."

A drastic political change

Everyone now understands what the Koizumi government stands for, and a dramatic change is taking place in relations between the Koizumi government and the public.

Let us develop a powerful movement all over Japan against the deceptive "reform" policy and for an end to LDP politics, joining forces with all people who are suffering from the Koizumi government policies. (end)