Koizumi Re-Elected Japan Party Leader

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi easily won re-election as head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday and called it a mandate for his pledges of tightened spending, deregulation and privatization.

The silver-haired leader, wildly popular with the public, won handily over his three challengers. Shizuka Kamei, a senior party executive, was a distant second.

“This election comes at a time of great change for the party,” Koizumi said. “This was an election to prove this party is the party of the people, and of promoting reforms.”

Having held the premier’s post for 2 1/2 years, the victory also cements his role as one of the longest-serving Japanese leaders over the past 25 years. During that time, Japan has had 14 premiers.

The party president usually serves concurrently as prime minister because of the LDP’s dominant role in Parliament.

Underscoring his solid support, Koizumi won 399 of the 657 party votes – 260 more than his closest rival. The election includes 357 ballots cast by the LDP’s members of Parliament and 300 calculated to reflect the votes of the party’s 1.4 million rank-and-file members.

Analysts say the results should embolden Koizumi to push ahead with his revitalization plans with greater vigor.

They had been opposed by members of his own party, who said they were doing little to recharge the economy. The party’s rallying behind him on Saturday indicated infighting could be on the wane.

“Lawmakers realize the public backs him, so they should too,” said Harumi Arima, a political analyst and former LDP political aide.

At a news conference to kick off his new three-year term, Koizumi said he would appoint new LDP party officers on Sunday and announce a new Cabinet on Monday.

Koizumi is expected to replace his finance minister, who is in poor health, and the foreign and education ministers.

He reportedly plans to keep his top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, and his economic policy minister, Heizo Takenaka, whose crackdown on banks has been criticized by lawmakers but lauded by foreign investors.

Koizumi’s popularity with the general public has drawn many LDP lawmakers to his camp, particularly as the party prepares for parliamentary elections in the coming months. Koizumi has the power to call elections for Parliament, and is reportedly considering doing so in early November.

The election focused on Koizumi’s efforts to breathe life into the economy, which has struggled through a slowdown for most of the past decade.

Koizumi has pushed for deregulation and privatization of government institutions like the post office, and stood by government spending limits.

Supporters say he needs more time to complete his reforms, and point to government figures released last week showing that the economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.9 percent in the most recent quarter – faster than the 2.4 percent posted by the United States.

His challengers say only more public spending – and a freeze on some of Koizumi’s reforms – can ensure a recovery.

The Liberal Democratic Party has controlled the reins of government in Japan throughout most of the post-World War II era. Despite its name, the party reflects the conservative mainstream and is closely allied with big business and the agricultural sector.

Koizumi had been strongly favored to defeat the three lawmakers running against him – Shizuka Kamei, a senior party executive; Takao Fujii, a former transportation minister; and Masahiko Komura, a former foreign minister.