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Prime Ministers voluntarily leaving office: a Japanese perspective  Heizo Takenaka: "I think it is very difficult for any individual to continue for a long time as Japanese prime minister and I understand this is also true for this country. Sean Curtin 7 September 2006 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is set to voluntarily leave office near the end of September 2006. He has led Japan for over five years, much longer than most of his predecessors, his term in office marking one of the longest postwar premierships. As he prepares to step down, opinion surveys show he remains overwhelmingly popular and is departing office on a high. This situation contrasts sharply with that of British PM Tony Blair whose poll ratings are not as healthy and who faces repeated calls from members of his own party to quit. This, despite having said he will eventually step down at an unspecified date. Heizo Takenaka, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and one of PM Koizumi's closest advisors, gave a Japanese perspective on this topic during a question and answer session at Chatham House on 7th September 2006. In response to a question about whether he himself would like to service in the next Cabinet after Koizumi steps down, Minister Takenaka responded: "I have been at the centre of politics for fives years and that's long time. I think to get a source of vitality, you have to change people. You need the change to make politics dynamic. There are some politicians that have just been around for too many years." < However, asked about a specific comparison between Japan and the UK, he was less forthcoming. Sean Curtin: Prime Minister Koizumi has been one of the most successful postwar Japanese Prime Ministers and also one of the longest serving. Despite winning a landslide victory in the 11th September election last year, he pledged to step down at the end of this month. Ignoring repeated calls for him to extend his term in office, he is honouring his promise to stand-down. Do you think that one of the secrets of a truly successful prime minister is to know when to leave the political stage? Heizo Takenaka: Koizumi has a very charming character and he is very good on the reform agenda. He is also a genuinely good person in private and we have enjoyed many good chats. In my personal understanding, the secret of his success is his talent at connecting directly with the general public. You know, if you remember August 8 last year when the government bill to privatize the Japanese Post Office was rejected by the Upper House and on that day, he decided to dissolve the Lower House. On the very same day he appeared on television and made an exceptionally good speech without any notes or preparation. He spoke of his genuine passion to change the nature of government, to privatize Japan Post and carry out other reforms. Many Japanese people were impressed by this performance and ability. I think this is the secret of his success in government. I think it is very difficult for any individual to continue for a long time as Japanese prime minister and I understand this is also true for this country as well. However, Prime Minister Koizumi has this ability to speak directly to the Japanese people and can give very impressive speeches in front of the TV cameras. His August 8 speech last year was very strongly criticized by the media and editorial writers, but this washed over the Japanese people who were impressed by the speech. In my opinion, it was Prime Minister Koizumi's ability to reach out to the people like this that gave us our subsequent victory. That is why I believe that it is very important that the next prime minister has this talent of being able to directly communicate with the people. And I think this is the very basis of democracy. The above comments were made at Chatham House (Royal Institute for International Affairs) in London on 7 September 2006. |
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