The Liberal Democratic Party has chosen four promotional TV commercials to be aired beginning May 20, including one featuring Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi titled "An Oddball in Nagata-cho," party officials said.
In that ad, Koizumi tells the camera, "Koizumi is eccentric. People deemed eccentric in Nagata-cho are normal to the public," the officials said.
Nagata-cho, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, is where the Diet and government offices are clustered.
Koizumi parlayed his reputation as a political maverick and reformer into winning the presidency of the LDP in a leadership election last month. The post carries the job of prime minister due to the party's dominance in the Diet.
After watching a preview of the ads, Koizumi seemed satisfied. He will also appear in the three others.
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