LONDON -- Too much has been expected from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, but that is partly his own fault. There seems to have been too much "spin" and too little action. Time is not on his side as the Japanese economy splutters.
His judgment has failed him in foreign affairs. He has given the impression that he is obstinate, self-willed and not prepared to gracefully concede. The great 19th-century English novelist Anthony Trollope wrote a novel titled, "He Knew He Was Right." The protagonist would not accept that he could be wrong. Most politicians tend to become similarly self-righteous. It is a mistake that leads to hubris and ultimately to downfall.
It is difficult to fathom why Koizumi got himself into such a mess over his visit to Yasukuni Shrine. Did he not realize how controversial such a visit would be at this delicate stage in relations with South Korea and China, or that people in other countries who suffered in World War II would condemn the visit? Did he not recognize that foreigners would see this as a sign of reviving nationalism, especially after his government's obstinacy over the textbook issue?