The political situation in Japan is already heating up in anticipation of a period of turbulence in the fall. The current ordinary session of the Diet has been extended until July 26, and it seems certain that the bill concerning Japan's support for the reconstruction of Iraq, the focal point of the second half of the session, will be passed before that date. With this contentious issue apparently behind him, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has suddenly begun to rush ahead with plans for September and beyond.

The Liberal Democratic Party is scheduled to hold its presidential election in September. For some time now, Koizumi has been drafting a scenario in which he would reshuffle his Cabinet and LDP executives immediately after the presidential election and then, with a new administration in place, dissolve the House of Representatives in mid-October and hold a general election in November, in which, of course, he would score a sweeping victory.

Koizumi outlined this plan in an interview with a monthly magazine that went on sale July 10, but the contents leaked a few days early, causing a real commotion in political circles. Koizumi must be feeling really chuffed with himself, because his own scenario has now been penciled in on the political calendar. Moreover, the opposition parties and ruling coalition parties have hastily begun preparations for a November poll, so it seems unlikely that the election fever is going to die down.