We're living in crazy times: Scandal-ridden and sketchy politicians all across the globe are being elected to the highest office of their respective lands. The recent LDP presidential election was no different; but luckily there's hope.
With his handling of this year's election, young gun Shinjiro Koizumi is poised to be a future contender for LDP president. He played it smart by backing the underdog and calling for LDP reform from within the party (unlike his former colleague, Yuriko Koike, who tried to encourage change by leaving the party but failed).
In his statements to the press, he positioned himself as someone who doesn't want to rock the boat, all while innocently rocking said boat. If Abe were smart, he would use Koizumi's popularity and leverage with rank-and-file party members to his advantage and place him on the new Cabinet.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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