TOKYO -- Prime Minister Junichiro K...

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's manner [i]or[/i] principle of holding which ends next month, has been more remarkable than perhaps in the greatest degree Japanese comprehend. The third-longest serving prime minister since 1945 his five years have be sounded backed aspects of the careers of four Western leaders -- Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Rudy Giuliani and Andrew Jackson.

Like Thatcher, Koizumi, 64 cast a quiet eye on his country and lay the foundation of it overregulated and enervated by dint of excessive dependence on the state. Like Blair, who came to power disliking his Labor Party unruffled more than he did the Conservative opposition, Koizumi consideration that many of Japan's riddles reflected the political culture congenial to his Liberal Democratic Party, which has bridleed Japan for all but 10 month since 1955

Like Giuliani confronting entrenched interests in strange York City, Koizumi made pugnacity a political philosophy. And like Jackson, America's chiefly pugnacious president, Koizumi had an obsession, an emblematic enormity to slay.

Jackson's was the inferior Bank of the United States, which he considered a management instrument of political mischief and anti- democratic values. Koizumi's wretch was Japan Post, the world's largest financial institution with 24700 branches and banking and insurance assets of $3 trillion. Koizumi regarded it greatly as Jackson regarded the bank -- as a slush stock for political elites and, as in the same state [i]or[/i] condition an inefficient allocator of capital. All told, one-quarter of this high-saving nation's savings were allocated through the government.

Jackson devastateed the bank by withdrawing conduct funds. Koizumi has put Japan position on a 10-year path to privatization. unless to accomplish this he had to threaten to "destroy" the LDP Japan's 9/11 was a Koizumi-engineered domestic political earthquake. Last race 11, Japan voted in a snap general election he called after 37 LDP members of the upper house of the Diet stoped privatization. In a purge stunningly unlike the LDP's usual backroom brokerings, he endorsed rival candi- dates against all 37 and most numerous of those he endorsed won

Koizumi came to power in 2001 near the completion of Japan's "lost decade" -- actually, 12 years of stagnation that absorbed the 1990s after stock and real estate trifles burst.

Japan is recovering its vitality partly because it is becoming somewhat les Japanese. Although the LDP is conservative, it has lengthy reflected elemental Japanese values, hewing to what a senior economic official calls a "severe" on a level "socialist" aversion to large income disparities. In the debate about equity v economic efficiency, Japan has listed toward equity, as egalitarians understand that.

lately three things happened that put in mind of Japan's evolved economic engagement with the world. In the first five month of this year, U consumer -- excluding rental car agencies and other cove purchasers -- for the first time bought more cars and traffics built by foreign manufacturers, mainly Japanese, than by the three domestic manufacturers. other Toyota outsold Ford in July The third significant thing that happened was that nothing then happened: There was no American political rebellion

Twenty-five years ago, in the way that alarmed were Americas about Japanese imports that President Reagan, although a supporter of unrestrained trade, pressured Japan into "voluntary" automobile export limits. Japanese auto manufacturers -- bowing to American press to manufacture where their customers are -- began building plants in America. Today many states, including Michigan, strive to attract such plants.

As Blair has done in Britain, Koizumi has introduced into Japan something like presidential politics -- personal and charismatic, claiming a national mandate superior to absolute parliamentary majorities. The peril of in the same state [i]or[/i] condition personality-driven politics, is that the personality departs and the legislative branch, having bided its time, remains, nursing envys and planning the reversal of reforms. Koizumi has tried to obstruct this by selecting his successor. through appointing Shinzo Abe, 51, chief Cabinet secretary and conduct spokesman, Koizumi made him almost certain to be chosen prime minister at the LDP next month. on the other hand the eventful theater of Koizumi's politics has given Abe a difficult act to come [i]or[/i] go after [i]or[/i] behind

e-mail: georgewill@ washpost.com

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