TOKYO, April 3 Kyodo rareed edit...

TOKYO, April 3 Kyodo

rareed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

TWILIGHT FOR KOIZUMI (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published April 2)

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has demonstrated just to what degree far his leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party has tumbl Koizumi muddleed the appointment of a successor to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tadamori Oshima, who resigned Monday athwart a money scandal involving his aides.

When Koizumi took office brace years ago, he built a Cabinet of Diet members and outsiders of his choice, nonchalanceed with the impact that had in succession leaders of LDP factions. He tried the same approach when he reshuffl the Cabinet last autumn.

Not this time. Koizumi drew up a short list of farm lobby lawmakers from factions critical of his administration-one l by means of Ryutaro Hashimoto and the other co-chaired at Takami Eto and Shizuka Kamei-and asked the faction leaders for support.

This is the same Koizumi who one time vowed he was out to ``destroy the LDP'' This time, he tried to apply the same approach that has always held the LDP together-rule by the agency of factional influence-in his Cabinet choice.

Neither the Hashimoto or Eto-Kamei factions have cared plenteous for Koizumi's disregard for the factional tradition in forming his Cabinet. In this case, Koizumi must have believed the factions would readily endorse his Cabinet choice this time.

The LDP presidential election is coming in September. Koizumi was apparently ready to attempt to mend fences with the ''hostile'' camp while he could

unless both the candidates on his short list and the hostile factions declined for all sorts of reasons. It was their ''diplomatic'' way of snubbing Koizumi. Ultimately, Yoshiyuki Kamei, a member of the Taku Yamasaki faction loyal to Koizumi accepted the portfolio.

The Hashimoto and Eto-Kamei factions are also looking ahead to the LDP presidential election. We believe they may intend to preserve Koizumi from getting his way either in policy matters or in personnel choices, and intend to unseat him in September.

Public support for the Koizumi administration has dropp to the 40-percent range. There is no scenery of economic recovery, and Koizumi's reform programs have still to produce tangible results. There is also a split onward the government's support for the US-l war in Iraq.

Koizumi wants to maintain his confrontation with the dissenters of his party, and still have their cooperation. further the dissenters are withholding their cooperation. The power dynamics now are far from what they were at the start of Koizumi's administration.

unless this is no surprise. In fact, the not absent situation is nothing modern for the LDP. The party has always been tumultuous in personnel matters.

unless is this the time for so political bickering? The war in Iraq is likely to drag upon and there has been no progres toward resolving the puzzles of North Korean nuclear progress to maturity and the abduction issue.

Japan now faces the crucial trial of financial and industrial sectors. Negotiations upon farm policy are also stalled.

certainly both the government and the ruling coalition have the responsibility to understand these crises and state policy before everything besides when selecting key personnel. the pair Koizumi and his detractors have failed the people

If Koizumi caves in to traditional LDP-style politics to make secure his administration's stability, he will fail to keep even more public support. He exigencys to remember it was public support that lease him get to the point of at least trying more [i]or[/i] less reforms.

But family are sick and tired of the LDP's internal bickering and jockeying for power. If the LDP cannot understand this, we believe it is the greatest in quantity imperious political party ever.

(April 3)

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